Georgia S3DA State Outdoor Championship Draws 147 Youth Archers

The ACE Apaches archery team hosted the Georgia S3DA Outdoor Target State Championship at Stephens Park in Social Circle on March 11, 2023. You could feel the anticipation in the air as the archers emerged from their respective vehicles and made their way to the range. Some spectators unloaded their tents and canopies to take to the field, while others hurried to get the perfect viewing spot. You could see various tents and canopies lined up near the fence and the archer’s shooting line from far off in the distance. It was estimated that more than 300 spectators were in attendance to watch and cheer their archers to victory. Nearly 150 youth archers representing 10 different teams across the state participated in the event.

Archers competed from early morning to late afternoon. One of the archers had a bow breakdown and four coaches from different teams came together to help this young man get it fixed so he could finish his round. Quite a few of the archers shot their highest score to date in the Outdoor Target discipline. Awards were handed out to the top three podium finishers in their respective classes and divisions.

Georgia S3DA Regional Coordinator John Chandler said, “This event was run very well with certified judges to call arrows and keep everything running right on schedule. In 2022, we had 85 archers registered for the Outdoor Target state competition, and this year we had 147. Although we didn’t quite double the registration numbers, anyone can see that Georgia S3DA is growing tremendously. A lot of hard work from countless parents, coaches, and volunteers went into making this event successful.”

Cindy Colburn, a parent of a contestant, said, “The field was well laid out with clear markings for lanes, targets, archers, and spectators. The shoot times were spread out and every round seemed to transition well. Waiting for scores to be tabulated and awards handed out was done in a very timely manner and you couldn’t have asked for better southern hospitality.”

Reagen Ferguson, of Refuge Archery, who competed in the Young Adult Female Open category, said she enjoyed the shoot. “I was able to meet and interact with other archers from different teams. I look forward to the 3D season!” Reagen said. Her mother, Breann Ferguson said, “This shoot was a lot of fun! All the different teams did an excellent job in preparing for the event and that was shown in how well they shot.”

For more information, check out the Georgia S3DA Facebook page or visit the S3DA website.

About Scholastic 3-D Archery

Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) is a unique, family-oriented youth archery program that has grown exponentially across the United States as a next-step initiative to follow introductory archery programs. The mission of the Scholastic 3-D Archery program is to foster, educate and guide youth in the areas of 3D, indoor target, and outdoor target archery as well as safe, ethical bowhunting practices. The goal of the S3DA program is to provide archery and bowhunting opportunities to youth in after-school settings, as well as with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in the community. S3DA youth participate in 3-D and target archery using compound and traditional archery equipment. Youth members can participate in regional, state, and national archery events and earn college scholarships from colleges and universities across the United States. S3DA addresses the need for a program to bridge beginning target archery experience and more advanced activities such as 3-D shooting and bowhunting. The program currently operates across the United States with hundreds of certified coaches serving thousands of youth archers.

Contact the Scholastic 3-D Archery National Office at www.s3da.net or call 606.524.3685.