TC Eagles enjoy national competition

The Trout Creek School Archery Team competed in the NASP (National Archery in Schools Program) Western National Tournament in Sandy, Utah, on April 29th and 30th. There were 29 teams competing in the tournament from 25 states. The Eagles competed in both the bullseye and 3D competitions. While the Eagles ended up out of medal range, they represented themselves remarkably well. “For a team that has only been together for about a year, they did very well competing against teams that have been doing the program for 17 years and longer,” Superintendent Preston Wenz said. “There is so much more to a trip like this than bullseyes. The life and social skills that are learned on this kind of trip are things that cannot be measured but will remain with these kids forever.”

Along with the tournament, the team got to take a tour of the Easton Archery factory and the Easton Archery Shooting Center. At the factory, the kids got to see how both the aluminum arrows and carbon arrows were made from start to finish. Seeing the process and everything involved had a few of the kids talking about careers in the engineering field and asking questions about what path to take to get there.

The Easton Archery Center is where Olympians train for the USA team. While the Eagles’ team was there, they got to watch Para Olympian Mile Lukow practice. Lukow was part of the 2017 gold medal team. Lukow was very gracious and took time to talk with the team, giving them words of encouragement and even gave each of them an autographed picture card.

While serving in Iraq, Lukow lost his right foot and injured his left foot. He told the team that archery gave him a renewed purpose and helped him learn to walk again. Lukow’s message to the team centered on staying determined and if you sling a bad arrow, put it behind you and focus on the next one.

While the Eagles may not have come home with a medal, they achieved so much in their first season as an archery team. “When I started this program at the school January 27th, 2022, I never expected this kind of success in this short of time,” Wenz said. “Our coaches, Beckie and Jerry Doyle, along with all of our other coaches, have done an amazing job with the kids. They have definitely won the hearts and minds of many folks in our country and the support for the team has been incredible.”

The team is now on break. When they start back up, work will begin on getting back to the National Tournament. The Eagles now know what level of performance it takes to get on the medal stand at Nationals. Wenz mentioned that there has been an interest from others to join the team. When the team begins practicing again, information will be shared on how students can join.

Trout Creek is now and forever known as the home to the 2023 NASP MIddle School Division State Champions. Thank you student archers for your dedication and achievements! We are very proud of you!