Lined up elbow to elbow, MSU Archery Team members shot a flurry of arrows at red and blue targets yards away during the U.S. National Indoor Championships, an archery tournament held Saturday and Sunday.
College students from the Midwest area ranging from University of Wisconsin La Crosse to Miami University in Ohio participated in the event, which was held at MSU Demmer Shooting Sports, Education and Training Center, 4830 E. Jolly Road, in Lansing.
Each day, competitors had the opportunity to shoot 60 arrows. Competitors shot 30 arrows, took a 20 minute break and then continued to the next set of 30. The MSU Archery Team also competed in team rounds, a head-to-head spar with other teams.
“The nice thing about this tournament is that because it’s local, we get a lot of the beginners to show up and shoot,” said MSU Archery Team president Jennifer Shelden, a professional writing senior. “(They) get the experience without having to pay for the price of travel.”
Results of the tournament will be available in about a week, and some team members remain hopeful their scores will help them rank nationally against other archers.
Shelden shot to maintain her All-American status for 2012, which she earned last year through her work at tournaments.
“All-American rankings are determined by indoor nationals and outdoor tournaments,” Shelden said.
If competitors rank well in various tournaments, they can earn sponsorship from various archery sporting good brands, MSU Archery Team coach Glen Bennett said.
Criminal justice freshman and team member Katherine Fladzinski is sponsored by G5 Outdoors, a company based in Memphis, Mich. She received a free bow through the sponsorship.
Fladzinski has been shooting for about eight years and refused to give up her passion for the sport when she went to college.
“One of the reasons why I went (to MSU) is because they had an archery team, so I could shoot,” Fladzinski said.
MSU Archery Team members have honed their skills at the Demmer Center, which opened in 2009 and has given the team a chance to grow, Shelden said.
“We got the opportunity to really expand the club,” Shelden said. “Before we shot at IM Sports-West, which was great that we had somewhere to practice and shoot, but we have practices where 20 to 40 people show up.”
Bennett, who was recognized as U.S. Collegiate Archery Association Northern Regional Coach of 2011, hopes to take the team to the next level and some day send a member of the team to the Olympics.
“I think the team is up and coming,” Bennett said. “This has been a gratifying experience.”
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