An MSU archery team member aims down her target during a tournament-style practice at the Demmer Center on March 23, 2025. Team members usually practiced by themselves until other members arrived.
It’s Sunday, March 23, and MSU Archery Team member and club treasurer Leland Huber just won himself a rotisserie chicken.
"It feels good," the biochemistry sophomore said, after emerging as the winner of a tournament-style practice with his fellow members. Practices like this take place frequently within the Archery Club, with members competing for points while following archery tournament rules and procedures. Whoever finishes with the most points is awarded a prize — in this case, a chicken.
The MSU Archery Club holds practices like this once a week at the Demmer Center, with the nationally competitive Archery Team meeting anywhere from two to four times per week. Since the center’s opening in 2009, the MSU Archery Team has risen to become one of the top performing collegiate archery teams in the nation. They have produced 46 All-Americans and 43 academic All-Americans, with current team members eager to join their ranks.
While the pressure of adding to such a decorated history would undoubtedly get to many athletes, MSU Archery is able to maintain a relaxed, inviting atmosphere with their club meets — one where playing music and trading jokes between rounds is commonplace. Archery Team member and club president Anne Falk appreciates these practices for the change in pace it provides.
"There’s no pressure or anything like there is at a team practice," the nursing senior said. "It's pretty laid back. We play music, we have fun games. We give out rotisserie chickens."
Team practices, however, are more intense. In addition to demanding more of a time commitment from its members, they require a different level of skill and financial investment. "We have practice and score requirements to get onto the team," Falk said. "And you have to have your own equipment."
Huber was also quick to point out the dedication required to be a successful team archer.
"Are you coming after club times? Are you talking to the team?" Huber said. "If you say, 'Hey, I want to be there' we'll help you with equipment, we’ll help you with training and anchoring, basic knowledge. We'll get you there."
Competing as an archer presents a unique set of challenges. While many sports force athletes to rely on their physicality, archery requires a level of mental toughness that separates it from other team-based sports. Huber believes that without the right amount of focus, a good physique won’t get competitors to where they need to be.
"Once you get to a certain point, you're not really fighting your form. You're just trying to do it the same way over and over again," Huber said. "That mental tax can be really hard."
Huber went on to describe target panic — a psychological condition in which archers anticipate missing their target, causing themselves to flinch or panic prior to firing their arrow – and the importance of having teammates around to combat that.
"Being able to speak to other people who've experienced it really helps," Huber said. "It's important to have a community, like the archery team, where you can do that."
Falk also stressed the role of mental strength in archery. "You have to be in the right mindset. You can get the physical ability in like six months or a year, but it can take many years to master it mentally."
MSU is hosting the 2025 U.S. Archery Collegiate Target Nationals, which takes place from May 15-18 at the Hope Sports Complex in Lansing. This is the first time since 2016 that MSU will be hosting the event, and it’s here that the All-Around Archer of the Year Awards, All-American Team, and National Team Championship will be determined. The MSU Archery Team is doing everything they can to prepare for it.
"This is something I’ve never experienced before," Falk said, referencing the upcoming nationals competition. "It’s going to be a pretty big event, and more physically demanding for us. We’ll spend the week beforehand setting up together. But we also have the advantage of having all of our family there supporting us."
It’s not all about competition, though.
"It’s definitely serious, but it's also a bunch of college kids having fun. It’s really cool with the cheering and the chants we get going," Falk said. "I'm interested to see how MSU’s team does, with the competition taking place at our home."
As a resident student organization, the MSU Archery Team is mostly self-funded, meaning it acquires its own opportunities, equipment and talent as opposed to receiving those things from university-affiliated organizations like MSU Athletics. Falk believes operating this way is part of what contributes to the team's continued success.
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"I’d say it benefits us in some ways," Falk said. "Being an RSO, we get a lot of people from the general MSU student body. I feel like we get a lot of our diversity and skill from that. You could show up with a bow, join the club and make the team if you make the scores. It’s a lot more accessible."
Having to secure funding on their own presents some challenges. But even then, the team has been able to get by.
"We run indoor nationals here in Michigan and that's a big source of funding. It can be hard at times because it’s not coming directly from MSU," Huber said.
The communal aspect, Huber says, is what makes them content with their status as an RSO.
"When we traveled to Georgia, we had an Airbnb and we were able to make campfires. You're not really able to do that when you have to go through official channels," Huber said. "It can be hard, but it's worth it at the end of the day."
