These tryouts are typically scored according to USA Archery rules.

"30 arrows, three ends per round, with targets at 18 meters. But performance isn’t the only factor," Huber said. "We’ll judge you on your archery — we’ll judge you on nothing else. Most people who try out for the team get on, but even if you don’t, we’ll be working with you."

After tryouts, the team begins preparing for the Rushmore Rumble in January — one of the Midwest’s largest indoor tournaments, held in Indianapolis — before hosting Indoor Nationals back home at the Demmer Center.

"Having time after tryouts to truly become cohesive is the reason that’s placed like that," Huber said.

The range buzzes with the low twang of bowstrings and the faint smell of wax and carbon shafts. Between club practices on Sundays and team practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Demmer Center hosts a mix of first-time archers and national-level shooters. Coach Glenn, a certified Level 3 USA Archery coach, leads training sessions that blend repetition, posture correction and detailed scoring analysis.

Huber emphasizes that the team’s door is open to anyone. Archery may be a technical sport, but effort outweighs experience. 

"You can come in at any experience level," he said. "If you’re willing to put in that time and effort, the team members will see that. We’re happy to coach you. We’re happy to give you tips."

That openness keeps new members coming back — people like Adora Gjoni, a PR officer on the executive board. Gjoni started out shooting casually but found herself drawn deeper into the sport through the club’s supportive environment.

"Some people decide that they want to practice more outside of the club, so then people in e-board and the team will drive them over here, and we’ll all practice and just kind of work on form and getting better together," Gjoni said. "It’s really nice to have more one-on-one practice like that."

This community has a history behind it. The MSU Archery Club has been a quiet powerhouse for years, producing national-level competitors across recurve, compound, and barebow divisions. Huber, who became president in May, wants to keep that record intact while pushing collegiate archery into a broader spotlight.

"This team has a long history of being good," he said. "Going to national events, improving collegiate archery, bringing it to a wider stage — those were all draws for me to become president."

For Huber, archery hasn’t always been about competition. What started as a hobby with his grandfather has evolved into a sport that’s as mental as it is mechanical. 

"Once you go past the 270 range, you’re trying to get arrows in the size of a penny — at 20 yards," Huber said. "It can be really mentally taxing, and having a community to be around and improve was really helpful in my journey to get better."

Huber knows the sport runs on precision and psychology in equal measure. Every shot requires the same sequence — stance, draw, anchor, aim, release — but one lapse in focus can send an arrow inches off-center. 

"Archery is a very mentally focused game," he said. "So, at the end of the day, the club is a community for people who really like doing the same thing."

With these tryouts, the club is ready to welcome new members and keep building its community of archers.