On Target:

Several students line up at the sound of a beep.

While there is light chatter, their focus is on the targets 10 meters away. At the sound of another beep, they all take aim and let loose arrow after arrow. One by one, the students empty the quivers at their sides and step to the back.

It’s just another practice for the Chandler Archery Club, which was established in 2010 by Tyrell Rhoades and is currently coached by teacher Amanda Savig, who is a former member of the team.

The program is one of several in the area, though more schools across the state have been adding archery over the last several years. This year’s team is small compared to the past - five junior high archers and eight in high school - but Savig said she is hoping to bring back the elementary team, which should help build numbers.

And though they may have fewer archers, the talent is still there. Sophomore Caden Eyestone is currently No. 2 in the state in the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) rankings for IDO 3D.

3D archery consists of shooting at foam replicas of wildlife that can be anywhere from 10 to 30 meters away, according to Prague archery head coach Richard Butler.

“They are more difficult. The target area is much smaller,” he said.

Archery has been growing in popularity, especially in the area, Butler said. Prague’s program started around 2013 and currently has 20 students between the middle and high school teams. He is hoping to incorporate elementary next year and to push for a varsity archery team, which uses a different bow that allows sights and releases.

Varsity archery is a fairly new program, though both McLoud and North Rock Creek have teams. They are also two of the biggest archery programs in the area. McLoud has 58 archers ranging from middle to high school, according to coach Brandi Steed. NRC has just over 100 from fifth grade to high school, according to coach J.R. Rogers.

McLoud was one of 10 to 15 schools that piloted the varsity program, Steed said.

“This year, we’ve done really well,” she said. “We’ve placed second and third in some tournaments. We have won a few tournaments throughout the regular season.”

On top of hosting NASP grand state tournaments, McLoud archers have gone on to receive scholarships and compete in the Junior Olympic Archery Development Program. Currently, they are prepping for NASP nationals in Utah, while senior Ciera Dunn is the number-one girl archer in the state.

But for Steed, it’s all about the kids.

“I’ve reached more kids that aren’t involved in anything else in school,” she said. “Those kids come in and I try as a coach to get them out of their shells. That’s the most important thing to me - just growing those individuals as a person and the archery comes next.”

Rogers at NRC said they are hoping to go to the NASP nationals in Kentucky. They’ve made it to four in a row, and last year, they came in third in the state in varsity archery as a first-year program.

“Between our middle school, our elementary, and our high school, we’ve probably brought home over 10 tournament championships this year,” he said.

Another team hoping for nationals is Stroud. They’ve been competing in tournaments for four years and added 3D this year, according to coaches Lacey Echelle and Jennifer Young. Their 25-strong team consists of archers from fourth to 12th grade. So far, archer Carlee Williams has qualified for nationals as an individual, along with their elementary school team.

“Archery as a whole is an unbiased sport when age, gender and equipment are considered,” the coaches said. “It’s mind over matter. Archers must overcome their own mental obstacles and keep clear focus on the target in front of them.”

Another relatively new program is at Meeker. They started an archery class four years ago, but have only been competing in NASP for three, according to coach Stacy Pryor. They have 17 archers on the middle school team and 18 in high school.

“This year, I’ve seen kids grow in their abilities. Some have improved greatly in their scores,” Pryor said. Many of her archers have placed in the top ten at several competitions this season. Both middle and high school ranked second at state for the central division.

“For next year, we’re hoping to host our first tournament and keep improving,” she said. “Meeker is a great town and the community is very supportive of the school I’m wanting to continue gaining support for these kids and help them grow as archers.”