White Bear Lake High School Girl gets 5th in Nationals

[Grute Man]

What I find most ironic is that she is just NOW going to get her own bow.  If I had to wait till I got as good as her, I don't think I'd ever get a bow.   :;

Seriously, good for her.  She should be proud.
Grute



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White Bear Lake student finishes fifth in national archery tournament (2007-06-19)
Minnesota's fledgling school archery program took a big step forward on June 9, when three Minnesota teams competed in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) National Tournament at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.

The program has spread to 42 states since its' inception in 2002. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) enrolled in the program in 2004, and now has more than 150 schools and 60,000 participants annually.

Hilltop Primary School from the Mound Westonka district finished 13th overall among elementary schools. Jackson Middle School from Champlin finished 12th in the middle school division, and Osakis High School took the ninth spot among high schools.

"I was amazed by the number of parents and siblings who made the trip to Kentucky to cheer for their kids," said Kraig Kiger, the DNR's National Archery in the Schools Program coordinator, who added that the Minnesota teams represented the state well. "You can tell that archery is an activity that can bind families together, and that it is an important part of the lives of a lot of kids."

White Bear Lake High School, which qualified for the national tournament by winning the state high school championship, was unable to send a full team because of a conflict with graduation. However, a number of individual White Bear Lake archers made the trip to compete, including the state high school girls champion Chantelle Skarda of Hugo.

Skarda, a ninth grader, shot a 285 out of a possible 300. That put her just three points behind the tournament winner Morgan Floyd of Richmond, Ky., and in fifth place overall.

Kiger said her performance is amazing when you consider she has only been shooting a bow since November. Her introduction to archery came through the school program, White Bear Lake's after-school archery club and the out-of-school Bucks and Buckthorn Program.

"She is a talented shooter," Kiger said. "But it goes to show you that archery is a sport that people can excel at with proper instruction and reliable equipment. I wonder how many more potential world class archers are out there that just haven't tried archery yet."

Skarda credits her success to good coaching by White Bear Lake teacher Jack Wachlarowicz and the volunteer after-school program coach John Slate.

"My coaches have taught me a lot about archery," Skarda said. "I am going to buy my own bow now so I can practice all summer."

Skarda intends to continue shooting, with hopes of becoming the national champion in 2008. Her coaches have no doubt that she can accomplish that goal. Wachlarowicz said a perfect round of 300 is not out of reach for the young archer. "I am willing to bet you on that," Wachlarowicz added.

The DNR is currently taking applications for Archery In School Equipment Grants. The one page application has an Oct. 31 deadline. Only school teachers or administrators may apply for the grants, but parents, archery clubs, hunting organizations and other individuals are encouraged to get involved and get the ball rolling in their school.

Physical education and outdoor recreation classes are the primary venues. The cost of the equipment is approximately $2,900, but with a DNR grant the cost is reduced to $1,500. The majority of schools receive local sponsorships to cover the costs.

The application and brochure may be downloaded from the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us.

For more information, contact Kraig Kiger at (218) 327-0583, or kraig.kiger@dnr.state.mn.us.
 

[maxxineo]

You go girl!!  whoo hooo!!  (I should call her up for some lessons!)  ::rockon::

[Realtree]

Congratulations to Chantelle...WOW! That is awesome, especially considering that she has only been shooting since November. Hats off to the teachers and advisors who give their time and knowledge to help this Next Generation of Outdoorsman develop their skills and appreciation of the Great Outdoors!! What a great story. Thanks for posting that Grute Man.   ::cheers::

[holdemtwice]

 ::dito ::dito ::dito  I AGREE !!!  WHAT A PROGRAM AND WHAT A GAL !!  I HOPEI CAN SHOOT AS GOOD AS HER SOMEDAY.  LOL 

[Grute Man]

Forgot to mention this.  The White Bear Press has an article about this and its 13 paragraphs long with a picture of Chantelle Skarda and Cameron Sculley.  11 paragraphs are about Chantelle and ONE is about Cameron.  So here's to Cameron:

"Cameraon Sculley, a 10th grader on the White Bear team shot a 281 out of 300, placing him in the top 25 for male archers and setting a new state record for boys in Minnesota."

That's all they said about Cameron.  I got more though.  I really like Cameron.  He (and Chantelle) has a great smile and he's wearing a shirt that says:

                                 
                                 555-5288
                                GRIZZLY BAR

                               I SURVIVED THE
                                 YAK BURGER

I wish I could post the picture.  Its worth more than 1000 words.

Again -- congrats to Chantelle AND Cameron. You kids rock!!!   :rock: :rock:
Grute

[Joe]

When I read this yesterday I couldn't believe she had only been shooting since last November.

Congrats to her and the rest of the Minnesota archers. :rock: