On March 11, Menchville’s archery team competed at the State Tournament held in Doswell, Virginia. Scoring 3269 in bullseyes and 1610 in 3D, Menchville placed fourth in bullseye and fifth in 3D. Menchville has qualified for Nationals which will be held in Louisville, Kentucky on May 11-13.

Menchville will be competing against multiple high schools in Nationals, so they have to train. An average day of training on the archery team consists of a two hour practice from 6:00-8:00 p.m held at B.C. Charles Elementary School, where they shoot at 10 meters, 15 meters, and 3D(fake animals). By the end of the practice, the team will have usually shot 10 rounds of 5 arrows at different types of targets.

Expectations are high and archer’s may get nervous if they consider the high stakes. When asked about how she feels about the approaching tournament, Haneen Taha, team captain of the archery team, said, “I am feeling very confident in the team. We have been anticipating tournament time for a while and everyone has put in a lot of effort into the sport and into the team. They are all extremely capable and prepared to go out and achieve their absolute best.” To manage stress and anxiety while shooting she recommended, “to have a staredown with the target. At that moment in a tournament where nerves may be high you want to redirect that anxiety into that one on one with just you and your target. It’s about making everything else disappear around you and focusing on what’s in front of you.”

Make sure when you see an archer in the hallway to wish them luck at Nationals!