Mustangs Aim
New Archery Team Plans For Season
The McDonald County Mustang Archers Team is expecting a successful season.
High school coaches — a husband/wife team — recently announced the archers who will compete in the coming weeks.
When covid-19 came on the scene this spring, the previous season abruptly came to an end. Many competitors wondered what might have been.
Coach Neil Hutton said the previous season “ended poorly,” with the state tournament cancellation in the spring.
This season, students are anxious to bring their game and see what’s in store, he said.
“They’re chomping at the bit to get going again and ready to get rolling.”
Coach Emily Hutton — part of the husband/wife coaching team — said students worked hard during tryouts to log their best score.
Students are welcome to come in and shoot for the best score they can at 10 meters, and at 15 meters. Students who want to better their score can come in several times to see if they can improve their tryout performance, she said.
Coaches record the highest score and name those who made the team.
Spots and the roster vary. “It depends on the year,” Emily said. “This year, we took everybody.”
The archery team includes
Braxton Bishop, Gunnar Blake, Kylie Brooks, Treasure Clark, Cory Creason, Johnny Fuentes, Keagen Gibson, Jacob Gordon, Madison Grider, Levi Helm, Scott McCool, Levi Murray, Levi Neale, Sara Newhard, Knox Nichols, Abby Pagel, Lucas Pangle, Kaydience Richie, Ruth Richie, Fisher Sanny, Teryn Torrez, and Anabella Woodruff.
Emily’s focus — helping kids to excel — is something she’s honed during her 10 years of coaching the McDonald County High School archery team.
The team, which is a part of the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program, is making an impact in teens’ lives.
It ’ s something she’s personally witnessed during her coaching stint. Emily first became involved during her second year of teaching when she was part of an after-school program. By her sixth or seventh year, she was hands-on for the competitive aspect.
Neil quickly became involved after he began assisting Emily with competitions.
High school students are continuing to find archery fascinating. Some are kickstarted in elementary or middle school archery programs, and then follow their love for archery to the high school level, Neil said.
Some are new move-ins who take an interest. Some are referred by a friend.
“There’s really no limitation on who can do it,” Neil said.
This season, the team has two senior students who have competed in archery throughout their four-year high school career.
The team also has a senior who had never tried archery before trying out.
“We have both ends of the spectrum,” Emily said. “We take a lot of kids. It’s diverse. They don’t all fit into one mold. We have starters on the basketball team, football players, cheerleaders, and others who don’t do anything but archery,” she said.
Developing self- confidence, setting goals and improving their performance are aspects that Emily commonly sees.
Practice and devotion are key in seeing students develop, Neil said.
“We stress patience, goal-setting and how to relax — things you don’t see in other sports,” Neil said.
“In some sports, you strive for a higher heart rate and build stamina. In archery, you have to calm yourself to slow your heart rate. It’s definitely a relaxing pastime.”
The skill is one that students can continue throughout their lives.
“The parents really enjoy having students in an activity that they can carry with them and that is open to anyone,” Neil said.
Coaches are open to helping students develop those skills.
“Let’s find them a place to fit in and excel.”