Students from the Waldron and Charleston School Districts were among those competing at the 18th annual Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Archery in the Schools State Championship, held Saturday at Bank OZK Arena and the Hot Springs Convention Center in Hot Springs.
Archers from across the state gathered for the championship event, which is hosted each year by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as part of its Archery in the Schools program.
Among the standout performances for the region came from Charleston High School, which finished fourth overall in the high school division, placing the Tigers among the top teams in the state. Charleston also had one of the top individual performances of the day, as Maddie Johnson finished second among female high school archers with a score of 286, narrowly missing the top spot after a tiebreaker determined by additional 10-ring hits.
Statewide, Magnet Cove High School once again led the competition, winning the high school team championship with a score of 3,385 out of a possible 3,600 points, finishing 80 points ahead of runner-up Bryant High School.
At the middle school level, the Charleston School District also had a strong showing. Charleston Middle School finished third overall in the state with a team score of 3,198, trailing only El Dorado Barton Junior High and Valley Springs School District.
Charleston’s success continued in the elementary division, where Charleston Elementary captured first place statewide with a score of 2,994, earning the top trophy in the elementary competition.
While Charleston schools produced several top finishes, students from Waldron schools also participated in the statewide event, joining hundreds of young archers representing districts from across Arkansas and highlighting the continued growth of archery programs throughout the River Valley.
According to AIS Program Coordinator Aimee Swaim, the championship represents the culmination of months of preparation by students and coaches across the state.
“The coaches and students work so hard all year long to get here, and you can see the excitement on their faces when they file into the arena,” Swaim said. “It takes a lot of people to put this program together, and I’m just fortunate to have such an incredible group of coaches and staff throughout the state who come together to make it happen for the kids.”
The Archery in the Schools Program teaches students the fundamentals of archery using modern compound bows and is designed so students of nearly any size or ability can participate.
