For Emilie Stevenson, archery is not just a sport; it’s an escape.

“It is really fun and relaxing,” she says. “It is like an outlet.”

Stevenson’s experience started with hunting at a young age with her grandfather in Alabama.

“I always hunted when I was little,” she says, “so I figured archery would be an easy sport.”

As a member of GRC’s archery team, Stevenson has been dedicated since her freshman year. “It is a
productive sport that I enjoy,” she says.

The archery team begins its season around September and ends in about March, depending on if they get the chance to go to state.

While the team of 23 has returned several experienced archers, it has also added many new ones who are just learning the sport.

“We have been working hard to increase our numbers and have been happy that we have 8-10 new archers shooting with us fairly consistently,” says Sherrye Browning, a parent who helps with the team. “We constantly struggle with students having conflicts with other extra-curricular activities and that makes it hard to have consistency with shooters at times.  We want our students to feel competitive with our sport, but its also important that it remains something they enjoy doing.”

Head coach Cory White says the team’s goal is to qualify for state as a group. “The good thing about archery is that you can
qualify as an individual,” White says. “So if we don’t make it as a team, we really hope we will have some archers that will qualify to shoot as individuals. Either way will be a great accomplishment and make us very proud.”

Junior Caleb Browning has been a part of archery for about six years.

“It’s a fun after-school activity to get involved with,” Browning says. “I just started shooting and it grew on me.”

Upcoming tournaments include Feb. 3 against Harrison County, Feb. 10 against Lee County, and regionals in Lexington on Feb. 17.