NJ girls archery team takes aim at national competition
SALEM, N.J. -- When these girls aim for their targets, the whole room stops and stares. Soon, the whole country will be watching, too.
That's because the girls of Team Bad Bowbenders, a Special Interest Elite Archery Team with NJ Girl Scouts, are going to a national competition for the first time.
This group of 7 to 16-year-olds will be facing off against roughly 3,000 shooters from across the country. They were both excited and anxious to compete over the March 20th weekend. However, concerns about the spread of the Coronavirus has caused the competition to be rescheduled.
"I was honestly crushed when I found out it got postponed," said Emma Donelson, 16, who has been shooting on the team for the last eight years. She is one of many girls who spent the last year practicing hard and raising money to fund the trip to Louisville, Kentucky.
Additionally, the Buckshorn Sportsmen Club, where the Bad Bowbenders train, is negotiating when to reschedule their own New Jersey competition that was scheduled for this month.
The postponement of the tournament seems largely metaphorical for the sport itself. Archers spend hours upon years missing their targets and trying to improve their skills. These girls certainly treated this competition like a target to aim towards. And although they are missing it next week, nothing is stopping them from drawing another arrow and shooting for it again.
Coach Todd Chapman says the NFAA Indoor Nationals Archery Competition will potentially be rescheduled to October. Until then, the girls will continue training hard and developing their leadership skills to bring home the award!
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