Archers set sights on Nationals

The stakes will be high on May 6, and according to Washington senior Jacob Crider, the intensity will be off the charts.

?On a level from one to 10, (it?s) probably like a 20,? Crider said. ?It gets pretty intense and I?m surprised no fights occur.?

After a strong showing at March?s state meet, the Washington archery team will be sending 18 student-athletes, including Crider, to the national meet held in Louisville, Ky. next week, and his fellow seniors are excited to get to what could be a pressure-filled meet.

?I?m freaked out because I?ve never been to nationals before,? Washington senior Kyle Basten said. ?It should be a lot of fun, and I?m looking forward to it.

?You are never quite prepared for competition. I don?t care about the people in the audience that are watching us, but it?s just the fact that they are watching us that gets to me.?

For Crider and senior Kennedy Hyde, this won?t be their first trip to nationals, and they know the kind of pressure that awaits them in the biggest meet of the season.

?There?s a lot more pressure,? Hyde said. ?You have that expectation to be better, and if you are not, then people will look down on you for that. You are supporting your team and that?s all it is.?

Having to make the seven-hour trip down to Louisville can be tiring, but Hyde said the biggest drain comes when it?s time to shoot.

?You don?t really get mentally drained until you are in front of people shooting,? Hyde said. ?That drains you. Physically, it will be tough. We are all going to be tired because we?ll be in a new place and we probably won?t sleep well. It?ll be tough.?

The Demons are hoping to avoid the physical drain by timing out their trip and shoots to give them ample time to rest on the trip.

?It helps that we go down the day before and so they can relax,? Washington archery head coach Joleen Cerka said. ?We try to have them shoot later in the morning so they aren?t rushing. We want to have the opportunity to not be hurried when we go to shoot.?

One of the keys that Cerka mentioned at the team?s practice on Monday was to make sure the little things that seem second-nature to the archers don?t trip up the Demons? competitors.

?The thing to remember is that it?s another competition,? Cerka said. ?If you are practicing, when you get down there it?ll be smooth sailing. You have to keep doing the things you go through night after night at practice.?

In gaining that focus, Basten said he has a simple trick he tries to employ at most of the meets to help him block out everything else.

?I just stare at a corner or a wall for about five minutes or so,? Basten said. ?It?s more to make sure I don?t talk to people so I don?t lose my focus.?

Making the trip down to Louisville isn?t cheap, but the help of local businesses and hosting a trio of shoots throughout the year have helped the Demons take care of some of the cost for the students.

?With having the three home tournaments, that?s helped quite a bit,? Cerka said. ?The town is really great about supporting these kids, and we?ve had several companies that have given us donations to help the kids go down there.?

Regardless of what happens down in Louisville, the Demon seniors know that this will be their final shoot and they have one goal in mind.

?I?m just hoping to shoot the best that I ever have since it?s my last time shooting,? Hyde said. ?I don?t get another chance after this. You take practices a lot more seriously, since this is the last time.