Demon archers set for nationals

On Friday, area archers will be going up against the best in the nation, and hoping to leave their mark.

The Washington Archery team is sending 18 archers to compete in the team?s third straight national tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, this weekend, and the team has its sights high.

?It?s a plus for our program,? Washington archery coach Joleen Cerka said. ?It keeps the kids working every year for a goal, because you don?t want to be the team that doesn?t have the opportunity to go. This year, our goals are a little higher. We want to score 3,400 points and get in the top 60. We?ve improved every year we?ve been there, and this year we have a higher goal.?

The tournament starts officially on Thursday, but the Demons won?t participate in their first shoot until Friday. Washington will wrap up its tournament on Saturday, when they take part in the 3D target shoot.

Washington?s team features a pair of seniors, who will be making the return trip to nationals, and having that prior experience is a boost for the team.

?That first year, we didn?t know how things were going to go,? Demon senior Joseph Dalziel said. ?Now, we know how things will go and we are prepared for it and we can make good use of our practice time.?

Dalziel said his individual goal is to break his personal best of 279 at the tournament.

The Demons took a couple of weeks off following the state tournament in March before starting their national preparation, but most everyone made sure to stay active in the down time to keep the goals for the team up to a high level.

?There?s a lot more practicing and preparing,? Senior Jade Wells said. ?I practice at home a lot. I have a target set up in my basement. I want to have a personal score of a 288, which would be my personal best. As a team, we want to get in the top 60.?

If Washington shoots well enough and finishes as one of the top teams in the nation, they can move along even further.

?For these two, their optimum goal is to do well enough to go on to worlds and then have the team go,? Cerka said. ?They are happy going to nationals, but they also know there is a next step and to get there they have to shoot well.?

While the competition sights are set high, one Demon senior is focused on her favorite part of the national tournament ? the people.

?Meeting new people (is my favorite part),? Washington senior Jade Wells said. ?My partner (from Indiana) last year, we both shot 50s, and we communicate on Facebook a lot too, so I?m hoping to see her this year as well.?

For a few of the Demons, this will be their first time on the national stage, and the message brought by the veterans was simple: treat it like another meet.

?We made a bit of a deal about how it?s just another tournament,? Dalziel said. ?We can?t psych ourselves out. The first time you make it to nationals, you think that this is such a big tournament, so we told them to relax, because it?s just another tournament, just on a bigger stage.?

The Demons will be joined by numerous competitors from their area, with a high majority of Iowa teams coming down to the national tournament.

?Iowa has one of the top archery programs in the nation,? Cerka said. ?We might not have had archery for as long as some other states, but Iowa is sending down 65 percent of our top shooters. We have some great ones in the state.?

To make the nationals team for Washington, the cutoff had to be high, to guarantee a strong squad down at the big tournament.

?In order to be on the team, you had to shoot an average of 255 or higher, so these kids earned the right to be on the team,? Cerka said. ?We took the top shooters from all three teams, and all of these kids attend practice on a regular basis and compete in tournaments.?

During the trip down, the Demons want to take full advantage of the trip, and plan to enjoy themselves, while visiting historic locations, such as the Louisville Slugger Museum.