Trip to national event old hat for some, new for others

For Washington seniors John Sands and Grace Shafer, a trip to the archery nationals has become a ?tradition.?

For the rest of the 20-member team, it?s a pretty big deal.

?I don?t know about you guys, but it?s pretty cool for me,? said senior Adam Todd. ?This is my first year of doing it. I?m pretty excited.?

Senior James Zabel said, ?the same is true for me.

?It?s pretty special and I?ve only been shooting for two years,? he said.

?This is a pretty big comeback for me as I broke my hand last year and I?ve been shooting with a cast ever since. This is the first full season without the cast.?

Sands and Shafer, on the other hand, are used to making this trip. This year?s tournament is in Louisville, Kentucky.

?It?s a tradition for me,? Sands said. ?I?ve been there every single year for the four years I?ve shot.

?It?s normal.?

Shafer also has made the national field all four years.

?Honestly, there?s nothing special,? she said. ?It just takes hard work and determination.?

Getting to nationals was no easy task. It took a lot of practice and hard work.

?Mainly just stay consistent,? Shafer said about making the field. ?Sometimes you have to try new things to just keep your things fresh and experiences.?

Sands and Shafer said the event requires a different mental focus.

?In a way, you have to pretend it?s like a normal tournament and just shoot your best,? Sands said. ?It is what it is.?

Shafer agrees.

?You have to remember that there?s going to be a lot more noise so you have to try harder to keep out those distractions,? she said. ?Mostly, it?s a normal tournament, just bigger.?

Todd and Zabel are ready for the new experience.

?I would assume it would be similar to the state tournament,? Todd said. ?You just have to basically block out everybody and shoot your best.?

Sands and Shafer have some advice for their classmates.

?Basically, you just have to block everything out,? Sands said. ?Go out and shoot like you normally would.?

?You just have to have fun with it,? Shafer added. ?That?s all I can say. As long as you do that, you can shoot whatever score.?

All four have goals to shoot their personal bests.

?I would like to hope, as a team, to get to take part in worlds like we did last year,? Sands said.

?I just want to beat out my personal (best) score and break out my opponent?s arrows,? Zabel said.

While this will be the last time these four will have the chance to take part in this particular event, they would like to make sure their legacy is known.

?I would like to see it become a tradition to go to nationals every single year,? Sands said.

?I don?t see why our team can?t go every year,? Shafer said. ?We?ve built our team up pretty well.?

They all agree the most important part is to have fun.

?Don?t be a poor sportsman,? Zabel said. ?Talk to your opponent. Make sure they?re not nervous, if they?re younger, just talk to them.?

Although the event is nearly eight hours away, all agree are counting on support from home.

?All I ask is that you make your support known,? Shafer said.

The National Archery in the Schools Program national tournament is May 11-13.

Archers will compete in the 3D and bull?s-eye events.