The Ohio County Archery program is thriving and continues to grow. This program allows students all throughout the county to try something new and become more connected with their school. Archers of all skill levels grades fourth through 12th can join the program and show off their skills in competitions.
“I joined the Archery team my 8th grade year because I wanted a hobby to do,” said senior Ayden Cutlip. “My favorite part is riding on the bus with my friends to tournaments.”
The program has continued to become increasingly successful. This is due greatly to the effort of Ohio County Archery head coach, Rick Thomas. In 2018, Thomas started this program, and he has built it up to the point it is today.
“In fall of 2018, we started an archery team with 36 BSMS students,” said coach Thomas. “The following season we added students from Wheeling Park High School and West Liberty Elementary. From 2018 to now, we have students from just about every school throughout Ohio County Schools.”
In January, the Ohio County Archery program hosted its annual A Shot in the PARK competition. More than 800 archers from 60 different schools participated in this event. This is the largest event that the program has ever hosted.
“Our first two competitions were held at the Palace on the Hill, WPHS gym. Our attendance was very good; we had 500 archers compete from three states. In 2021, we moved our tournament to the Highlands Sports Complex, but COVIDcame and our numbers went down,” said Thomas.
In the last four years, the event has bounced back better than ever.
“This year we grew to 813 archers competing in our A Shot in the PARK archery tournament,” said Thomas.
The Ohio County Archery program is not a WVSSAC or OVAC sport. Instead, the program follows the National Archery in the Schools Program. The National Archery in Schools Program is a country wide organization committed to providing archery instruction for students fourth through 12th. This allows the Ohio County Archery program to compete against competition from other West Virginia schools as well as teams from Ohio and Pennsylvania.
