Williamsburg, KY – S3DA has grown so immensely in the last several years that the program now hosts an S3DA Eastern 3D National Championship as well as an S3DA Western 3D National Championship. This past weekend was the 11th annual S3DA Eastern 3D National Championship held in collaboration with the Rend Lake Area Tourism Council, the Rend Lake Project Office & Visitor Center, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the North Marcum Multiple Resource Area in Rend Lake, Illinois. Nearly 700 youth archers from 118 teams across 18 states participated for their chance to be crowned a “National Champion” in their division and class. The event also featured the Delta McKenzie Bowhunter Challenge and the Heath McDonald Long Shot Challenge, with both activities being sponsored by Delta McKenzie Targets. The Bowhunter Challenge featured pairs of archers (with the focus being on adult/youth teams) who both shoot various 3D targets, this brings enhanced family involvement to the event as well as tying into the conservation aspect of the S3DA program.
S3DA Social Media Marketing Coordinator, Kayla Bolton said, “I had the opportunity to take pictures of the kids and families out on the ranges and talk to quite a few people. I witnessed archers from the Jr. Eagle to the Young Adult classes providing words of encouragement to one another and giving high fives or pats on the back when someone called out “upper 12” and then nailed it. I saw parents and coaches providing archers with water, snacks, and some tips and tricks on their shot process as well as checking in on their mental health. Focusing on your mental game is just as or even more important as focusing on your physical ability in the sport of archery. These archers and their families are truly one big community (or family) that would do anything for one another.”
Illinois DNR hosts an annual free fishing weekend which happened to coincide with the tournament this year. S3DA National Conservation Coordinator, Patty Reel worked within the tournament schedule to provide several fishing workshops with S3DA providing fishing equipment and bait to children and accompanying them to the lake to learn what fishing is all about. Rend Lake is a premier location for fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and a host of other activities.
S3DA had several sponsors on hand including Lancaster Archery Supply, Bohning, Bear Archery, Mark’s 3D Targets, Hoyt Archery, and a host of other vendors that were on-site to sell products to archers and their families. We took some time to speak with Arrow Engineering Products (AEP) owner Nunzio who had this to say, “I truly enjoy coming to the S3DA tournaments. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. I have been in the archery industry for well over 30 years and I have never witnessed a sport where everyone comes together like they do in the sport of archery. I look to continue supporting the S3DA program and coming to as many national competitions as I can for years to come.”
Collegiate archery programs such as University of the Cumberlands, Union College Lindsey Wilson, Southern Illinois College, Campbellsville University, Kentucky Christian, and University of Montevallo, among others, offered high school archers with significant scholarship opportunities during the event.
S3DA would like to thank Rend Lake Area Tourism Council, the Rend Lake Project Office & Visitor Center, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mike Tyrell, Josh Grine and the Archery Shooters Association (ASA), and all others that were instrumental in making this event a huge success! S3DA continues to strive to make each event better than the last and all of this would not be possible without dedicated parents, coaches, and Regional/State Coordinators who volunteer their time selflessly to make sure these archers are not only focused and safe, but most of all are having fun and developing a passion for the outdoors. Thank you to the sponsors, vendors, and volunteers who come out to help our young people have a truly wonderful and gratifying experience. Thank you all for being a part of our organization and making S3DA a one-of-a-kind youth sports experience.
The S3DA Western 3D National Championship will be held in Helena, Montana on July 28th-30th, 2023. For more information on this event or the Scholastic 3-D Archery program, please visit the Facebook page or www.s3da.net.
About Scholastic 3-D Archery
Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) is a unique, family-oriented youth archery program which has grown exponentially across the United States as a next-step initiative to follow introductory archery programs. The mission of the Scholastic
3-D Archery program is to foster, educate and guide youth in the areas of 3D, indoor target, and outdoor target archery as well as safe, ethical bowhunting practices. The goal of the S3DA program is to provide archery and bowhunting opportunities to youth in after-school settings, as well as with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in the community. S3DA youth participate in 3-D and target archery using compound and traditional archery equipment. Youth members can participate at regional, state and national archery events and earn college scholarships from colleges and universities across the United States. S3DA addresses the need for a program to bridge beginning target archery experience and more advanced activities such as 3-D shooting and bowhunting. The program currently operates across the United States with hundreds of certified coaches serving thousands of youth archers.
Contact the Scholastic 3-D Archery National Office at:
www.s3da.net or 410 Sycamore Street, Williamsburg, KY 40769, Ph: 606.524.3685
Media contact Kayla Bolton at kaylas3da@gmail.com, Ph: 423.494.2204
