Syracuse.com - Pompey girl headed to national archery competition in Kentucky this weekend

[HuntingNY-News]

For winning the state title, she received a plaque, a trophy for display at her school, a Genesis bow, a Morrell target and a dozen arrows at the recent New York Bowhunters annual banquet in Canandaigua.

Beth Bush is aiming to do well this weekend at the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) championships in Louisville, Ky.

The 18-year-old Fabius-Pompey High School senior last month beat out 509 girls from 19 participating schools from across the state that participate in the program.

The program, sponsored by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, incorporates archery into a school district’ elementary (grades 4-6), middle school (graqdes 7- and high school gym curriculums. In addition, there’s intramural programs after school where students can sharpen their competitive shooting skills.

“My volleyball coach also does the archery in schools program,” Bush said. “One day he asked me if I wanted to come after school and shoot a few arrows. Turns out, I was number one female in the state.”

Bush and others at the school participated in what Wilcox described as a “virtual tournament” involving all the participating schools. Each student, shooting at their own school, fired 15 arrows at a target 10 meters away, and 15 at a target 30 meters away at the school.

Bush, one of two females participating at Fabius Pompey, scored an impressive 271 out of a possible 300. When her score was sent in, it turned out she was the top girl in the state.

The top male shooter in the state in the program was Derrick Daniels, who attends Bainbridge-Guilford High School in Chenango County. He scored 279.

Wilcox noted there’s a tradition of good shooters from his school in the program, noting Fabius-Pompey has produced five state champions in the past and last year sent four kids to the nationals. Bush is the only one going this year.

Bush said her love for archery didn’t come from the school’s archery program, but from a desire to hunt deer with a bow with her uncles and cousins. Two years ago, she said, she just decided she wanted to do it and spent $2,000 to buy a Hoyt compound bow. She paid for it with money that she earned from working on nearby chicken farm.

Bush says the secret of his success is practice. She often shoots arrows in her yard at Pompey.Michelle Gabel | [email protected] 

Determined to get good at archery, Bush became a member of the Pompey Rod and Gun Club and began participating in up to two bow shooting leagues a week. Fellow club members, she said, are supportive of her trip to the nationals. A 50-50 raffle and a 3-D archery shoot have been held, with the proceeds going to help pay her expenses to Kentucky.

For winning the state title, Bush received a plaque, a trophy for display at her school, a Genesis bow, a Morrell target and a dozen arrows at the recent New York Bowhunters annual banquet in Canandaigua.

Bush said she has no special technique or formula for success in archery. “I just practice, pretty much,” she said. “It’s all about focusing. I just think about what I got to do and pretty much do it.”

As for hunting, Bush said she’s failed to get a deer during the past two falls, but takes pride in the fact that “I’ve got my dad back into it.”

Apart from distinguishing herself at this weekend’s nationals, she has one more goal for this spring.

“I’m going out turkey hunting to see if I can get one with a bow,” she said.

For more: See the National Archery in The Schools Program website.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog