The archery team kicks off their season on Saturday Nov. 19 at the Eastside Annual Eagle Shootout. The team has been working hard all throughout the off-season and the players are starting to see their work pay off. 

The team is going into this year’s season with an optimistic attitude. “I feel like we have a really good team actually. I feel like this could be the year that we beat Bullitt Central and maybe win districts,” senior Evan Sexton said. Last year, Bullitt Central was ranked second in the state of Kentucky. Sexton thinks that Bullitt East can do better than that this year. 

Senior Alex Schmidt also thinks that the team is looking well this year. “We did lose a lot of seniors last year, but we have a lot of new people coming in and I think this year we have a chance to beat Bullitt Central,” Schmidt said. Along with winning Region and District, beating Bullitt Central is one of the team’s main goals. A lot of the juniors last year were just as good as the seniors. Now that they are seniors, they have even more experience to work with and will only be better. 

Being a senior, Sexton takes his role as a leader seriously and thinks that is also something that will help the team improve. “I try to take time to go talk to the younger players at practice, whether it’s advice or just conversation. Anytime I see them in the hallway I always try to talk to them too,” Sexton said. Not only does helping the younger players with their shooting benefit them, but also just including them and making them feel like part of the team can help their confidence and make them feel like they belong. 

At practice, archers can shoot on their own or ask for the coaches help. Becoming consistent is very important. “It’s good to have people point out the things that you are doing wrong because everything that you are doing is right by your face, so it’s hard to see,” Schmidt said. This is where a senior’s role on the team is important. Using their experience to give advice to the younger players when they are stuck can really help them improve. 

Overall, Sexton thinks that success for the team doesn’t always mean a victory, but is achieved when the team hits a certain point value they set for themselves. “Archery is a lot about individual goals and as all the individuals come together it makes the team score,” Sexton said. Each person focusing on what they need and doing their best is what helps the team come out on top in the end.