Over the past year, hundreds of student archers from Cullman County competed in local and regional tournaments throughout the state for a chance to draw their bows at the 2022 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Alabama State Championship in Montgomery on April 7-8.
During the event, more than 1,700 archers from 97 schools competed for top honors and the opportunity to advance to the NASP Eastern National Championship on May 12-14, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky, including nineteen schools from Cullman County.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division awarded $10,000 in scholarships to select top archers. The top overall female and male archers each received a $1,500 scholarship. In addition, first place high school female and male archers each received a $1,000 scholarship, second place high school female and male archers each received a $750 scholarship, and third-place high school female and male archers each received a $500 scholarship.
From Cullman County, Alexis Sartin of Vinemont High School earned the title of first place in the High School Female division, and Forrest Calvert of Cullman High School earned the title of first place in the High School Male division while Will Bolzle of Cullman High School earned second place.
“The Archery in the Schools Program teaches discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to succeed in both the classroom and at the archery range,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. “Their determination and dedication to archery and academics will serve these students well in other aspects of life.”
In addition to the top archers, five students randomly selected from a list of all registered Academic Archers who shot during the tournament were each awarded a $500 scholarship. Earning a $500 from Cullman County included:
- Carson Starnes, Cullman High
- Cody Butler, Fairview High
- Savannah Drake, Vinemont High
The scholarships are funded through NASP with matching dollars from the state tournament admission fee of $2 per person. In 2022, approximately 5,000 spectators attended the state championship.
Scoring for the state tournament is based on Olympic-style target archery in three divisions – elementary, middle, and high school. Competition is on the team and individual levels. Perfect scores are 3,600 points for teams and 300 for individuals.
Alabama State Tournament Results:
First Place Middle School Division: Vinemont Middle, Score: 3,370
First Place Elementary School Division: East Elementary, Score: 3,076
Second Place Middle School Division: Cullman Middle, Score: 3,301
Third Place High School Division: Vinemont High, Score: 3,353
First Place Individual High School Division: Alexis Sartin, Vinemont High, Score: 293
First Place Individual High School Division: Forrest Calvert, Cullman High School, Score: 296
First Place Individual Middle School Division: Caroline Miller, Vinemont Middle School, Score: 293
Second Place Individual High School Division: Will Bolzle, Cullman High, Score: 294
Second Place Individual Middle School Division: Maddie Seidel, Cullman Middle, Score: 289
Second Place Individual Middle School Division: Brayden Clark, Cullman Middle, Score: 288
Second Place Individual Elementary School Division: Presley Latham, East Elementary, Score: 273
Third Place Individual Middle School Division: Addison Holcomb, Vinemont Middle, Score: 288
Third Place Individual Middle School Division: Jagger Lee, Vinemont Middle, Score: 286
Third Place Individual High School Division: Kendra Case, West Point High, Score: 290
Currently, Good Hope Elementary, Middle, and High School; Cullman Middle and High School; East Elementary, Vinemont Elementary, Middle, and High School; Fairview Elementary, Middle, and High School; and West Point High School are registered to compete in the 2022 NASP Eastern National Tournament.
