Cardinal archery students learn skills, self-esteem through discipline

By MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer

February 29, 2008 12:51 pm

— ELDON — The loudest sounds in the school gym were the “thunk, thunk, thunk” of arrows hitting targets.
Though the sixth- to 12th-grade kids all swore they were having fun at 4 p.m. on a school day, it must have been a disciplined sort of fun. There was no shouting, no horseplay, not even loud talking or laughter.
The nine archers on the line, outstretched bows in hand, were concentrating on sticking arrow after arrow into the target; the kids behind them were waiting for their chance to shoot.
“The great thing about this is anyone can do this,” said Chad LaRue, a Cardinal High School business teacher and the coach of the new Cardinal archery program.
He said he has seen successful target shooting from someone in a wheelchair and from young people who thought they weren’t strong enough to draw a bowstring back.
“[But archery does] require concentration and discipline,” he said.
LaRue wanted to bring the Iowa Department of Natural Resources-supported sport to Cardinal schools, which makes it one of the first districts in the area to have an archery program.
He echoed the sentiment of educators in several districts, including Cardinal, who have been quoting research which rates kids involved in school activities as showing better attendance and higher rates of graduation than their non-involved peers.
“At Cardinal, we want our kids to be involved,” LaRue said.
Even this first year, he has seen a difference.
“We’ve noticed grades going up; they know they can’t fail a class and shoot. Self-esteem is improving, too,” he said.
And so are archery scores. Archers shoot from 10 and 15 meters, then total their score in an effort to reach a maximum of 300 points.
“I just started this year,” said freshman Katie Carter. “At first, my score was like 123. And then it was 160, then 190. The other day, we had a tournament just for us, and I shot a 262.”
Carter doesn’t participate in school sports, but that’s not unusual for those participating in the archery program, said LaRue, who claims many of his archers aren’t involved in any other extracurricular activities, but consistently show up for archery practice.
Freshman Cayne Kerby runs track, but outside of track season, this new endeavor has really caught his interest.
“I had nothing to do after school,” he said.
In the past, Kerby had used his own bow at home, but the practice at Cardinal is “definitely” making a difference, he said. While he started out with scores in the 100-range, he is now regularly breaking 200.
LaRue believes archery is a critical program for the district.
“When I first approached the school district, I [told them] I was hoping for 20 kids,” he recalled. “The first night, there were 137.”
So did he feel like cheering — or crying?
“A little of both, actually.”
Because while the overwhelming response helped prove his point that there was a need for such a program, the large numbers also meant there wouldn’t be nearly enough equipment. LaRue didn’t want to turn anyone away.
“I approached the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Wapello County Chiefs Bowmen. They saw what this could do for the sport,” he said.
Hundreds of dollars in contributions later, students were able to transform the gym at the elementary school into an indoor practice range.
As of now, he said, there are about 77 “active” archers in grades 6-12. He pointed out some of the smaller students. He said some of the younger kids started out with a “12- or 14-pound draw,” but soon built up to the club standard of 20 pounds.
Although it is the school’s first season, LaRue and the five assistant coaches are taking 41 top archers to the state tournament in Des Moines on Saturday.
“This is a sport for kids that [shows] they can do anything they want to do,” he said.
Size and strength are not the most important parts of the activity, and boys don’t have an advantage over the girls.
“Our top scoring high school boy shot 269. Our top girl shot 276. She’s in sixth grade,” LaRue said.
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Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.

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