After two days of youth and collegiate competition, winners were honored on Day 3 of the 58th Vegas Shoot. The awarded scholarships of more than $38,000 underscore the commitment of the National Field Archery Association to learning and education.
Over the course of two days, youth and collegiate archers engaged in a display of precision, shooting 60 arrows to secure a coveted spot among the top three finishers in each division. The winners were celebrated with a ceremony in the Championship Arena on Saturday. Each archer received a medal, a scholarship check, and, of course, bragging rights.
As the young athletes patiently waited for their categories to be called, they chatted with their new friends. “I’m almost more nervous to go up there [to the podium] than I was shooting! There’s gonna be like, a thousand people watching us!” said Compound Cub Female silver medalist Alaska Harris.
“When I was shooting, I was just kind of chill and just focusing on my score. This is a lot more nerve-wracking because of all of these people, but also it's cool because I’m surprised and happy to be standing here,” said Compound Youth Female Champion Jordyn Hill.
The collective scholarship pool, made possible in collaboration with the Easton Foundations, totaled an impressive $38,550. Compound and Recurve archers in the Cub, Youth, and Young Adult divisions shared a substantial $27,000 prize pool. Collegiate archers had their own $8,000 prize pool, complemented by an additional $1,550 set aside for a team travel scholarship. Finally, the event celebrated the literary talents of two individuals, with $1,000 scholarships awarded to the winners of the NFAA’s essay contest.
Winners may apply their scholarship funds towards college or higher education. Even the youngest cub and youth competitors were eligible to win – the NFAA will track all scholarships until archers are old enough to use them. These young archers can accumulate winnings in the coming years to fund their future academic endeavors.
Alongside the athletic achievements, two outstanding essayists, Kavi Badhwar and Natalie Rose Chicombing, were awarded $1,000 scholarships each for their stories and expressions on the profound impact of archery on their lives.
Kavi shared that Hawkeye was one of his favorite Marvel characters growing up. The Arizona-native said that he was inspired by the superhero’s perseverance to not only take up archery, but also to pursue the sport as a newfound passion. “He is surrounded by all these heroes of unimaginable origins, and he just has a bow and arrow, but he’s able to keep up with them as an equal.” Kavi says that he draws inspiration from this resilience when surround by “so many splendid archers at tournaments like [The Vegas Shoot].”
Meanwhile, Natalie focused on the doubts she faces in archery, and how she overcomes them with the help of community. “Archery is such an individual sport, but we have a unique aspect of community that can empower [the athlete] a bit more.” The Houston-based archer is eager to give back to the archery community through technology, as she hopes to study Computer Science in the future. “I’m hoping to expand and contribute to technological advances through existing offerings like Between Ends, the NFAA app, and even go beyond that.”
Kavi and Natalie’s winning essays will be published later this weekend after the main events conclude.
The Vegas Shoot celebrated youth and collegiate excellence across a variety of disciplines. The top finishers in each division are as follows:
Compound Male
Cub: Brody Terry (Arizona), Paycen Sutherlin (Colorado), Trey Miernicki (Colorado)
Youth: Christopher Fong (Idaho), Noah McIntyre (South Dakota), Robert Thompson (Illinois)
Young Adult: Luis Esteban Rios (Mexico), Ramon Daniel Fonseca (Mexico), Mikie Kolb (Arizona)
Compound Female
Cub: Amarie Dehoyos (Texas), Alaska Harris (Colorado), Kayzlee Carter (Utah)
Youth: Jordyn Hill (Alabama), Chloe Nelsen (Wisconsin), Hunter Ivie (Utah)
Young Adult: Hannah Summers (Indiana), Savannah O’Donohue (Louisiana), Jaden Reed (Wisconsin)
Recurve Male
Cub: Alain Pinto (Texas), Anirudhkalyan Pinjala (Utah), Luca Larios (California)
Youth: Aarya Arun (Virginia), German Garcia Vega (California), Jack Chen (California)
Young Adult: Jackson Miller (Arizona), Jack Houghton (California), Chenyu Shi (California)
Recurve Female
Cub: Dolly Sivani Cherukuri (India), Eugenia Flores (Mexico), Isabella Gomez (Arizona)
Youth: Ye-eun Whang (California), Jessimi Lyu (California), Madelyn Yi (Texas)
Young Adult: Wang Yihan (China), Hailey Franzone (Arizona), Lydia Murphy (Oklahoma)
Collegiate
Compound Male: Lawson Veit, Parker Baker, Sawyer Sullivan
Compound Female: Zoe Woods, Samantha Roberts, Bella Otter
Recurve Male: Alex Gilliam, Jackson Mirich, Gabe Anderson
Recurve Female: Eunice Haeri Choi, Molly Nugent, Isabella Frederick
Bowhunter Male: Nate Harper, Cody Mosley, Riley Laws
Bowhunter Female: Abigail Veidmark, Danielle Pollard, Allison Roberts
Recurve Barebow Male: Wallace Woodlief, David Hollenberg, Logan Cunningham
Recurve Barebow Female: Christina Le, Allison Collinsworth, Sarah Jentsch
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