Slana River Archers to Nationals

My name is Josephine Beauchamp, and I am 15 years old. I started archery when I moved to Slana, Alaska, which was three years ago. Not long after my father became one of the coaches. My dad and my other coach Mr. Ole Bates helped me learn archery, and they made it fun. Every competition that we shot in I didn’t make it. Only the top ten get to go to Nationals. It was always just barely out of my grasp. Since I was the coach’s daughter and my sister went to Nationals a few times I got to come with. But I thought it was embarrassing for me to come along. Here are all my friends going to Nationals and I’m just tagging along.
It was really humiliating when a younger archer shot way better than me. She blew me out of the water. Not long after we found out the state of Alaska forgot to post another tournament called IBO, which is where you shoot at animals instead of regular targets. So I had a golden opportunity, I had another chance to go to Nationals, and since the tournament was such short notice not many schools signed up for it.
At the beginning of the IBO tournament I thought I was doing pretty well, but on one target I missed it twice. Two arrows down the drain, I was almost to tears. Then after I missed those two arrows I started falling apart and missed again. I haven’t miss a target in years. I was so ashamed and I thought I wasn’t going to make to Nationals. I thought I took my golden opportunity and threw it in the trash.
So I waited to see if I was going to Nationals. In the end I made it. I made 6th place in the High school girls division. I was so shocked and proud of myself, but I wasn’t the only one. Every one of the archers in my school are going to Nationals. Every single one of them. I wasn’t only proud of myself but for all the archers in our school program.
Have you ever played a school sport and needed donations to get you to your competition? Well, then you know how big of a help it can be if someone donated even a few dollars.

Josephine Beauchamp

Hello, my name is Linnea Beauchamp. I am in the 7 th grade and live in the small community of Slana, Alaska. I just qualified for the National archery tournament.
I started archery 3 years ago and I have made it to Nationals every year since. This year, I didn’t make it to nationals from the bullseye shoot (which is just regular
archery targets); I made it by competing in the IBO tournament. In the IBO tournament you shoot 3D animal targets of a turkey, coyote, bear, deer, antelope,
and a sheep. I ranked 4 th in the middle school girls in the whole state of Alaska, with a score of 254/300. This year we are going to the competition in Salt Lake
City, Utah. Also, some of my fellow archers made it too, 8 others to be exact which is the whole archery team! The people who had trained me to get where I
am and my friends is coach Ole Bates and coach Lyle Beauchamp (my father), they took time out of their days to train us 3 times a week for 1 hour each day.
Since there are so many of us going to nationals, we are pretty short on money to getting us there. If you have some extra money to spear please consider us. It
would mean a lot and we would all appreciate it.
Thank you,
Linnea Beauchamp

Hi, I'm Avery Hart a 12 year old boy.  I'm from Slana, a very small community in Alaska. I first started archery when I was four. Friends would come over and shoot with me, and we would do mini competitions in my backyard. That was the start of all this.
Three years ago, I was 1st in state and went to NASP Nationals by myself. Two years ago, I was 2nd in the state tournament and I went to NASP Nationals again, I was joined by two other archers. The next year,(last year), I had a problem slip in. It led me farther and farther away from what I needed but there was no worry because I knew I could pull it together on tournament night. That didn’t happen….. Instead I fell through and shot a 218/300. 
I worked very hard and long on getting back what I once had all of this year. After many hours of practice and struggles, I pulled through and placed 7th in the state tournament with a score of 270/300 this year.
This year I am excited to say I will be joined by four of my friends. These friends are: Thomas Abraham, Tracey Abraham, Venessa Murphy-Clary, and Tyler-James Emerson.
Going to Nationals this year is going to be a very fun ride. 2018 NASP® Western Nationals will be held in Sandy, Utah. But, my friends and I will need some help to get there and back. A little donation to my friends and me will make a big difference.
My grandpa, Ole Bates, and Lyle Beauchamp have helped me along the way and coached me through all this. I wouldn’t be going to Nationals without them. 

By,
Avery Hart

Hi my name is Ethan. I am 10 years old. When I started archery I thought it was going to be fun for me. It was fun. It was educational. Archery helps me focus. Going to Nationals means a lot to me. I am excited to have this opportunity to compete with other people my age. It takes a lot of hard work for me.

Ethan Dooley

 The reason why I want to go to Nationals is because I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time and I want to know if I’m good enough as well. If I succeed, I will be really happy and if not I’ll work harder.

 Shyra

How I feel about going to Nationals

Hi, my name is Tracey Mae Abraham, I am in 7th grade, and I have been doing archery since the program started at my school, four years ago. This year I finally made it to Nationals. I ranked sixth place in the middle schools girls division with a 261 score out of a possible 300. I am so glad I made it because I have tried so hard to make it. I spent the past three years shadowing my brother and other students that made it to Nationals, and I have been waiting to say the words, “I made it!” I really wanted to make it last year but I was 5 points off and came in 13th place in the middle school girls division.
When I checked the NASP website Friday, February 23, 2018, I jumped for joy when I saw my placing for the 2018 NASP Alaska state tournament. I was so proud of myself because my heart was set on making it to Nationals. The past three years my brother has made it to Nationals and I have had to stay home or watch him shoot at the competition. I think the part that I am afraid of the most is all the people watching, and all the kids on the line with me while I shoot. I went with my brother to Kentucky in 2016, and that was when I set my goal because I wanted to be in the competition not sitting on the sidelines and watching. I am thankful I made it to Utah and can not wait until April when we fly down to Salt Lake City.
I would like to thank my coaches Mr. Ole Bates and Mr. Lyle Beauchamp for their help and support in archery. Also I would like to thank the school for having the equipment and letting us have the archery program. I am thankful for all the support the community has given to our team to make it to Nationals. Congratulations to my fellow archers for an amazing archery season.

Sincerely,
Tracey Abraham  

Hi, My name is Tyler-James Emerson and I am a Slana Archer. I went to Nationals for archery last year in Kentucky. This year I shot a 280/300 score. We will be shooting this year’s tournament in Salt Lake City. I would like to thank my coaches Lyle Beauchamp and Ole Bates for fine tuning my skills and helping me succeed in archery. Also, thank you to everyone that supported and donated to the Slana archery team last year, It helped out a lot and it’s greatly appreciated. Great Thank yous to the people that support and donate to the archery team this year.

Thanks,
Tyler-James Emerson

Hi my name is Thomas Abraham I am 15 years old  and I live in a small community called Slana Alaska. I go to a  school called Slana School it is a very small school with 14 kids that go to it. I am an archer here at  Slana and I qualified to go to archery nationals down in Salt lake City this year. This will be my third year going to nationals the past two year  was in Louisville Kentucky but this year they split between east and west up . Which makes it easier on us to go down and do the archery tournament, because it’s a lot closer.  This year for state I shot a 274 which it is the first year I didn’t set my high, but that is because I wasn’t feeling to good when I shot. I also proved that you can shoot archery  well not feeling well. I suggest that you don’t do that but my coach and the rest of the kid that shot wouldn’t take no for an answer. I would like to thank the coach Ole Bates, and Lyle Beauchamp  for giving me the opportunity to shoot. Also would like to thank the school for the support for the Slana school archers and letting us shoot in the gym. Finally the community for supporting us since we started in 2015.  

Thomas Abraham

Hello my name is Venessa and I just want to tell you that I love Archery and the reson  I do it is, because it gives me something to do and its just different. Archery fills a gap in my heart thats never been filled before, and I'e put so much effort into archery. I have come this far and i'm not giving up yet!! I will make it to world, but first I need your help. All you got to do is donate a little money or even a lot!! Just by you doing a little thing like that will make me glad to do asome huge. I would be the happiest girl alive if you can just do that little thing for us archers. Don't forget every cent counts!!!!!

Venessa Murphy-Clary