Archery has returned after a two-year hiatus, and with it there is also a new coach. Coach Ashley Baquera listed her insight and goals for this school year’s archery team.  

Harding offered archery once before but disbanded due to the last coach retiring and Covid-19.  

“Ever since replacing the old coach as the geometry teacher, [Athletic Director] Pocock has been pushing me to coach this season of archery,” Baquera said. “I never got to learn how to play this sport as a teenager but I am willing to coach and learn this sport.” 

Archery takes a lot of mental and physical training if an archer wants to compete.  

“You would have to be able to hold a four-pound bow in one hand and draw a string in the other (the bare minimum) with the drawstring being 10 to 20 pounds, which has a great deal of concentration and arm and back strength,” Baquera said.   

As a National Archery in Schools Program school, the program competes at both the national and state level in February and April. Archers have a few months to qualify, but Baquera can only take 16 students to State and 24 students to Nationals.  

The schedule for competitions is not set yet, but practice is every Monday at 4:30 p.m. after school. 

Baquera wants the archery team to be an integral part of the school. 

“I plan for the team to be involved in all STUCO activities this year,” she said. She has also planned several fundraisers to help support the team’s season.