FRCS Archers win State Tournament, headed to National Competition

Three archers from the Front Royal Christian School Archery Team placed tier one status at the 2019 Virginia State Archery Tournament. (L to R) Alyssa Smelser placed eighth in the bullseye competition. Malena Haworth, placed second in the bullseye and eighth in the 3D competition. Sarah Tutton placed fifth in the 3D competition.

Front Royal, VA – Three archers from the Front Royal Christian School Archery Team placed tier one status at the 2019 Virginia State Archery Tournament, recently held in Doswell, Virginia. Malena Haworth, placed second in the bullseye and eighth in the 3D competition. Sarah Tutton placed fifth in the 3D competition and Alyssa Smelser placed eighth in the bullseye competition. In addition, FRCS High School 3D team made tier status for Nationals. Haworth, Tutton, Smelser are fifth grade students at FRCS. These three girls, along with the High School team are headed to the US Eastern National Tournament, to be held May 9-11, in Louisville, Kentucky.

(Front Row) L Richardson, D Costanzo, A Smelser, M Hayworth, G Coughenour, A Coughenour, H Herndon, F Bonvicini, J Derflinger. (Back Row) Coach R Jenkins, Coach R Hewitt, E Lunson, G Conley, M Tutton, J Burke, S Tutton, Y Ouakil, M Hill, M Herndon, I Herndon, M Delmare, M Delmare, Coach J Herndon.

Haworth, who is a first-year archer, was also invited to participate in the scholarship shoot-off at the end of the tournament, whereby top scorers are brought forward to shoot five arrows. The archers with the highest scores are awarded scholarships that can be used at any post-secondary education institution of the archers’ choosing. The regional, state and national tournaments are sponsored by the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP).

The FRCS team practices three to four times a week before and after school, and is coached by Robin Jenkins, Rick Hewitt, and Jason Herndon. Coach Herndon shared that academic performance has also improved for students on the team. “One of our archers has raised his grades across all courses since joining the archery team,” Herndon said. “The focus and concentration that archery demands also works to improving a student’s concentration in other areas like the classroom.

Archer Dominic Costanzo speaks with Coach Jenkins prior to his 3D shoot at the 2019 Virginia State Archery Tournament.

While only being in its third year, FRCS is competing with schools who have more than 10-years of experience and archers who have been recognized nationally. These schools have recognized how quickly the FRCS team has became competitive. Johnathan Bukva, Archery Coach of Reagan Middle School in Haymarket, Virginia, noted “FRCS is a young team but they have quickly become a team to recognize as solid competition.”

FRCS Middle and High School archers warm up prior to their 3D shoot at the 2019 Virginia State Archery Tournament.

Front Royal Christian School is a Pre-K through 12th grade school in Front Royal, Virginia, that fosters your student’s innate learning potential. From special needs to gifted, FRCS is committed to the spiritual, moral, and intellectual development of its students and mediates a sense of competence, confidence, and belonging. FRCS provides the 21^st century learner, exceptional and challenging educational experiences, including college preparatory courses with a dual enrollment program with LFCC, performing arts, life skills, and athletics. For more information, call the school at 540-635-6799 or visit www.FrontRoyalChristianSchool.com.