Elizabeth
Rodriguez-Lopez
C/1LT, S5
On November 14, 2024, the 85th JROTC Battalion of Union High School held its first ever National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) archery match and the first competition of any kind in over ten years. This program teaches students archery safety concepts, the eleven steps involved in properly handling the equipment and how to be successful in bow and arrow shooting. This inaugural “Fall Invitational” match was overall a great success.
Last year, Union High School received a $10,000 “GO Grant” from the state to build an archery range but due to inclement weather on the competition day, this year’s event was held in the school’s gymnasium. Lakewood High School and South Brunswick High school competed against the host Union team. The winner of the first place team trophy was South Brunswick, Lakewood being the first runner-up, and third place going to Union. Even though Union did not win 1st or 2nd place, they showed great improvement individually, as well as putting on a great challenge to the other competitors. This was the first shoulder-to-shoulder type match for all three schools, so it was a great learning event for everyone present.
Multiple cadets were recognized for their individual performances. From Union High School, Yasmin Jose-Ventura received honors for placing third for all female shooters, while Hassan Harvey received 2nd place in the male division. Two competitors from South Brunswick High School were recognized as the overall top shooters, Ashley Creech and Justin Creech. Although these shooters were recognized for their outstanding performances, every shooter that competed showed great determination to achieve excellence.
Here is what some of our shooters had to say about their experiences:
Juliet Bernal: "This competition was very exciting and I learned that I should work on my aiming when it comes to shooting."
Alan Serrano: "This was a great experience, a time for everyone to learn and grow. We should look into hosting a rifle or drill meet here in the future."
Yasmin Jose-Ventura: "Never give up on yourself and always strive to reach your goals, because no one else will do it for you, but yourself."
Celeste Guerrero Sandoval: "I am so grateful for being able to compete in this archery competition that we got the chance to host. It was a great experience and I hope that everyone enjoyed it, learned, and will look to improve for the next to come."
To conclude, even though this competition consisted of only JROTC Cadets , NASP requires that schools give all students the opportunity to participate in this fun, competitive sport. After this competition, all three schools committed to making this an annual event. Like any sport, improvement comes with hard work, dedication, and practice and all three teams look forward to competitions throughout the state in the years to come.