Using her dragonfly bow, sophomore Callie Roberts pulls back and prepares to release her arrow. For six years, Roberts has enjoyed practicing target archery both with a team and independently.

Roberts discovered archery through her uncle, who inspired her to pursue archery because of his own interests.

“I got started when my uncle, who is a hunter, introduced me to a club through 4-H,” Roberts said. “There was an activity there with archery and I thought it would be fun to join a more formal club.”

The people surrounding archery is one of Roberts’ favorite things about the sport.

“I love the community that is centered around archery,” Roberts said. “Especially because it’s smaller, the sport is not as well-known and it’s fun.”

According to Roberts, other sports differ greatly from archery.

“I think the thing that is the most unique about archery is the amount of patience that it takes because it’s hard to pull back your bow and concentrate on a little dot for a long period of time until you feel like you have a good shot,” Roberts said. “Other sports like football or soccer require you to think fast on your feet, whereas archery forces you to slow down everything step-by-step.”

Roberts has influenced fellow teammate and friend, junior Allison Schein, through archery in many ways.

“Callie, as an archer, is a great mentor and teacher,” Schein said. “She has helped me grow as an archer more than I thought possible. She’s not only an amazing teacher, but she is encouraging and supportive.”

Previously, Roberts and Schein competed in local tournaments for an archery team called Prairie Archers.

“Tournaments are awesome, but they are usually pretty long and boring to watch,” Roberts said.

Before Roberts and Schein stopped competing in tournaments, Schein valued what skills Roberts brought to the team.

“She’s an incredible archer. She’s had a lot of years of experience,” Schein said. “When we would have some team events, she would always bring the average up.”

Although Roberts’ team disbanded, she continues to participate in archery and look forward to the future.

“I’m hoping, if the college I want to go to has an archery program, that I can get a scholarship,” Roberts said. “It’s something that I’m going to stick with for a long time.”