Did you know that Archery is Missouri's state sport? Did you also know that people who practice archery are called archers, bowmen and toxophilites? In August of 2022, the Missouri legislature made Archery official. The Missouri National Archery in the Schools (MoNASP) is a lifetime sport that is being taught in 4th-12th grade schools across the state. It is a fun family sport, highly promoted by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Shell Knob School has its own Archery team comprised of middle school boys and girls. The Shell Knob archers compete in many tournaments during their season.
The school team is coached by Noah Hadlow. Coach Hadlow is an avid bowhunter and enjoys sharing his knowledge with the students. Archery is one of the few sports that has a middle school state level competition in Missouri. In order to make it to state, archers have to have a score of 240 or higher at a state qualifying tournament. This year, Shell Knob has an archer that has qualified for the state level; 8th grader Evan Cates. Evan has cleared the state qualifying score multiple times this season with his best score being a 272 at the Crane Archery Tournament. Archers shoot 6 rounds of 5 arrows (3 from 10 meters, 3 from 15 meters) in a tournament. Evan will now be competing in the state tournament in Branson, March 20th-23rd. The tournament is hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation. This tournament is the second largest archery tournament in the nation and it is open to the public.
Shell Knob School is so proud of Evan and everyone wishes him the very best in the competition.