By: Chris Lawrence | Posted: February 3, 2018 at 6:02 a.m. | Source: WV MetroNews
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — More than 1,400 students from elementary to high school are stepping wide eyed into an arena they may never have envisioned seeing, much less playing in. The students are all participants in the state’s Archery in Schools program and this weekend they are shooting at the Elkview Middle School Invitational Tournament.
Crystal Thomas – High school and middle school students toe the line to release arrows inside Marshall’s indoor practice facility in Huntington.
However, instead of shooting inside the gymnasium at Elkview Middle School where the tournament is normally held, they’re shooting inside the Chris Cline Athletic Complex at Marshall University.
“We played a football game down there in 2016 and just had a great turnout,” said Eddie Gray, the archery coach and athletic director at Elkview Middle School. “I told them I’d really like to host an archery tournament there. We’ve looked at it a couple of times and here we go.”
The 2016 flood played havoc with the Elk River community. Ever since the flood destroyed Herbert Hoover High School, Elkview Middle has been forced to share it’s gymnasium with the high school. Now, with the portable classrooms for Hoover built in the Middle School parking lot, a tournament featuring 1,400 students was out of the question.
However, Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick grew up in the Elk River community and was eager to help. Marshall was among the first to collect relieve supplies and delivering them in the wake of the 2016 disaster and they’ve been willing to help in any way possible.
“I was blown away when I found out how many kids were going to come to our campus and compete in archery,” said Hamrick.
Elkview Middle School was the first in West Virginia to field an Archery in Schools team. The program was initiated by Hamrick’s brother Ed Hamrick who was at the time the Director of the West Virginia DNR.
“These kids competing at an early age, they’ll just continue to be outdoorsmen and it’s going to protect our beautiful state,” said Hamrick. “Hunting and fishing is just such a part of what we do in West Virginia.”
Gray said the initial plan was to stage a tournament drawing shooters from three states. However, the idea hit a scheduling snag since it was the weekend of the Kentucky state archery tournament and a huge regional tournament in Ohio. But Gray wasn’t discouraged.
“We’ve got about 1,400 kids from all over the state,” he said. “I’m tickled to death.”
The young shooters come to Huntington for the tournament from as far away as Moundsville, Wheeling, and Martinsburg. Hamrick admitted, it’s not a bad thing to have 1,400 potential future students paying a visit to your campus.
“Marshall University is thrilled to host all of these high school and middle school students on our campus,” said Hamrick. “To be honest, I had no idea this many kids in West Virginia competed in archery. I’m thrilled to see that, but more than that I’m excited that all of these kids from all over the state are going to get the chance to come here and see Marshall University.”
Chris Lawrence is the anchor of the MetroNews Morning News, heard weekday mornings from 6-9 a.m. on MetroNews stations across West Virginia. Chris is also the host of the award-winning West Virginia Outdoors, heard Saturday mornings at 7 a.m. across the network. Chris has won numerous awards for coverage of hunting and fishing. Chris Lawrence can be reached via email at clawrence@wvradio.com, Twitter @WVOutdoors, Facebook @chris.lawrence.9822 and Instagram @chris_lawrence_metronews.
8th Annual Elkview Middle Archery Tournament Inaugural Archery at the Cline – Marshall University Team Results (courtesy of Elkview Archery)
Elementary Division
1st – Lakeside – 2893
2nd – Marlinton – 2819
3rd – West Teays – 2782
4th – Bridge/Clendenin – 2778
5th – Washington District – 2705
Middle School Team
1st – Buckhannon Upshur – 3181
2nd – Hurricane – 3160
3rd – Marlinton – 3151
4th – Ripley – 3141
5th – Elkview – 3136
High School
1st – Ripley – 3344
2nd – Herbert Hoover – 3281
3rd – John Marshall – 3263
4th – Buckhannon Upshur – 3258
5th – Cabell Midland – 3245
