EHS sophomore is headed to national archery tourney
ELKINS — After placing fifth in the state at the West Virginia archery tournament, Elkins High School’s Jesse Tallman will now move on to compete to the national archery competition in Louisville, Kentucky, in May.
The EHS sophomore made her mark as one of the best high school archers in the state scoring 276 out of a possible 300 in a virtual tournament. The results of this tournament secured Tallman’s place to participate in the state tournament in Charleston last week.
Tallman said she developed her talent through her interest in the sport and the time she has invested into archery since she was young.
The state tournament took place at the Charleston Civic Center on March 25. Approximately 600 students shot in the competition. The top 10 scoring boys and top 10 scoring girls earned the right to move to the national competition.
“I was a little stressed out at first by seeing all of the competitors,” Tallman said “My friends were very supportive and made me feel like I would do well, so that helped a lot!”
Tallman scored 278 out of a possible 300 to place fifth in the female division.
“Jesse did a good job,” Tallman’s coach, Nick Alfred, said.
A total of 252 girls competed in the tournament. Tallman said she was confident in her performance among the other girls. She said that she definitely wants to be involved in the state tournament again, and that she had a lot of fun participating.
“The best part of the competition was at the end when my dad, coach and I were sitting and waiting for the results,” Tallman said. “We knew I placed when the 10th-place archer was called because my score was higher. I was really excited but also nervous about moving on.”
The hosting organization, National Archery in the Schools Program, offers scholarships and grants to competition-winning teams and individuals. During the 2016 awards ceremony, $192,000 in cash scholarships were presented to members of top teams and individuals, according to the NASP website.
“There’s a lot of scholarship money offered by the national competition,” Tallman said “Being only a sophomore, I have time to practice and get better so I could possibly win a scholarship to continue doing archery and go to college.”
Tallman said the whole experience has been enjoyable and rewarding. She believes that she will be even more successful in archery with time and practice.
“I looked at national competition scores from recent years and they are all really good,” Tallman said. “Until the tournament, I’m going to practice as much as I possibly can.”
Tallman’s success through archery has raised interest among other EHS students, she said.
“I’ve had people ask me about the archery program and the competitions I’m a part of,” she said. “I think this experience may encourage others to join and I think that would be really fun.”
Tallman owes her success to her friends, family and mentors.
“I want to thank my dad for practicing with me every night,” Tallman said. “I also want to thank my friends, other family and Coach Alfred for their encouragement and time put into me.”
The national competition will be May 11-13 in Louisville, Kentucky.