Northwestern State University offers numerous sports and club sports for students, including archery. Archery is a unique sport at NSU that was founded as recently as 2021. NSU’s archery team has continued to grow over the last three years and now has over 20 members.

Olivia Horrell, a senior hospitality management and tourism and education double major, is the president of the archery club. “We try to build personal relationships with everyone so that everyone feels welcome and wants to come and build their skills,” Horrell said. “We are judgment-free. We want everyone to grow and learn from their mistakes because when they succeed, everyone does.”

Anyone is welcome to join the archery team regardless of skill level, and competing is not required. Members are even welcome to shoot on just the weekends. There is a great teaching staff and students get to learn the sport at their own pace.

John Harris is a sophomore radiology major in his first year of archery. “Our club is all about positivity and kindness. Our president and vice president are great at helping us grow closer as a team and increase our individual skills,” Harris said.

John Spikes, a junior business administration major, is the vice president of development for the archery team. “We try to develop social skills here and encourage each other to do our best while shooting,” Spikes said. “We also host occasional competitions and activities to encourage friendly challenges among our participants.”

The archery team at NSU is more than just a club sport—it’s a family of welcoming students who are always there for one another. The students of the archery team want to see each other grow their skills and strive to pass on advice to others interested in the skill of archery.