The Green Creek Archery Club was very successful at the Second Annual Heritage Festival Tournament that was held in conjunction with the Green Creek Heritage Festival on Sept. 6.  The members of the JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) club, Rachel Roberson, Josh Streacker, Phil Burney and Rick Burney all added gold medals to their collections for achieving the high score in their divisions. Coach Vennera won a silver medal in his division.

The tournament attracted archers from Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, as well as North Carolina, which was exciting for the organizers since we are now getting regional attention and recognition. Coaches Jim Vennera and Steve Burney, the kids in the club and the parents all worked very hard in the days leading up to the tournament and at the tournament itself to set up the field, register the entrants and make sure everyone had a good time. The feedback from the shooters and their families was all positive and everyone indicated that they enjoyed their time in Green Creek and the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful day, a fun festival with good food and entertainment and a competitive archery tournament.

Another development to come out of the festival is the cooperation between the Green Creek Archery Club and the Charlotte Ten Ring Stingers to form the North Carolina Archery Association. The goal of the association is to promote and strengthen the sport of archery in North Carolina. The Ten Ring Stingers are the oldest JOAD club in N.C. and the members of the Green Creek Archery Club are excited to be working with them. The first event the new organization will be putting on is a State Outdoor Championship which the Charlotte group says has never been held in North Carolina. The Green Creek Archery Club is proud to be the host for the event at our range at the Green Creek Community Center. The tournament will be held on Oct. 26. We are hoping to have all of the archery clubs in N.C. represented at the event and that they, too, will join the association. The tournament is not restricted to N.C. residents and they are also hoping to see clubs from Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia at the tournament.

If you or someone you know would like to try archery they are accepting new members.  We have open shooting on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. and coaching for the JOAD club on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the Green Creek Community Center.  We would love to add more champions to our team, and Coach Vennera has received extensive training in bringing out the best in an archer. He also has years of experience as a professional shooter and shop owner, and is currently training to try and secure a spot on the 2016 Para-Olympic team. For more information on the club, contact Steve Burney at Foothills Pharmacy, 828-894-6112 or email greencreekarchery@gmail.com.

 

-article submitted
by Steve Burney