Ryle HS and Gray MS archery teams continue run of success
UNION, Ky. — Union, KY has always been well represented when it comes to High School and Middle School athletics. However, when you think of athletics, archery isn’t a sport typically thought of in that regard. The Ryle High School and Gray Middle School archery teams are turning this around and getting noticed.
The season starts in October and will not end until May.
On February 18th, members of the Ryle High School and Gray Middle School archery teams travelled to Overland Park, KS to compete in a 9-state tournament. The teams were the only representatives from Kentucky, and they did well. Gray went into the tournament as defending Middle School champions of the tournament and finished in 2nd place against the top twelve Middle School Teams in the Nation. This was Ryle’s first year in the tournament and placed sixth out of the Top 14 High Schools in the Nation.
On February 25th, both teams competed at Boone County High School. Both teams not only won their division but scored their highest team scores of the year. Ryle placed first in the High School division, and Gray placed first in the Middle School division. Both Ryle and Gray are currently the top teams in the region in their respective divisions. Overall, across all divisions Ryle and Gray finished 1st and 2nd. This was the 11th tournament for Gray and the 9th tournament for Ryle. Currently Gray is ranked 3rd in Kentucky out of 195 Schools, and 7th in the Nation out of 499 Middle Schools. Ryle is currently ranked 12th in KY out of 169 High Schools, and 26th in the Nation out of 500 High Schools.
Both programs are built around creating leaders of tomorrow. One way the coaches achieve this is by creating unique opportunities for the athletes to give back to the community, while participating in the sport they love. Every year around April or May, the “Shooting for a Cause” event is held. During this event schools are invited to attend and compete while helping to raise money for a specific local charity that helps children. Different charities are chosen each year. Previously, the recipients have been Children’s Hospital and the Hospice STARS program. In total, the teams have been able to give back around $15,000 to help these organizations continue to help our communities youth. Gray received the National Community Service Award last year by the National Archery in the Schools Program because of its founding and dedication to this charity event.
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