Pennsylvania S3DA held their Indoor Target State Championship at the Lebanon Valley Exposition Center and Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Pennsylvania with nearly 500 people in attendance. Approximately 155 archers from twelve S3DA teams came together to compete for their chance to be crowned the state champion in their respective class and division. These archers paid no attention to team associations but displayed amazing sportsmanship amongst. There were many fist bumps, high fives, and handshakes between archers while competing as well as at the awards ceremony. Everyone supported each other no matter where they finished within the competition. Five lucky archers through random draw won a Lancaster Archery Supply Gift Card, courtesy of the Lancaster Archery Foundation.

Pennsylvania S3DA State Coordinator, Pete Slusser said, “Over the last few years, we have seen continued growth in Pennsylvania to the point where we needed to find an alternative solution for our growing Indoor State tournament. After multiple meetings and months of planning, the Pennsylvania S3DA Board, along with many key volunteers, proudly announced the Lebanon Expo Center as the host venue for the 6th annual Indoor State Championship. It was truly an amazing event!”

“This new location was great. I really liked how much room we had. Also, I liked how they had the idea to use a scissor lift for a range official to have a great view for helping to manage the line. I felt supported and encouraged by the other archers throughout the day. I loved to cheer on my peers and provide some encouraging words to anyone that had a challenging day. I made tons of memories that I will cherish for a lifetime,” stated Palmyra Sportsmen’s Association archer, Kylee Koons.

York-Hopewell S3DA Coach, Tom Beaver said, “I knew that the participants in the S3DA program had the opportunity to earn scholarships but seeing the display of some of the offers really drove home the tremendous educational opportunities available to participants. The other aspect of the state event, as well as other S3DA events, is the new friendships that team members make with members of other teams. While S3DA consists of many individual teams, the S3DA program is, itself, a team.”

Perry County Coach and Parent, Carla Orris said, “The 2024 Pennsylvania S3DA Indoor State Championship was a great event! The new venue really portrayed the growing spirit of Pennsylvania S3DA. I always love that there is a support system of adults whose only goal is to make the day perfect for the kids, so I know my daughter will have a perfect day, and she did. The Pennsylvania S3DA vibe was contagious and as the scores were read, and the cheers went up, I couldn’t help but feel like this is what success in youth sports looks like.”

There were no colleges or university officials present for the event, but archery scholarship certificates from Lindenwood University, Muskingum University, Union College, University of Pikeville, and Wabash Valley College were presented to thirteen deserving individuals that podiumed in the Young Adult division.

Pennsylvania S3DA would like to recognize and thank all of these amazing archers for their outstanding performances. There were ten kids that shot a perfect score. The highest scores of the day went to Oliver Tressler from Perry County Youth Archers who shot in the Eagle Division and Pins class with a score of 150 and 30 X’s and Trent Rutt from Reading Archery Club who shot in the Young Adult Division and Open class with a near perfect score of 300 and 59 X’s.

About Scholastic 3-D Archery

Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) is a unique, family-oriented youth archery program which has grown exponentially across the US as a next-step initiative to follow introductory archery programs. The mission of the Scholastic 3-D Archery program is to foster, educate and guide youth in the areas of 3D, indoor target, and outdoor target archery as well as safe, ethical bowhunting practices. The goal of the S3DA program is to provide archery and bowhunting opportunities to youth in after-school settings, as well as with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in the community. S3DA youth participate in 3D and target archery using compound and traditional archery equipment. Youth members can participate at regional, state and national archery events and earn college scholarships from colleges and universities across the US. S3DA addresses the need for a program to bridge beginning target archery experience and more advanced activities such as 3D and bowhunting. The program currently operates across the United States with hundreds of certified coaches serving thousands of youth archers.

Contact the Scholastic 3-D Archery National Office at: www.s3da.net or 410 Sycamore Street, Williamsburg, KY 40769, Ph: 606.524.3685