Student Spotlight: Archery Champ

The second semester of the 2017-2018 school year has barely started and our Knights are back on the clocks, accomplishing remarkable achievements left and right.  Recently, eighth grader, Tamara Grujici, competed in the 2018 Arizona State Indoor Championship and in the Timber Mesa JOAD fundraising competition, receiving a bronze medal and gold medal respectively. This is quite an commendable accomplishment as archery is no walk in the park. Here are a few words from Tamara Grujici regarding her triumph and involvement in archery:

Q: What is the Timber Mesa JOAD fundraising competition?

Tamara: First off, JOAD stands for Junior Olympic Archery Development program. Basically, members get together and train three days a week. Timber Mesa is the area where some of our competitions take place.

Q: How did you become interested in Archery?

Tamara: Well, my dad worked at an archery hangout place. I’ve gone there a couple of times, and eventually I became interested. He signed me up for a club and the rest is history.

Q: How old were you when you began?

Tamara: I originally started archery when I was eight. I took a break for a little bit, but I started the sport again and have been involved for about a year now.

Q: How often do you practice? How long do you practice for?

Tamara: I practice three hours, three days a week. On Saturdays, I usually practice for about four hours.

Q: How did it feel to win the bronze prize for the indoor competition? Do you plan competing in more competitions?

Tamara: I felt happy and relieved because there were a lot of people who were competing. It was really difficult to get to that point in the competition. I do plan on competing in more competitions. In fact, there is another competition coming up on February 1st in New Mexico for Nationals.

Q: Do you plan on continuing your work in archery? What are your goals for archery? 

Tamara: I do plan on continuing. My main goal is to eventually get to the Olympics or compete in world championships.

Q: There was also a mention that you won the gold prize for a fundraising competition. Can you provide more details on that?

Tamara: Basically, everyone who wants to compete in the competition pays for his or her entry, and then the money goes to the company and the team.

Q: Do you have any further comments regarding archery? Would you recommend kids to try 

out archery if they are looking for a sport?

Tamara: I would recommend others to try out archery. For those who want to try it out, it is important to know that it is a very difficult sport and a big commitment. Archery is a pretty fun, but you have to be sure that you are willing to dedicate yourself to the sport.

Tamara’s hard work and dedication to archery is quite admirable and serves as a great message to other ACP Knights to follow their passions. Once again, congratulations, Tamara, and good luck on your next competition!