Thorne Bay School Archery Team Heads to Louisville, Kentucky for NASP National Championships

For 7 straight years the 1A Thorne Bay School on Prince of Wales Island has sent a team of archers to compete in the National Archery in the Schools Program National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. And this year……………the Wolverines came home with Alaska’s first 3D National Champion! Taylee Nyquest (yes the State Cross Country Champion and Bear Whisperer http://www.krbd.org/2014/09/27/black-bear-interrupts-southeast-cross-country-race/) won the National 3D Championship with a score of 293.

The trip started off like many, a 5:00am wake up call, then a 70-minute drive to Hollis to hop on the 3 hour Inter Island Ferry ride to Ketchikan. The team and chaperones then hopped on a flight to Seattle. A 9-hour layover greeted the tired

bunch before boarding the 12:30am flight to Chicago O’Hare departed.

After the 6:00am (central time) arrival we commandeered a charter bus for the 6-hour drive to Louisville. We stopped at a Denny’s and caught up on sleep. We got into Louisville around 3:00pm (eastern time) and enjoyed the 90+ degree heat. Airica Tripple (chaperone) and I (Principal Rob O’Neal) enjoyed the heat on a black asphalt track at Eastern High School. Thorne Bay Track and Field is a 1A powerhouse! Taylee is the only girl on the team of 7. Taylee, Quinn Slayton, and Titus Tripple are members of the Track team that also qualified for the National Archery Tournament. Coach Mike Horan of Eastern High School was incredible. He ran with our kids, mentored them, and treated them like his own. We are all profoundly grateful he welcomed them each day and gave them the chance to practice on a real track (Thorne Bay School only runs a tracks the day of the meet, we don’t have a track).

Wednesday the real prep work for Nationals begins. Thorne Bay is proud to be the only school that attends Nationals who also helps set up the venue. Coach James and Jon Stevens have utilized this time wisely over the years. The kids get familiar with the massive Kentucky Expo Center, show the NASP organizers how awesome the Blue Collar kids from Thorne Bay and our great state of Alaska are, and the kids get

the opportunity to meet and bond with vendors and companies from across the .

nation. I knew the set-up would take most of the day, so we made sure there was something extra special for the kids and chaperones that night; a trip to watch the Triple AAA Louisville Bats vs. Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Kids were treated to special seating, a buffet, and even saw their school name on the video board. It was an amazing experience for all. Some of the kids had never been to a baseball game.

The trip took a turn for the CRAZY the next day. It took weeks but my wife Amy and I secured a private tour of the University of Louisville. University Visitor Center Assistant manager Tammy Lawson was a blast! She gave the kids a once in a lifetime opportunity to tour a campus that is a true southern classic. Tammy was such a joy to be around. Thorne Bay School thanks Ms. Lawson and her staff; the kids will never forget it. Highlight of course was getting to go into Papa John’s Stadium where the nationally ranked Louisville Cardinals play football.

I mentioned the day was CRAZY right? After we left the University we prepared for the Mega Cavern Zip Line Tour! What a thrill! My screams will be heard echoing for centuries down there the people with Mega Cavern treated us with such class and care. It was truly an experience that all will never forget. All involved were so appreciative of Superintendent Lauren Burch’s generosity. He paid for the Mega Cavern experience and the kids said it was the best ever!

Friday was a relaxing day, we only went to the 5 story Kentucky Science Center in downtown Louisville and a NCAA Track and Field meet at the University of Louisville Taylee Nyquest actually met with a couple university head coaches and even got the chance to be on the field during the meet

Finally, after having a blast around Louisville all week it was time to do what we came to do, perform well and WIN! Saturday was a spectacle; 12,000 archers from

across the United States. Among them, Thorne Bay’s finest Thorne Bay kids were lights out! Our team finished ranked 6th in Nation! Taylee Nyquest WON the 3D National Title! Several kids set personal bests. All represented themselves, their families, and school with class.

We celebrated Taylee’s victory! It wasn’t just a victory for her; it was for all the small schools of Alaska. Thorne Bay archers and athletes do more with less, in my opinion more so than any other school in our great state. They fundraise for all their travel, the run on old logging roads, they travel on the Alaska Marine Highway for days, they never complain if their MyFi isn’t working and they can’t log into their Alaska Learning Network courses, and they do all this while maintaining excellent GPA’s and even better character. We are proud to have a National Champion! We are proud to be from the Southeast Island School District! We are proud to be from Thorne Bay, Alaska. Sunday May 10th- 4:00am came quick. We boarded our bus and headed back to Chicago for our Monday morning flight. But first, SIX FLAGS! This was the total cherry on the sundae. Kids rode rides they never dreamed of riding! The memories will truly last a lifetime.

Monday morning at Chicago O’Hare was a zoo! We couldn’t wait to get home. Last leg of the journey was a floatplane! We started and ended this trip of a lifetime with smiles. It was good to see Prince of Wales Island and good old Thorne Bay, it was great to be home.