VHA’s Reese Neal Is On The Mark
Reese Neal is a senior at Vidalia Heritage Academy and has been a part of the VHA Archery Team and a part of the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) since she was in fifth grade. She has fallen in love with archery, and it has shown as she has become one of the top archers in the state. She has competed in GAPPS and now the GIAA through high school as well as the NASP tournaments.
There are over 50,000 kids just in the state of Georgia that compete in archery from fourth grade all the way through high school in the NASP program.
When asked what got her into archery, Reese chuckled and said, “The Disney animated Robin Hood movie. One of my friends was already doing archery, and after seeing that movie I went in and thought I was going to hit the center of every target. That did not happen at all, but I loved it, and it has just grown from there.”
They always use Genesis bows for tournaments. These do not have any sights. These are the only bows that NASP allows the competitors to use. They can have prints and patterns on their bows, but they must cover the pattern near the arrow so that those patterns cannot be used as a sight aid. They also must use a certain type of arrow, Easton brand 1820 model arrows. By everyone using the same equipment it creates a fair playing field across all archers.
There are 11 steps that they are supposed to go through before shooting each arrow. They can reduce those to seven. They are called whistle commands in which they follow. Those are there to make sure that everyone is following the same steps, and those steps are also there to make sure that safety is at the forefront of each tournament.
Reese said that between the two competitions, high school and NASP, NASP holds more weight as through that program she can compete on a national level. Through the high school programs, she can and has competed up to the State Championships, but that is as far as she can go. With NASP she has been to Kentucky to take part in the Eastern Nationals, and then on to Florida to take part in the Open Nationals. To qualify for these events, she must hit a score of 285 out of 300 during a qualifying tournament. She has accomplished that many times in her career. The target that they shoot at has 11 rings. The two inner rings are worth 10 points each, and it goes down one point for each ring farther from the center. They shoot five arrows per round over six continued from page
rounds. In her first tournament back in 2017 she shot a score of just 148. She quickly improved to a 216 in her next tournament and has gone up form there, with her high score a 290, which she shot at the Eastern Nationals last year.
The first award that Reese got was at a tournament during middle school where she placed second. She was in eighth grade at the time, so it took her several years to begin to get to the top levels. But once she got that award, it was motivation to continue to work hard and to improve. As she saw herself move up the rankings at tournaments, it gave her confidence and the motivation to continue to do better.
She has continued to work hard over the years, and that work has culminated in her winning the GAPPS State Championship in her junior year in high school. At the Eastern Nationals last year, she shot a score of 290, which placed her 30th out of 2,496 high school girls, and 8th out of 584 junior girls. She was also 35th out of all 6,920 girls across all ages. She went on then to the NASP Championship in Florida where she finished 47th out of 460 high school girls, and 11 out of 97 junior girls. She was also 77th out of all 1,265 girls in the tournament across all ages. She has won a total of four tournaments overall and has also placed first in her grade several times.
Reese said, “During my sophomore year, there was just one tournament because of Covid that we had in which we could qualify for State. I wasn’t shooting very well at the time, and I was getting in my head. I knew as soon as I finished that I didn’t qualify, and seeing other people shoot so much better than me, I really learned from that. After that I really started to focus more, practice more, work with the coach, and it has made a big difference. That time falling short really got me down, but good things came from it.”
Reese spends about six hours a week practicing, and it has paid off for her already. She earned a scholarship from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources through her performance at a NASP tournament last school year. She has not yet had any offers for college scholarships, but she is looking for those as well. She currently is planning on attending Mercer University in Macon to major in real estate law.
Reese’s mother Cassie Neal said, “It was all new to us when she started. We have enjoyed being a part of it, but at first really weren’t sure if it was something that she would stick with. For me, I just didn’t know anything about archery, and just to see that progress, and to see her meet those goals was fun for us. But she has taken a hold of it, and the cool thing is that it is a team sport, but she also has that individual aspect to it. That keeps some of the pressure off her and that really, I think, allows her to grow as an individual and to still be a part of the team.
“It is also a sport where it doesn’t matter if it is a boy or a girl, they can be equal in it. They shoot with the same equipment, and on any given day one or the other can come out with a better score.
“Early on she really had to focus and take each step in. There were a lot of safety steps to go through, and when these kids are younger, sometimes it can be tough to get them all to follow the steps together. They do a really good job at the events, and in practice to make sure that each archer is safe. To see all the discipline that they are taught through this was really nice. That is something that they can take to other aspects of their lives.”
Reese said the most fun thing for her is that it is a sport that you don't have to always be serious with. It isn’t as serious as team sports such as football or baseball, but if you want, you can choose to put in the effort and work towards those goals of State and Nationals. She said she also uses it as a bit of an escape from reality at times, where she goes back to the kid that fell in love with Robin Hood, and just has fun, enjoys what she is doing, and lets the pressures fall away.
There are not a lot of competitions each season in which students have the opportunity to qualify for the big tournaments, so when they do go, they have to be on point, and focused, and do their best or they may not get to go to State. Before each tournament, Coach Stuart Harrell will get the team together for a prayer, which Reese says always helps to calm her nerves. She also talks with her friends and others around her that are shooting to keep it light and the nerves down as well. She also works on her breath while shooting to keep steady and shoot better.
She has also branched out into shooting 3D targets. That is also part of the NASP program, but a different side. Archers can qualify for Target and 3D in the same year. Reese has been working on that lately and has been enjoying the different elements that it brings to archery.
Reese stated, “I don’t think that I could be here today without my family and all my coaches. I have had two really good coaches in Stuart Harrell and Bobby George. Coach Harrell’s daughter Josey is a great archer as well and was a great Team Captain. They have both also been so supportive. My friend Mallory Johnson, who got me into archery, has been great and it has been so much fun to keep doing this with her.”
Her mother Cassie added, “The opportunity in a sport like this, it gives something to lots of kids that aren’t in football, baseball, softball, or any of the other main sports. It is great to just have another opportunity for the kids in the area. To see the looks on their faces, to see them learn that competitive nature, to see them gain confidence and improve is just wonderful. Watching kids deal with disappointment, to see them learn from that and to then work harder and to strive, to dig deep and find the courage and strength, and to see it click for them, as a parent and a coach, it just makes you smile.”
Her father Jody stated, 'My wife and I have really enjoyed watching her grow in the sport. Just watching her spend the time practicing, competing in the tournaments and seeing her improve.
“She really controls her own destiny in this, allocating her time to practice and sharpen her skills, it has just been fun to watch.
“Seeing her in the big tournaments was special. Seeing her compete against the best out there helps to bring out that competitive nature. She shot her highest score ever at Nationals but she didn’t place as high as she wanted, but she has buckled down even more and is trying to reach her goals. That is what she wants and it has been good for her. Seeing her work ethic, it really stands out. When you aren’t good at something it is easy to walk away, but she has come a long way, and has put in that time and effort and I am proud of her for what she has done.”
Her coach Stuart Harrell said, “Reese is the most dedicated, sincere, intentional student that I coach. I am always impressed by her calm demeanor, no matter what has happened, she keep her emotions in check and it helps her perform. I am also impressed with her service toward God, just always willing to pray, to talk to and support her teammates.
“She had a down year her sophomore season, and you could tell that she was down about it, but she didn't lay down, she worked over the summer and came back that next year and had her best season ever. That shows what type of person she is to take that disappointment and turn it into a positive.
“It also shows her character when at the Eastern Nationals, her biggest tournament ever, that she stepped up and shot her best score ever. You can't teach that inner ability.”
Reese is already back at it this season and just won a tournament on November 20. She shot a 282 and was the Highest Overall shooter and was 1st place in High School. She is looking forward to her senior year, which will culminate with the NASP Nationals around Mother’s Day in 2025.
Reese during her first years in the archery program.
Reese Neal practices in her yard where she has targets set up.Photo by Mike Branch
Reese (L) and her friend and fellow archer Mallory Johnson at a tournament during COVID.
(L to R): Josie Harrell, Coach Stuart Harrell, and Reese Neal at the NASP Nationals in Daytona Beach Florida in June of 2024.
