Title run continues
SLIPPERY ROCK — Her sighting was slightly off to the left. Her shooting was spot on.
But it could have been more accurate in Heather Stewart’s eyes. Such are the lofty expectations the Slippery Rock archer places on herself.
Stewart, 44, recently won the Adult Female Freestyle division of the National Field Archery Association (NFAA) Field Nationals at the Mechanicsburg Sportsmen’s Association in Enola. The title marked her second NFAA crown in three years — she placed second in 2021 — and her fourth national championship during that span. Stewart won at Target Nationals the past two years.
“I noticed after a while that some of my shots were going to the left,” Stewart said. “I adjusted my sighting and my shots were more accurate. I’m very happy with my score, especially in the animal round, but I feel like it could have been even higher.”
The Field Nationals are divided into three rounds — Field, Hunter and Animal. The first two rounds consist of shooting 112 arrows from various distances at targets that feature either a black center or white dot as the bulls-eye. The most points an archer can gain per arrow is five, making for a maximum score of 560 for those two rounds.
Stewart amassed 547 points in the Field round and 550 in the Hunter round.
“During the Field round, you shot from as close as six yards and from as far away as 80,” Stewart said. “The Hunter round was from as close as 11 yards and as far as 70. The Animal round is a little different.”
The Animal round consists of shooting at 28 different animal targets, firing only one arrow at each. The maximum score on each target was 21.
“If you hit a vital part on the animal target, it’s 20 points,” Stewart explained. “Hit the dot in there and it’s another point.”
Her score in the Animal round was 577 out of a possible 588.
Stewart’s father, Tom Kennedy, 67, competed in the Silver Senior division at the NFAA Nationals and placed sixth out of 37 competitors. There were 18 archers in Stewart’s division, including competitors from Washington, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Mississippi, North Carolina, Canada ... “all over the place,” Stewart said.
“Heather had the lead on the last day of this tournament last year,” Kennedy said. “Another girl came from behind and beat her out for the title. She (Stewart) really wanted to come back and win it this year.
“She’s always been a good shot, but she prepared a little more for this year’s tournament.”
Stewart said she practices five days a week, sometimes traveling to a range in Leechburg, another in Franklin.
“At times, I’ll just arrange targets in my yard and practice,” she said. “I don’t practice by any set schedule. One day I may shoot 60 arrows, another day 120 ... then one day I may stay out shooting four hours.”
The Target Nationals are scheduled for next month in Yankton, S.D. Kennedy and Stewart aren’t certain they will make the trip this year to see if she can become a three-time champion there.
“It’s a long way ... We just can’t decide,” Kennedy said.
“With gas prices being what they are, I just don’t know,” Stewart said. “But we’ll have to decide pretty quick here.”
Stewart will be competing at the IBO World Tournament in Seven Springs in early August. She plans to compete in an indoor tournament in Lancaster in January.
“There’s always goals I want to attain,” she said.
Stewart’s husband, Gregg, competes in .22 caliber and long-distance rifle events. She said he’s leaving soon for a national event.
“I’m glad he competes nationally in his sport because he understands the amount of work and practice it takes,” Stewart said.
The couple has a 9-year-old daughter who has yet to show interest in archery.
“I was 12 when I started. There’s still time,” Stewart said, laughing.
