An Hour At...
April 23, 2024
Hitting the Mark
Nock the arrow, pull back the string, pause—find your target, focus, and release.
While it may sound straightforward, the Mount Marty University Archery team knows what actually goes into competing at a collegiate level.
Just last weekend, Zoe Woods, a sophomore at Mount Marty, competed in the Midwest Sectionals here at the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center. She details her extensive pre-shoot routine, which starts two hours before the tournament and involves different rounds of stretching with multiple practice shots—and a little bit of superstition.
“I wear the same shoes every single time,” she said.
This particular Monday evening, Zoe shows up to archery practice a bit early and begins to prepare for her shoot. Soon enough, the range will be full of athletes with arrows flying, but for now, she shoots alone.
Morgan Wittmeier, the marketing and community events coordinator for the Easton Center, makes her way over to the range to make sure the radio plays—with today’s choice of 2000s punk coming over the speakers.
“I try to be as encouraging as possible, trying to get them to have fun, because why do a sport if it’s not fun, right?” she said.
Morgan goes into detail about the countless events that draw people in every year. More than just a place for the community of the archery world to meet, the world’s largest archery center has something for the whole Yankton community to enjoy whether they prefer archery, tennis, pickleball, or air rifle.
As five o’clock hits, the athletes start to trickle in and the quiet conversation begins to flow while targets are acquired and arrows loaded as they begin their shoot for the evening.
The pressure feels lighter tonight—the week after a tournament and the week before spring break —as a comfortable quiet blankets the range besides the rhythmic ‘thwap’ that the arrows make as they find their target.
Maren Sanders, another sophomore on the team, got her first introduction to archery in elementary school. One of the draws of the Easton Center for her is the space allotted for the range. “If it’s lightning out, you can shoot indoors,” she says. With the space to shoot for distance inside, weather is never a variable during practice.
Brady Klassen, one of the seniors on the team, tells his pre-tournament secrets, which include athlete performance meditation and Rocky’s “Going the Distance” on repeat.
“I don’t know if it works,” he said, but he’ll stick with it for now.
For Brady, Mount Marty's archery has changed a lot since his recruitment. Between coaches, training regimens, and practices, he says it is almost a whole different program.
“Now we have a really strong focus of maintenance and quality shots,” he says, a big change from the previous coaching that focused on quantity over quality.
As the sun starts to set, the archers have lined up and down the row of targets and the arrows fly unreservedly. The two hours and roughly 70 arrows shot tonight will make these athletes better developed as they prepare to conquer their next competition.
About Christa Lotz
Christa Lotz is a sophomore at Mount Marty University pursuing a nursing degree with a minor in writing. She is involved in the SGA on campus and enjoys hiking around the Yankton trails in her free time.
Strolling Through a Century
On an unconventionally bright February afternoon in Yankton, South Dakota you’ll find the Meridian bridge bustling with people, desperate for a day out in the sun. As you approach from the riverside parking lot, you may hear the soft chime of the xylophone as a small group of middle schoolers attempts to play a tune of their own creation. You may notice the “People’s Choice” statues lining the sides of the railings from years dating back to 2011.
You can sense the energy from the day immediately. Dogs of all sizes stroll with their owners, tongues out and tails wagging. Parents walk with their children, some jumping by their side or tucked away in strollers. Three kids take turns playing catch in the grass, one is in the middle making desperate attempts to snatch the ball.
The Yankton community has come alive and various people of all ages have traveled to the bridge for this shining Saturday. Greg and Jackie Aymar, an older couple, made a 15 minute drive from Taber to enjoy the nice day by walking the bridge. My boyfriend and I are walking with a blue heeler from the humane society named Cleo that catches their attention and they hesitantly walk to her side. Greg talks about his old blue heeler who passed away a few years ago and about how he and his wife have come to walk the bridge for years on days similar to this one.
“It’s quite a bridge,” Greg says, looking at the bridge as though he can see the memories from the previous walks he and his wife have taken.
As he looks, there are three girls skipping through the shadows on the bottom side of the bridge, arms hooked together. An older woman walks by herself, wearing a purple shirt
and matching purple cardigan, admiring the sky and the shining water below her. Before Jackie and Greg continue walking, they both express interest in adopting Cleo or at least hope to see her again soon.
Now, you try and decide which way to go next. To the left, a bat convertible chugs by, with fender flares and batman logos on the side and back. Everyone looks and smiles at the sheer silliness of it, like something straight from a movie or comic book. To the right, more people make their way onto the bottom side of the bridge. You decide to go left to the top side.
On the top side, you’ll notice the locks covering the sides of the railing. The rusted padlocks of various sizes and shapes have become a tradition here. They represent the present and past lovers of Yankton with most of their matching keys sitting at the bottom of the river.
At the top of the small incline, the sun shines warmly down while the still cool February wind blows. A child around 3 years old comes bounding down, with a pink bow in her hair that’s almost the size of her head, and her dad, with a beard that reaches his chest, is following close behind her.
“Can I pet the puppy?” she asks excitedly after seeing Cleo. She reaches out her hand as slowly as any three-year-old can and pats her nose. She giggles and exclaims how cute she is and continues walking with her dad, the bow bouncing in her bright red hair.
Once you walk to the top side of the bridge, you can make your way back by walking through the bottom side or vice versa. On the way through the bottom side, William Miller, the vice president of Mount Marty academic affairs, is on a stroll with his longtime friend and colleague. He discusses what he thinks of the bridge and its importance to the community. He says it’s almost “symbolic” to Yankton.
“When people think of Yankton, they usually think of the Meridian Bridge,” he says.
He is right. In fact, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Meridian Bridge being built. There will be educational events throughout the year. In the spring, nature walks across the bridge will be offered by the National Park Service. In June, there will be the Mead Museum/Yankton Community Library cemetery walk, and finally, in the fall, there will be historic tours of the downtown area and the bridge.
The bridge was originally presented to the public on October 12th of 1924. This year, a task force has come up with planned events to help celebrate this monumental anniversary. There will be entertainment events including a 4th of July party, a Meridian Bridge Block party, and a float in the Holiday Festival of lights. All of this to celebrate a century of strolls and human connection from one state to another.
About Calli Davis
Calli Davis is a senior at Mount Marty University and is finishing her degree in Exercise Science with a minor in English. She is from Elk Point, South Dakota and has been competing on the Track and Field team all four years. She loves writing and hopes to continue to utilize it throughout her career.