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Rick Thomas has hit a bullseye when it comes to building a successful archery program for students not just in Ohio County Schools, but throughout our region.
The now-retired Bridge Street Middle School physical education teacher has made it his passion over the past seven-plus years to build and grow a successful archery program in the region's public schools. He started his work at Bridge Street Middle School in Ohio County and has, over the years, offered assistance and tips to other counties and schools interested in starting a similar program.
What started as a middle school activity intended to get youngsters more involved in a sport has now turned into a major endeavor spanning most of Ohio County's schools.
The work by Thomas and others over the past seven years has now led to an event on Saturday when "A Shot in the Park" -- an archery tournament at The Highlands Sports Complex -- brings more than 900 students and family members to our region to find who has the best shot.
"We are having the largest archery tournament ever here in the Ohio Valley," Thomas said. "Last year was the largest. We had 608 registered archers from 4th grade all the way up to seniors. This year, we have 905 registered representing 60 schools."
Bringing 900-plus kids and family members to The Highlands will lead to a rather significant economic impact. Teams are coming from as far away as Charleston and Huntington. In the archery world, this is a very big tournament -- and so much of the credit for making it happen belongs to Thomas.
If you're out on Saturday and want to see youngsters doing something really interesting, stop by the Sports Complex. The event starts at 9 a.m. and goes until late afternoon. If you do stop by, tell Thomas thank you for all he's done to grow archery among our youth. It truly has made a difference for many.