Bray Hopes Streak Continues at NASP Alabama State Championship

Easton took advantage of the practice ranges in Lancaster to tweak his bow to shoot the 15-meter distance and credited his mentor, Steve Cox, for being prepared. Cox runs Centershot Ministry in Decatur and is involved with the ministry nationally as well as being involved in the NASP event in Alabama.

Each round, Easton shot 60 arrows at the 80-centimeter target, which has an 8-centimeter center. Each competitor was allowed two practice arrows followed by three-arrow volleys. That was done 20 times.

"At NASP, you switch up between 10 and 15 meters, but up there, it was 15 meters the whole time," he said.

When he was announced winner of his division, Easton said he was "pretty surprised."

"But I was praying to the Lord the whole time that whether I win or lose, let me have some fun," he said. "I made some pretty good friends up there too. I shot with the guy who won the state NASP up there last year. I got to meet a whole lot of people. It was pretty great.

"I just want to give all the glory to God. No matter what nerves we have on the shooting line, God is with us."

When the Alabama NASP event starts, Easton hopes to continue his success with at least a top three finish. The Bray brothers are homeschooled and compete as individuals.

"I've been No. 1 in bullseye for most of the year," he said. "I've just got to have the right mindset and focus. If you can hit a 10, you can shoot a 300. What I've learned about archery is that it's more of a mind game than a mechanics game. Once you get the mechanics down, it's whether you can do it 30 times in a row."

Of course, Easton will also be competing against Noah and his youngest brother, Silas, in Montgomery. Their mom, Brittany Bray, serves as their coach.

"Noah scored his personal best this year with a 290," Easton said. "He beat me in a couple of tournaments when my mind frame was not right and his was. My youngest brother, Silas, also had his personal best at 272. It's pretty fun driving around to these tournaments with my family."

Justin Grider, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Assistant Chief of the R3 Section with the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division, said Bray's success in the national event helps to promote the success of the NASP and overall archery participation in Alabama.

"Alabama has a rich history of archers from the state who historically do well in national and even international competition," said Grider, whose R3 Program oversees NASP in Alabama with Hunter Education Coordinator Katie Burks serving as the NASP State Coordinator. "We, as a state agency, feel it's important for people to have the opportunity to participate in shooting sports, and archery is one of those shooting sports. We have more archery parks (20) in Alabama than any other state.

"We have a strong stake in the NASP program in Alabama to make sure students in Alabama in grades 4-12 get an opportunity to participate in the program. It's a pathway to get people involved in shooting sports, and that's really important. At the end of the day, the excise tax on sporting goods like archery equipment, firearms and ammunition go to support conservation. That benefits bald eagles and salamanders and everything in between."

Visit www.outdooralabama.com/archery-schools/nasp-alabama-state-championship for more information on the NASP State Championship.

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