For the past several years, Columbia Academy archery coach Mike Barber has ascended the program to new heights.
Now Barber is looking to expand and took a large step in doing so by overseeing an overhaul of an old storage building on campus that was used for practice and turning it into a legitimate archery facility.
A lot of work went into the projects, including adding a drop ceiling, more than 20 recess lights, central heat and air, putting up new walls with sheetrock to make the building more secure and energy efficient and adding a customized sign to make it feel like home for the archery team.
“We basically took a big empty room and turned it into a nice archery facility. We practiced in here before, but it’s unreal how much stuff we hauled out of here,” Barber said. “We have one of the few archery facilities around right now. It’s not big enough to compete in, but we can host practice matches. It isn’t big enough for spectators, but our goal is to eventually build one up for that.”
One of the biggest reasons in the transformation of the building was to give the CA archers a place they could truly call their own and take pride in.
“We picked up four or five kids and one of the key factors in them coming here was this program. They don’t do the three major sports but shoot archery,” he said. “When kids come out to the school, they can see the football field and locker room and when they are a part of that program, it’s theirs. Look at the baseball field if you’re baseball player, that’s your baseball field. Look at the gym and you’re a basketball player, that’s your gym. My No. 1 goal more than anything is for this to be theirs.”
Another draw was to expand the program by attracting more kids to join the team.
“We’re consistently around 45 to 50 kids each year, and I would love to get up to 60 or 70 kids in the program,” Barber said. “I strive to teach the kids three things — discipline, respect and dedication — those are my cornerstones. I’ve taken fourth-graders the last few years that come in here bouncing off the walls that are right now perfect little kids, saying ‘Yes, sir.’ They’re in fifth-grade and teaching fourth-graders how to score. That’s the most satisfying thing. It’s unreal what I’ve gotten out of this from the kids in three years.”
Barber offered thanks for everyone involved in the project.
“I want to thank all the parents of team members who worked to make it happen and the school,” he said.
In the immediate future, more work will be done to add a sign to the outside of the building that will read “Cougar Archery Den,” and refinish the floors with Cougar orange striping.
Pictured Above: The CA elementary archery team lines up to shoot in the newly renovated building. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
