13-Year-Old Heads to Olympic Training Center
Thirteen-year-old Gracie Clendenin of Monticello will be going to USA Archery, Junior Dream Team Selection Camp, November 7-13, in Chula Vista, Calif. at the Olympic Training Center.
She was invited to try out for the team by virtue of her winning archery scores over the last year.
She has won 29 first place medals this year including a national medal for outdoor targets. She is pictured above receiving that medal. Her placement is what awarded her the invitation to California, but that is not the limit of where she will travel.
She, with her parent’s support, is planning to compete in the “triple star” of events next year which encompasses competitions in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ohio and South Dakota. She also has plans to attend a competition in Pennsylvania, and who knows where else she may travel. Mom, Cindy, accompanies her on her trips, and Dad, Donnie, won’t be left out of the Vegas trip.
Also heading to California is Katherine Cunningham, a teammate of Gracie’s from Conyers who attends Piedmont Academy. They said it was really unusual for two people from the same team to be invited to the Dream Team Selection Camp. While at the camp, the young ladies will be busy from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. And, to be considered for the team, they must pass a physical fitness test and an interview process, and of course, be able to shoot.
Gracie is a hunter, having killed her first deer at age 5, but she didn’t take up bow hunting until recently, and still prefers a gun. However, for sport, she loves the bow and arrow. Gracie first got interested in archery when she attended a 4-H archery meeting in 2014. She borrowed her bow from her brother, Michael, and began practicing. She did so well with 4-H, that coaches Scott and Suzanne Whittle and Gretchen Pruett encouraged her to expand on her sport. She went to the Ace archery center in Social Circle. She took and advanced archery class.
Gracie shoots about 800 arrows a week, 400 at home, and another 400 at Ace. She is a member of the Ace Apaches. She spends most of Saturdays at the practice range, and is there every Tuesday for several hours.
The practice doesn’t take a toll. Gracie is a straight “A” student at Jasper County Middle School where she is also active in FBLA. Even though 75 percent of archers are home-schooled, that is something Gracie doesn’t want. She’s very social, mom Cindy says. Gracie just made the decision to give up softball, because she doesn’t have time for it with the archery schedule.
And that bow of her brother’s she started out with? No more. She has two compound Elite Victory bows, each costing several thousand dollars. She has to have two because during some meets she can’t take a break for mechanical issues and has to just grab another bow if she breaks a string or something. And the bows have to be re-strung each season. She shoots indoors and outdoors as well as 3D targets.
When she shoots indoor, it is 20 yards, and the outdoor targets are 30 meters. She will be shooting outdoors in California. When she comes back she’ll change to indoor which is 20 yards. ASA and field archery targets may be as much as 78 yards away. The bow is strung differently for the different competitions.
Gracie as names for each of her bows…one is Bruiser and the other is Eagle. She also has a unique trait of wearing a bow in her hair each time she shoots her bow. Currently the compound bow is not shot in the Olympics, but that could change by 2024. And, in the meantime, Gracie can work toward the world circuit.
Gracie is not old enough to win cash. She’s not even old enough to stay in the Olympic village. You must be 16 to win cash, and get sponsorships, and you must be 14 to stay in the Olympic village. So, right now her parents support her and she has had some help locally, and welcomes sponsors. She’ll gladly make t-shirts with her sponsor’s names and wear them while traveling. She said that she has had good support. Those who want to help Gracie in her quest may also sponsor. Just contact her mother at 770-851-1822.
Her current coaches are Steve Pittman of Jasper County and John Chandler of Putnam County. They will work with the Dream Team coaches if she is chosen for the team.
