She's on the mark

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers READY, AIM, FIRE- Brenna Deters, a seventh-grader at La Reina, practices archery at Oak Canyon Community Park in Oak Park last Saturday morning. Deters, a Thousand Oaks resident, is training for the National Field Archery Association 3D Nationals. Brenna Deters takes a deep breath and closes her eyes.

She then imagines the target and hitting the center. Drawing the bow back, Deters steadies herself before releasing the trigger.

Bull's-eye.

A 13-year-old seventh-grader at La Reina Middle School, Deters is quickly developing into a standout archer.

"It's a mental challenge, and it's satisfying when you hit the target and hit the bull's-eye," the well-spoken Deters said. "It helps me stay sharp, and I can really focus better doing other things, like schoolwork."

In her most recent tournament on Sun., Oct. 14, Deters won first place among all youth, boys and girls, and was also the top female at the Conejo Valley Archers Summer Fun 3D event off Tapo Canyon Road in Simi Valley.

The Thousand Oaks resident has also shot her way to first-place finishes at the Ojai Valley Club Tournament, the Malibu Mountain Archers Thanksgiving Tournament and the Malibu Mountain Archers Club Tournament.

Deters, who practices shooting three times a week, is training for the National Field Archery Association 3D Nationals, where about 3,000 archers will congregate in Redding next May.

"Anyone can go there, but nationals are still pretty hard," said Deters, who also plays softball and tennis. "I think I'm pretty good, but I'm trying to get better."

Archery is quietly and quickly gaining popularity, especially among middle and high school students.

About 2 million children have been exposed to archery around the country, according to Don Rabska, executive director of Easton Sports Development Foundation in Van Nuys.

"It's growing so quickly," Rabska said. "It's popular, but it's actually safe. It has the same safety level as bowling."

Within the next year, Rabska expects about 3 million youth to participate in archery through a variety of programs, including the National Archery in Schools Program. Schools in 46 states are involved in the national program, which started four years ago in Kentucky.

"Kids love it," Rabska said. "The nice thing about archery is that it's an individual sport. You can be the best athlete in your school or in a wheelchair, but everyone can enjoy archery. That's the nice thing about archery. Anyone can participate."

Deters, who uses a 32-pound bow, also relishes the challenges of the sport, such as windy conditions or hilly or rocky courses. In fact, Deters prefers obstacles and distractions.

"I love the challenge," said Deters, who was introduced to the sport when she was 6.

"I think the wind is my friend. A lot of shooters think the wind is their enemy. The wind doesn't distract me. When you worry about the wind, you think, 'Oh, my gosh. I'm going to miss the target.' Then you jerk the trigger. That's why you actually miss, because you tense up. If you think you're going to miss, then you are."

Deters also enjoys archery because she can spend time shooting with her father, Tom, who's also involved in the sport. He finished 16th in his division during this year's national tournament.

"It's my version of golf," he said. "It's more a mental game than anything else."

But Tom Deters finds himself helping his daughter more and more and shooting less and less. That's just fine with him.

"I have kids, and I'll take them to tournaments. I'm more focused on them," Tom Deters said. "As long as she enjoys it, it's a nice thing to do together. With her, all I'm trying to do is push some wind in her sails."

Brenna Deters has also used her passion for archery in the classroom. She earned a Ribbon of Merit for her science project at the Ventura County Science Fair.

Deters got up at 6 a.m. three days a week to shoot 25 shots. She ingested simple sugars within 30 minutes of her shooting practice to test if sugar would make her shakier or shoot erratically. Deters discovered that sugar did not negatively affect her performance.

Deters wants to continue developing her archery skills but knows she has plenty of room to improve- like staying focused when flies buzz close.

"I get itchy around flies," she admitted.

But Deters already knows what she has to do before each shot: take a deep breath, close her eyes and imagine striking the target.

Bull's-eye.