PHOTO COURTESY OF SOUTH TAMA ARCHERY CLUB/FACEBOOK – STC sophomore Ava Boldt smiles with some serious hardware after winning the NASP Scholarship Shoot off! Boldt adds to her impressive resume and pool of earned scholarship money by winning the $5,000 top prize.

South Tama sophomore Ava Boldt is returning home from the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) 3D Championship with a national title, a $5,000 scholarship, and yet another accomplishment to add to an already stellar archery career.

Competing in Daytona Beach, Florida, Boldt captured the NASP 3D national championship with a score of 298, the highest score posted by any archer in the competition. She also claimed first place among female competitors in the 3D Scholarship Shootoff, earning a $5,000 scholarship.

The trip to Florida came with plenty of anticipation.

“The car ride to Daytona Beach was long — all 19 hours,” Boldt said. “I had nerves on the way thinking about the Scholarship Shootoff which was Friday evening.”

Those nerves were balanced by experience.

Boldt entered the event familiar with both the national stage and the venue itself. She participated in last year’s Scholarship Shootoff in Myrtle Beach, where she finished second and earned a $4,000 scholarship. She had also previously competed in Daytona Beach before entering high school.

“My experience from last year’s Scholarship Shootoff in Myrtle Beach really helped me prepare for this year’s Shootoff,” she said. “I knew what to expect and I was a little less nervous. I participated in the Championship in Daytona Beach the summer going into my freshman year of high school and was at the same venue so that definitely helped.”

When the final arrows were shot and the results became official, Boldt’s reaction was not one of celebration as much as relief.

“When I won the Scholarship Shootoff and the 3D tournaments, I felt very relieved,” she said. “I’ve been practicing a lot so it helped me prepare and lessened the nerves.”

The national championship is the latest achievement in a remarkable run that has seen Boldt establish herself among the nation’s top school archers.

Earlier this year, she swept the girls 3D and bullseye state championships at the Iowa NASP State Tournament while earning three $1,500 scholarships. She followed that performance with a dominant showing at NASP Western Nationals, where she won the girls 3D championship, captured the Centershot girls bullseye title, and finished runner-up in the girls bullseye competition.

Over the past two years alone, Boldt has accumulated $19,500 in scholarship earnings while collecting state and national championships against some of the top young archers in the country.

Despite the growing list of trophies and accolades, Boldt points to the coaches and mentors who helped her develop a passion for the sport.

“I started archery in the fourth grade under the coaching of Dick and Vicki Koehler,” she said. “They helped me love archery and want to get better.”

She credits many individuals for helping her along the way, but said one coach stands above the rest.

“I’ve had many great coaches, but my favorite has been my dad, Jason Boldt,” she said.

Boldt also believes her success comes from dedication and a willingness to put in extra work outside of regular practices.

“I have a lot of dedication to the sport of archery and practice more than just the regular practice times,” she said. “I think this has made me the archer I am today.”

That dedication has helped turn Boldt into the most accomplished archer South Tama has produced. Beginning as a fourth grader learning the basics of the sport, she has grown into a state champion, national champion, scholarship winner, and one of the top archers in the country.

Her latest victory in Daytona Beach adds another chapter to a career that continues to bring national recognition to South Tama archery.