Local brothers take aim at Archery Nationals

Mental strength, balance and coordination, motivation & self-confidence are just a few of the skills needed in archery, and for three brothers from Wasilla heading to the US Western National Championships in April, they hit the mark.

Xaden, Xoran, and Xevin Kaiser of Wasilla, are brothers who are making waves in Alaska's archery scene. The brothers have been practicing archery for three years, and are still new competitive archery, having only started competitions this year, and have quickly risen to secured top 10 spots in Alaska's archery rankings, with Xaden, the oldest brother, ranking 6th among high school boys, while middle brother Xoran earned himself a 6th place rank in the junior high division, and the youngest brother, Xevin, securing the 2nd spot among elementary school boys.

“We all made it into the top 10 of our divisions, and it’s awesome,” says Xaden.

The brothers, who attend Twindly Bridge Charter School, are making preparations to represent Alaska at the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Archery Western Nationals in Utah.

The brothers got started in archery with a program called Centershot, a non-denominational outreach program that shares the Gospel of Jesus using the life-skills of archery.

“That’s what got them started, and got them going and discovering that it was fun, and this year they joined the Twindly Bridge Charter School’s competitive team this year,” explains their mother, Breanna.

“I found that it really helps if you can figure out how to block out everything else and shoot with as close to zero distractions as possible,” says Xaden. Meanwhile, younger brother Xevin has been testing out different pull styles with his fingers to lessen the friction on the arrow.

The tournament requires archers to strip down their bows to the basics, meaning that the brothers can only use unmodified Genesis bows, without using sights, stabilizers, or tape. Mechanical release aids or devices designed to hold the bow at full draw are also prohibited. The aim of NASP is to promote students learning focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.

“You are not allowed to have anything on them. You are only allowed the arrow and the bow,” says Xaden, who says that not having the aids that many professional archers use is actually not a worry for him, instead they have increased their practices and fundraising for the trip to Utah.

“We’ve been busy practicing, but also trying to find sponsors and doing small jobs to help offset expenses.”

“We’ve been practicing getting our hearts racing while shooting to help minimize distractions, and just trying to tell ourselves that this is just like any other practice we go to so we don’t get too stressed,” says Xoran.

If the boys qualify during the Western Nationals in April, the next step will be the National Championships later this summer.

And to those who haven’t tried archery for themselves, the brothers say go for it.

“It is a ton of fun, but it takes time and dedication to become good. It takes quite a bit of work and you have to put forth the effort,” advises Xaden, advice his brothers agree is key.

Xoran also says “Relax, and not stress if it takes a while. Just shoot to have fun.”

For more information, or to donate, please visit: www.gofundme.com/f/back-three-alaska-archery-champs-at-nasp-nationals?cdn-cache=0