Anika Khanna’s aspirations
Arrow nocked. Path visualized. Shoulders set. Freshman Anika Khanna breathes in and releases, feeling the arrow fly true at the 2025 United States Open in Florida against the 12th seed.
“It was incredible,” Khanna said. “It was really close between me and my competitor. Then I just shot my shot. It was a perfect ten, and that was the shot that I ended and won with.”
Khanna joined archery on a whim in 2018 at her father’s suggestion, a spontaneous decision that solidified as she learned more about the different shooting styles and pieces of equipment.
“When I started out, I didn’t really imagine that I would get this far,” Khanna said. “It was just a fun thing to do for an afternoon during summer break. But once I started archery, I just continued down this path of doing it, eventually advancing to a higher level of competitive shooting.”
From constantly pursuing a better score to receiving support from coaches and friends, archery has taught her consistency and growth.
“Every single piece of archery knowledge I have comes from talking to someone else,” Khanna said. “I’ve grown in the technical aspect of shooting, but also have the confidence to shoot my shot and talk to other people to gain insight.”
Despite her passion for the sport, Khanna has faced various mental challenges. In January 2025, she questioned whether she should quit, feeling frustrated at her low scores and poor form despite her dedication and time commitment to archery. She ultimately resolved to continue.
“For a long period of time, I genuinely believed that I was not a good shooter and that caused me to shoot shots that were aligned with that belief,” Khanna said. “But this year, I’ve been really surprising myself and defying expectations. Now, I’m learning the value of having a growth mindset.”
Khanna has various short- and long-term goals in mind, from receiving her own coaching certification once she turns 15 and getting a job at her local range, to competing at the collegiate level.
“Even though sometimes the stress of competitions and all has clouded my love for archery, I know I’m never going to quit,” Khanna said. “I’m gonna be shooting till the day I die.”
Michael and Michele Myers make a mark at their local range
Amid the buzz of the Cal Sports Club, junior and Middle College student Michael Myers and freshman Michele Myers picked up bows for the first time in 2021. They quickly grew to enjoy the unique sport.
“I’d seen archery before, and I just thought it would be fun to try out,” Michael Myers said.
At their indoor range, the siblings regularly attended group classes to learn the basics of archery, which eventually led them to enroll in private classes. The siblings later joined the Junior Archers Association and began participating in local competitions. Both enjoyed the excitement and the opportunity to meet other archers, but most of all appreciated simply seeing improvement as they practiced.
“My brother once got a Robin Hood, which is when you shoot an arrow, then when you shoot another arrow, it actually goes right into the first arrow,” Michele Myers said. “It split the arrow, which was really memorable for me since it was cool to see, even though I didn’t do it.”
However, as they enter new chapters of life, the siblings have found it harder to balance archery and schoolwork. Conflicting schedules, work and simply a lack of time mean that they have slowed in their archery lessons. Now, they believe their improvement simply depends on practice.
“We’d kind of learned all the basics from our coaches,” Michael Myers said. “We just need to practice, but the issue is that there’s not many places to practice here.”
Both archers hope to continue the sport in some way. Michael Myers aims to join an archery club after high school, while Michele Myers wants to return to the range.
“I’m looking forward to doing more competitions because when I used to do them, they were really fun and I got to meet new people,” Michele Myers said.
