As senior Genesis Ocampo draws her bow, she takes one last breath before she shoots her arrow at the target.

For almost a year, Ocampo has been practicing her archery skills at the Woodley Park Archery Range twice a week. Every time she goes, she puts all her effort and determination into perfecting her shots.

“I always liked the thought of archery, and one day I heard of the archery range and decided to check it out,” Ocampo said. “It’s a great place and everyone has been really helpful in order to make me a better archer.”

Shooting four hours a week, Ocampo takes a calculated shot each time she lets an arrow fly. 

Ocampo managed to perform an impressive stunt that many experienced archers have never accomplished. On that day, she made the “Robin Hood” shot, which is when the archer’s current arrow strikes through a previous one already in the target.

“I couldn’t believe I actually made a shot like that,” Ocampo said. “It’s something out of movies.”

Alongside archery, Ocampo is also on Birmingham Community Charter High School’s (BCCHS) varsity water polo team. Practicing every day after school, Ocampo feels prepared for the upcoming scrimmage with Temple City High School.

While many students prefer to stick to one sport, Ocampo strives for that second one. Even with two sports, she takes on two AP classes, maintaining her 3.4 G.P.A.
“I feel really relieved after because I put all my emotions into it,” Ocampo said. “Water polo and archery both help me relax after a long day.”

Archery has even aided as a bonding factor between Ocampo and her friends, serving as a new activity they all participate in.

“Even though I’m still fairly new in the grand scheme of things, I feel like archery has had such a huge impact in my life,” Ocampo said.

Although she is unsure of her future, she hopes that she will have an opportunity to continue archery and water polo. For now, Ocampo will still be in the two sports as long as she can before she graduates and goes to college.

“I’ll probably try to find a range near my school during college. I’ll play water polo through senior year and perhaps in college,” Ocampo said.