AUBURNDALE, Fla. – While the current crème of USA archers were winning medals at the Hyundai Archery World Cup Stage 1, the next generation of talent were competing at the same venue in the 2025 USA Archery OAS Florida State Championship.

The Olympic Archery in the Schools (OAS) program introduces Olympic-style archery to middle and high school students through a unique competition format inspired by the Olympic Games.

Around 160 high school and middle school athletes took part in the OAS Florida State Championship on Saturday, on the field where the world’s best archers had gone through World Cup qualification and elimination rounds just a day earlier. Some then spent Sunday watching the USA take silver in the recurve women's team event.

Lake Highland Preparatory School gained gold in both High School Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls. Geneva High School claimed top honors in High School JV Boys, with gold in JV Girls going to First Christian High School Academy.

Corner Lake Middle School were crowned champions in the Middle School Varsity Boys and Girls division, as well as the Middle School JV Boys. Gold in Middle School JV Girls went to Hampden DuBose Academy

Eric Olson (pictured) is Varsity Assistant Coach at Lake Highland Preparatory School. He said of the 2025 OAS Florida State Championship, “It’s incredible how fast they set everything up!

“When we got here, the 43-target field was set for 70 meters. The staff pulled it together in no time. It’s also an integral and transitional season, so we know there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes and the result is this great experience on the field.

“I think a very cool part of this experience is the USAT feel of the event; it presents an opportunity for archers to get comfortable with the next step forward in their archery journey. It’s likely the first time these archers have attended an event of this scale with all the features of a USAT.”

Four USAT (United States Archery Team) events are held each year – the AAE Arizona Cup, the Easton Foundations Gator Cup, the Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown and the Rebel Gear Buckeye Classic. These form the USAT Qualifier Series, which help determine the USA team for the following year in 50+, Senior, Para, U21 and/or U18 and U15.

A full set of results from the 2025 USA Archery OAS Florida State Championship can be found on BetweenEnds. Action photos as well as awards and team photos from the OAS Florida State Championship are available to view.

Following the OAS event in Florida, the 2025 USA Archery OAS California State Championship takes place at the Easton Archery Center of Excellence in Chula Vista next Saturday, April 19. This is the venue for the SoCal Showdown, which will be held in June.

USA Archery assumed the management of the Olympic Archery in the Schools (OAS) program, formerly operated by the Easton Foundations, back in February.

USA Archery has a long-standing commitment to developing youth participation in the sport. USAA’s programs, such as Explore Archery and the Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD), are widely recognized for their success in fostering archery’s growth through youth clubs across the country.

For more information on the Olympic Archery in Schools program visit the website, or contact USA Archery at oas@usarchery.org.