Wilbraham & Monson Academy's Gene Kang '20 spent his summer competing with and against the best archers in the country, participating in eight events and winning five first-place trophies in an 11-week span.
The highlight for Gene was being named to the 2018 Regional Dream Team for the East squad after attending a camp in Michigan for six days. He also lined up against the best of the best at the 2018 National Target Championships in North Carolina July 11-15, where he placed 33rd in the Cadet Division (ages 15-17) at the Junior Olympic Archery Development event.
Quotes from Gene
- On his overall performance for the outdoor season: "With the time I had to shoot, I think I did pretty well. I didn't have as much time to prepare for the tournaments so considering that I think I did pretty well."
- On participating at the national outdoor championship: "All of the archers there, they're the best. These are the guys who practice 10 hours a day and always grind. They're trying to make it to the Olympics so it's great to compete against people like that who work so hard."
- On his goals for archery: "I'm going to see where this takes me now. Indoor season is coming up so I have to prepare for that. I want a strong indoor season to lead into the spring and summer."
Gene's outdoor season highlights:
- Outdoor Warm-up, June 3, Mansfield, Massachusetts - 1st place
- SoCal Showdown, June 15-17, Chula Vista, California - 36th place
- Regional Dream Team Camp, June 28 - July 3, Rockford, Michigan (selected to East Regional Dream Team)
- JOAD National Target Championships, July 11-15, Raleigh, North Carolina – 33rd place
- Bay State Games, July 21-22, Mansfield, Massachusetts - 1st place (qualified for the 2019 State Games of America in Lynchburg, Virginia)
- New England Outdoor Classic & Connecticut State Outdoor Championships, July 28, Naugatuck, Connecticut - 1st place
- Massachusetts Outdoor State & JOAD Championships, Aug. 4-5, Mansfield, Massachusetts - 1st place
- Virginia JOAD Outdoor State Championships, Aug. 19, Centerville, Virginia – first place