BULLSEYE: DC students aiming for success at national archery tournament

In elementary school, you would think that kids are playing soccer or baseball or basketball. But at a school in D.C., there is an unusual sport that is so popular that twice as many kids as they could accommodate signed up.

"As a little kid, I watched Robin Hood and I thought that looks super-duper fun!" said Maddie, a student at Lafayette Elementary School.

These excited students are developing a love of archery.

"I like the ‘zing' from when you are pulling it back," Maddie told us. "And you just let go and it makes that little zing and it's right next to your ear so you can hear it perfectly."

Teacher Margie McClure likes that sound too.

"For some of them, the bow is heavy and it takes some strength to hold that bow up and be steady and keep it aimed where you want the arrow to go," she said.

"It's a lot of concentration," said Mia Sampson. "It's a lot harder than it looks."

These arrows are sharp, so the students say there is no goofing off.

A few years ago, just eight D.C. Public Schools offered archery. Now, it has soared to 33.

Lafayette just won the citywide tournament. This weekend, they will compete against the whole country at the National

Archery in the Schools tournament. The students will be traveling to Kentucky.

"I'm not even thinking about winning," said one student. "I'm just doing it for fun."

Their teacher is thinking about the future.

"Our goal in [physical education] is to expose them to as many different sports and activities as possible so they will be active for a lifetime and this is something they can do forever," said McClure.