Calhoun County’s first professional archer and Taekwando Black Belt Lea Steward, daughter of Gary and Suzette Steward of the Jacksonville Fire Department and sister of Rebeka and Shauna Steward, will graduate from Weaver High School this year and fulfill a lifetime dream of turning pro archer, using it to pay her way through college. Competing as a pro archer will not be easy as Steward will be the 20th pro archer in the world. The heavy criteria is perhaps why there are so few. Professional archers must do promotions for sponsors, hold open houses, and teach archery,
Steward, who started the sport at the age of 6, has taught archery in summer camps for the past two summers at Camp Mac and Cheaha.
She is a NAA Level 1 coach, which is tough to achieve because of the amount of classes necessary to attend and test for. Steward’s father is a Level 2 coach.
Steward holds numerous championships: three runners-up, five third place, 15 national, six state, two Southern Triple Crown, and two junior Olympic.
“Archery is a sport that allows me to get outdoors and be an individual. Probably the biggest challenges I have faced are overcoming my size and realizing I am looked at as a target,” states Steward confidently. As with all glamour, there is a price; Steward is seen as a target, someone to be taken down but Steward, the youngest female competitor, plans to hold her own with competitors such as Lucy Holder of England and Eva Zelch of Austria.
Steward’s previous sponsors include BowTech, Carbon Express, TruBall, Copper John, Champion Archery, Muzzy, Viper Scopes, Rinehart Targets, and Coffee Enterprise.
Steward is appreciative of her father who has coached her since she was 6 years old, finding a unique approach to spending quality time with his daughters. She is also appreciative of her 13-year-old sister Rebeka who is following in her sister’s footsteps as three-time runner up and her sister Shauna.
The next tournament for Steward will be February in Gainesville, Fla. In the Florida Pro-Am, Steward will compete at the national level against both amateurs and professionals such as herself. Between now and then Steward will be looking for sponsors. Those interested in sponsoring her are encouraged to call 591-5208.
