Shooting Team
Comprised of 25 regular teammates, and 6 alternates, the Shooting Team did not disappoint in their second year running. With only a handful of 11th and 12th graders, this young team filled the leaderboard at the Regional Tournament in archery, rifle and trap (shotgun).
The District Tournament encompassed more than 25 schools and organizations, with more than 500 competitors. Grace Christian Shooting Team was honored to bring home the Fred Rorrer Sportsmanship Award, unanimously voted on by all District 5 Volunteers and Game Wardens! Competitively, the teams placed in the top 20-50%, with 7 individuals placing top 10. GCS brought home 2nd and 3rd place Junior Team for Hunter Education. Grace Boyte (8th) took 1st Place Individual Junior in Hunter Education, and went on to represent GCS at the State Tournament.
The 2023-24 season will bring expanded training program with our new sponsor Deep River Sporting Clays, as well as additional competition opportunities.
Chess Team
2022-23 saw the inaugural season of the GCS Chess Team. We got off to a wonderful start with generous backing from the Athletic Department and support from parents, but most important was the student interest.
The Sanford chess community was impressed with our numbers, as we had strong participation in tournaments throughout the year. Our kids showed a lot of growth, rounding out the year by hosting a successful tournament on Grace’s campus, in which our students earned a second place finish in a competitive field. We were able to send one of our Fifth Grade students to compete in the state competition in Raleigh where there were hundreds of participants.
The future for our team looks strong; with one year under our belt, we look forward to increased success over the board and look to field a varsity team of four at the state tournament. God bless the 2023-24 season.