Using a passion and a talent to bring others to Christ, that is exactly what Rodney Estrada, recently-appointed head coach for the new men and women's archery teams at Emmanuel College, is proud to say he has the opportunity to do every day.
An Atlanta native, Estrada relocated to Franklin County 15 years ago. His passion for archery began with his children's interest in the sport. "It started by working with 4-H, which is when I got certified. My oldest daughter wanted to shoot for the Franklin County archery team," recalls Estrada. All his children are archers and most are already national ranked.
Estrada is a National Level IV/NTS coach, the second highest coaching level that can be reached. Only 36 people hold the title worldwide with four in Georgia. He is a National Archery judge and was trained by coach Kisik Lee, who has led more people to Olympic and World Championships than anyone else in the history of archery. Estrada holds numerous titles and certifications in archery including being a NFAA/IFAA coach, NASP BAI coach, 4H State coach, 4-H State SAFE Council, Boy Scout Merit Badge counselor, Girl Scout Merit Patch counselor, USAC College coach, ASEP coach, USOC Safe coach, Continental judge, USAC judge and Governor's Council Youth Shooting Sports.
Estrada has been involved in the Olympic movement and even assisted in the selection of the United States men and women's Olympic Teams in both able-bodied and para-Olympic genres for 2012. He is a certified collegiate archery coach and judge. He has coached at Georgia Tech for several years in national tournaments that included more than 800 participants from over 150 schools nationwide.
The EC archery program was started in January 2013. Team members compete an average of once a month for seven months out of the year and travel throughout Georgia, Florida, Texas, Ohio, California and Colorado.
An ancient sport and originally a hunting necessity, archery has grown into a worldwide target sport that is performed in multiple forms including FITA Target Archery, Field Archery and 3D Archery. According to Estrada, the EC teams focus on FITA target archery, which is considered the international form of archery.
Estrada said most of the archers come from a variety of backgrounds. Some began with target archery, others began as hunters and transitioned into target arena, while some combine target archery with 3D archery. As for equipment, each bow is uniquely tailored to the shooter. The bow fits the archer and is fit to size, body requirements and style of the archer. The team practices in the Emmanuel Indoor Archery Center on campus as well as Estrada's private, indoor/outdoor, multi-discipline archery and shooting range complex.
The archery season is designated into two distinct sessions. During indoor shoots, students shoot at a distance of 18 meters at a 40cm target or smaller. The outdoor season begins in late-March and concludes in August. Depending on the type of shoot, the further distance can be set at 90 meters at a 122 cm target.
Estrada believes he has a mission to bring people to Christ through his ministry in archery. "I'm so glad that God has put me in this position to help people find Christ and hopefully, bring them to the body," said Estrada. "I have big plans for EC archery to host events and bring people from around the world to our campus."
With a history as a college professor and middle school teacher, Estrada said he is a teacher first and coach second. "It seems to work well and I am very blessed that I can teach people to learn," said Estrada. "This team is a real blessing. These kids shine with the light of Jesus Christ and He shines through them. It is a wonderful feeling to be around them."
Estrada deems the most significant obstacle he has encountered has been getting people to understand the needs of the sport. "We have to train in a very different way than most sports. Getting people to understand the big space needed for this sport has been the hardest part," said Estrada.
As for what he enjoys most about Emmanuel College, Estrada said he appreciates the freedom to express his faith without reservations. "I enjoy not having to worry about hiding my faith. People get to hear about my faith and I don't have to worry about praying before we do something," said Estrada. "I also enjoy helping people find Christ. I have had the chance to expose some of my team members to the Lord and hopefully, bring them to the body of Christ."
