Right on target: Trout Creek archer takes first in NASP Western Nationals

Trout Creek’s got fewer than 400 people and a reputation as Montana’s Huckleberry Capital. Now it’s got a national archery champion, too.

Sixteen-year-old James Lacy took first place at the 2026 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Western National Tournament in Utah this past April, winning the top spot out of 1,232 boys across two events — bullseye and 3D archery. That finish punches his ticket to the NASP Championship Tournament in Daytona, Florida, happening later this week.

NASP is an in-school program for students in grades 4 through 12, built around the idea that archery teaches more than just shooting. Focus, self-control, discipline, patience — the kind of things that carry a kid a long way past the range.

James, along with his younger siblings Garrett, 12, and Delilah, 4, is homeschooled and competes through TCAC Homeschool Archery, a co-op that offers archery as an elective. NASP is technically a school-based program, but this group found a way to make it work for homeschool students — and they’re doing it right. Coach Rachel Nottnagel says they’re the first and only homeschool NASP team in the state of Montana.

“We are incredibly proud to be the first and only homeschool NASP team in the state of Montana,” Nottnagel said. “One of our big goals is to use our experience to inspire and help other homeschool groups across the state get their own programs started.”

James has only been shooting competitively for two years. He went to Western Nationals last year and, by his own account, didn’t have a great time of it.

“I was decent in 3D, but not in bullseye,” he said. “Last year, nerves got to me real bad.”

Honestly, that’s about the most relatable thing a young competitor can say. Nerves wreck more potential champions than lack of skill ever will. This year, James showed up with a different mindset — not expecting to win, just determined to beat his own score from 2025. The results speak for themselves.

“I’d been looking forward to it for a minute,” he joked. “I was hoping to shoot a certain score or place high. But I was surprised, very surprised. I was hoping to qualify for the championship tournament in Florida, but I wasn’t counting on it that much.”

He won’t be making that trip alone. His brother Garrett qualified in his age group for the bullseye event and will be heading to Daytona alongside James and Coach Nottnagel. Garrett’s got his own take on why archery works for him.

“Archery makes me do things instead of sitting around all day,” Garrett said. “And I get to travel places.”

Their mother Kiera — who is decidedly not an archer and prefers the cheering section — sees the bigger picture. Little sister Delilah is already part of the club, dubbed the family’s junior coach. Kiera’s just glad her kids found something that pulls them out into the world and puts them up against real competition.

“I’m super excited for them,” she said. “When they put their minds to something, they pull it off.”

James has one more high-stakes event ahead of him beyond the main championship. He’ll compete in the NASP Scholarship Shoot-off, going head-to-head against the combined top five male and top five female archers from both the Eastern and Western Nationals. He’s the only archer from the Western Nationals who qualified for it. The shoot-off is elimination-style, with scholarship amounts determined by finish — first place takes home $5,000.

In my experience watching young hunters and shooters develop their skills, the ones who make the biggest jumps aren’t always the most naturally gifted — they’re the ones who put in the quiet, unglamorous hours when nobody’s keeping score. Nottnagel clearly sees that in this family.

“I believe to become a champion archer, it takes an extraordinary blend of dedication, grit and consistent hard work,” she said. “It means falling in love with the process of improvement, not just the trophy. Success isn’t just about a single moment of glory, it’s about the hundreds of invisible hours put in when no one is watching.”

A kid from a town of 400 people in the Cabinet Mountains going up against the best young archers in the country. That’s Montana doing what Montana does.