Two blasts of the whistle, and a line of green and white-clad middle schoolers walked forward to grab their bows and line up across from the targets.
One blast, and they raised their bows, nocked their arrows and fired.
The arrows thudded and popped, sinking into the targets.
As they reached the end of their arrows, the students walked back to the starting line until the last archer had shot his last arrow. Then three blasts sounded, and the students walked up to the targets and pulled out their arrows, which clattered onto the floor.
The rhythm of the Blair Oaks Middle School archery club practice creates an environment that invokes several of archery's important characteristics: focus, concentration, repetition and safety.
While the club has existed for six years at the high school level, this is the first year for the middle school archery club. Both levels compete in tournaments through the National Archery in the Schools Program.
The middle school club emerged from interest in the program as gauged by a survey of students and parents. The program is coached by volunteer parents, who also help staff the competitions.
At competitions, the archers shoot from 10 meters and 15 meters. The center of the target is worth 10 points, and like bowling, a perfect score is a 300.
The state tournament is in mid-March in Branson, and there is a regional tournament in Kentucky in May that brings thousands of archers.
One benefit of archery is it is accessible for a broader group of students than some traditional sports. The coaches said they had seen children in wheelchairs and children with non-functional limbs shooting at competitions.
The club also sparks encouragement and confidence in young people.
"I've seen a lot of team-building in this, even though it's kind of an individual sport, it's also a team sport, but I've seen so many of the students and archers really just build each other up," coach Richelle McDowell said.
Jeremy Tappel, a high school coach, said, "It instills confidence in them, getting out in front of people. At a tournament, the bleachers will be full and they'll be out with 40 other kids in front of everybody."
Archer Landry Campbell said people should try archery "because it's a really good sport, and it focuses on concentration, and it helps build strength that you can use at other sports, too."
For archer Caylee Butler, the club has the added bonus of making her a better deer hunter when bow season rolls around.
Archery is popular in Missouri as a sport and a hunting method. Clubs across the state participate in NASP, including small schools.
Rep. Tim Taylor, R-Bunceton, is seeking to cement archery as a Missouri favorite. He recently introduced HB 1672, which would designate archery as the state sport, alongside other state-designated symbols like the state song, state flower and state bird.
The equipment for the Blair Oaks archery club is provided, but many students buy their own bow so they can shoot at home. The funding comes through club dues, fundraising and grant money.
"They all shoot the exact same bow, and then the exact same arrows. It's a very level playing field," said coach Rick Campbell, who is Landry's father.
The bows stay the same into high school.
That doesn't prevent customization. As the archers filed into the gym, they were carrying bows of numerous colors, including orange, green, pink, blue and camouflage.
As the archers shoot, the volunteers will offer critiques and help if the students ask for it.
The volunteers have seen massive improvement during their time teaching the young archers.
"For me, I think it's just seeing them excel in the program," McDowell said about what she gets out of coaching. "A lot of our middle schoolers, we kind of took a survey to see how many have shot outside of school and how many this is new to, and a lot of them, this is a new sport or a new hobby for them. And seeing them from day 1 to where we are at now, just the excitement on their face when they start improving themselves and their scores and stuff, that's really what I gain from it."
"Some of the kids couldn't hit the target when they started, and now they're not missing at all," Rick Campbell said.
At first, children struggle with how to hold a bow and how to aim. Beginners often find it difficult to decide on which hand to use on the bow because the hand an archer uses is determined by their dominant eye.
For archer Laycee Gilbert, it was hard to hit the target at first. However, she said she enjoys the sport and likes competing.
One thing that was difficult for archer Landry Campbell at first was "realizing that I have to practice every day and put some effort into it."
Blair Oaks archers learn it's a mental sport, too. Archer Lizzie Tappel said she had to learn to move on when she failed.
"If you have one bad arrow, you can't let it ruin all the others," she said.