Nikolas Swidryk, a 17-year-old junior at RFH, is one of the top cadet and Junior Olympic recurve archers in the country.
Press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School
Nikolas Swidryk, a junior at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, has “hit the mark” as a recurve archer, and is now closer to his dream of Olympic glory.
The 17-year-old son of Michelle and Dr. John Swidryk of Fair Haven is one of just 18 male athletes selected for the 2017 Junior Dream Team, consisting of the top cadet and junior Olympic recurve archers in the country.
Nikolas is a currently a member of two archery clubs, WA-XO-BE Archers and Two River Archers. He has been shooting for three years — beginning in the summer of 2014 before the start of his freshman year at RFH – and says that he has had many great experiences as a result.
“I’ve been all over, whether it be down south in Harrisonburg, Virginia and Decatur, Alabama or out west in Salt Lake City, Utah and San Diego, California,” Nikolas said. “Each new state has given me memories that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
Another aspect of the sport Nikolas enjoys is meeting fellow athletes — “the most unforgettable one being Jacob Wukie, team silver medalist in the London 2012 Olympics, at James Madison University back in March 2016.”
In addition to being selected for the for this year’s Junior Dream Team, Nikolas’ achievements also include a recent first place finish in the New Jersey State Indoor championships, giving him the title of Number One in the state for the Olympic recurve cadet division. He also received a bronze medal in the Olympic recurve cadet division, at the 2016 JOAD National Indoor Championships in Virginia. He is currently ranked as one the top 20 cadets in the country in the indoor rankings, and in the top 30 cadets in the outdoor rankings.
Nikolas hopes to continue his archery career once he graduates from RFH, and has hopes of eventually being able to represent the U.S. by making an Olympic team.
The Junior Dream Team (JDT) program was created to develop archers who show potential into top level shooters with the goal of making an Olympic or international team. Athletes are evaluated at a yearly camp and chosen based on a number of criteria including individual scores, teamwork, work ethic, progress at camps, motivation, grasp of the National Training System, potential, ability to maintain a positive attitude, ethics, and ability to make form changes. Past graduates of the team include 2016 team silver medalist Zach Garrett, 2016 Olympian Mackenzie Brown, and 2012 Olympian Miranda Leek, as well as several World Archery Youth Championship Team members and several USA Archery resident athletes.
