She’s something of a misfit — her life is a collage of juxtapositions. She’s quiet, but her smile is warm and inviting. She can talk about herself and her past with ease, but her laugh illuminates a deeper, humble person. Some of her shirts and pins don the Confederate flag. She cares about AIDS research. While she hates the conformity of the organized church, Girl Scouts shaped her younger life.

So when middle school threw organized sports and dance and cheerleading at her, Crystal Scronce threw a curveball.

Crystal Scronce was an archer.

“I picked archery because it’s such a versatile sport. Anybody can shoot,” she said. “You can be visually impaired and still shoot. You can be blind and still shoot.”

And since the time she first picked up a bow and arrow, Scronce has risen to earn the No. 2 ranking in the United States in female traditional longbow competition.

But ultimately, she doesn’t care about rankings or accolades. For the senior in parks, recreation and tourism management, archery is the centerpiece around which her family is centered.

“I was a Girl Scout, and my mom was my scout leader. When she found the equipment at a camp, she wanted to take it out and play with it,” she said. “Obviously we had to get certified. From there it’s just blossomed into a family sport.”

Crystal’s mother, Sandra Scronce introduced her to the sport. Her 17-year-old brother, T.J., is ranked No. 64 in the U.S. among male junior recurve bow competition. Her father, Tim, who also hunts with a bow, is ranked No. 113 in the U.S. in male senior compound competition.

“Family should always come first. In hard times, you always have them to fall back on,” she said. “They’ll always have your back when you need them.”

The chance to shoot in college

When Crystal came to N.C. State, she thought there was a club team.

She was wrong.

According to Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Lisa Hanson, State had a club archery team from 1987 – 1999, but it was disbanded after 13 years. Hanson said the club probably lost affiliation with Campus Recreation “because of a lack of following Club Sports guidelines.”

Nevertheless, the team’s 13-year run produced at least one Olympic hopeful. Shane Parker was an U.S. All-American in male recurve when he graduated in 1996. Four years later, Parker was on the U.S. Olympic team and competed in the Sydney games.

Scronce said she tried to start the club again in 2003 – 2004, but hit dead ends almost everywhere she went.

Hanson’s records show two attempts to reinstate the club — one in 2000 – 2001 and then Scronce’s attempt in 2003. Both failed “because of either a lack of leadership or a lack of campus interest,” according to Hanson.

So naturally, Scronce carries a bit of resentment that she wasn’t allowed to compete collegiately — at least not for her University. She does compete in U.S. Archery tournaments. She’s ranked No. 2 in the country, but she’s never had the chance to compete against the top shooter in her division.

“There were four tournaments for the South,” she said. “Not everyone in the nation competes in the same place. So I haven’t competed against the No. 1 shooter directly.”

For practice, the senior said she’s been taking the archery courses at State.

“At the moment I’ve been taking the P.E. class every year. Other than when I go home, that’s been the only practice I’ve had,” she said. “There’s a shop that just opened up here called Carolina Outdoor Sportsman. I’ve been there two or three times. This semester has been really busy getting ready for graduation.”

And there is a kicker. According to Scronce, she had an opportunity to shoot for Texas A&M — a varsity team that owns 11 national championships.

“Texas A&M has been ranked No. 1 collegially for many years running now,” she said. “I actually had an offer to go out to join their team, but I couldn’t afford the tuition. Out-of-state tuition was outrageous.”

Crystal Scronce, archery, religion and the Confederate flag

On her Facebook account, Scronce calls herself a “free thinker/eclectic.” She’s not scared to go against to grain. She rejects organized religion because she feels it’s too rigid and too demanding.

“I really don’t like people telling me how to live my life,” she said. “In the past, I’ve had bad experiences with church. I’d ask questions, and people would get mad that I was asking questions.”

But while she doesn’t like the church, she’s found a haven in the Girl Scouts, an organization she said she still works with on a regular basis.

She also considers herself somewhat of a history buff. She sometimes wears shirts with the Confederate flag on them — a symbol Scronce knows is controversial, and in her eyes, misunderstood. She admits the Rebel flag symbolizes racism and slavery to most, but to her, it’s about states’ rights and Southern heritage.

“I don’t see skin color. I treat everyone the same, regardless of where they’re from. They could be purple, and I wouldn’t care,” she said. “The Rebel flag just looks interesting to me. I like the design. I like researching the Civil War.”

“I know it has a stigma … I’ve had a lot of people complain about it. If I’m going somewhere to teach or where I’ll be around kids, obviously, I don’t wear it.”

More forces than religion, the Girl Scouts and the Confederate flag shape the 21-year-old’s life. She cares about AIDS/HIV research because her uncle died of the disease in 1992. She is a Halloween fanatic — she said her family volunteers at a haunted house in its home town of Monroe, N.C.

But through it all, there’s archery. It’s her rebel sport. In many ways, archery is a microcosm of her entire life. It’s different. It’s independent. She’s in control.

“Archery, for me, is a stress release. I can just go and shoot and relax and concentrate on my shot,” she said. “I can focus on what I want to do. I’m in complete control. I don’t have to worry about anyone else telling me to go do this or go do that.”

Archery education

Sandra Scronce said archery is unique because it’s truly an individual sport. But for the Scronce family, archery isn’t just about the individual. It’s about the opportunity to educate people.

Both Crystal and her mother are heavily involved in educating young people about their sport. They went so far as to go to a convention in Colorado Springs, Co., to learn about teaching people about the sport.

The most rewarding experience for Crystal has been teaching visually impaired and blind students to shoot a bow and arrow.

“It was a lot of fun. We basically put them on the line, handed them the equipment and pointed them in the direction of the target,” she said. “Obviously it took a lot of supervision, but after we let them walk down the range and feel where their arrows hit and let them know where the center of the target was, they were able to shoot very well.”

The mother explained why she values teaching archery to young people.

“Archery to us is a very unique sport that affects everyone, and when I say everyone, I mean anyone who can hold a bow,” she said. “It’s like riding a bike — you can leave it, but you never lose it. You can always come back to it in the end.”