Mission

The Sun God Archery Alumni Association strives to develop a community of leaders for change who utilize their knowledge and experience in sport to drive positive impacts in their community.

As part of our shared experiences with Sun God Archery and in the sport of archery, we’ve been challenged to learn a wide variety of life and leadership skills that are applicable to many different aspects of our lives. In understanding that the value that archery, along with all other sports, brings to society is those lessons, skills, and perspectives, we challenge our alumni to build upon those skills and consider how they can expand them into the spaces and communities they are part of through their future. Each of us will undoubtedly end up in different places, industries, and communities, and by sharing our unique experiences and perspectives we can support each other in truly becoming drivers for a better future.

Strategy

In order to propel the Association towards our mission, we have four key areas we focus in on:

Our Values

Core values are the Association's guiding principles-resolute beliefs which endure throughout the life of our organization, our goals, strategies, and mission.

Core Competencies

Our mission drives us, our values guide us, our core competencies define us.

Our Story

Throughout my time as and officer and even now as West Region Rep and Head Coach of SGA, I often talked to officers-not just SGA, but from all across college archery-listened to their frustrations, their exhaustion, their feelings of being overwhelmed, burnt out and on the verge of quitting, and asked them why? Why did you want to become an officer?

Without hesitation-"because I love this community, the people in it, helping them learn, grow, and find a place they belong."

I've had several years to reflect on that question since Alina Zhu, SGA Founder, first asked it all the way back in 2015, when I was burnt out and frustrated, and from then to now, the answer hasn't changed-this community. When I joined SGA back in 2013, the people in SGA made me feel like it was a place I belonged, people who welcomed me, encouraging me to grow and succeed, and who celebrated my successes with me. As an officer, I spent a lot of time coaching the team and club because I wanted people to have the same incredible experiences I had through this community. Just like those other officers-I wanted to see the people in our community learn, grow, and find a place they belong.

As the years went by, this community more than just encouraged me, it challenged me to grow. Challenged me to think in new ways, to see new and different perspectives, to think first and then speak, to self reflect and push myself out of my comfort zones, and to act on my beliefs and values. Most of all, on days that I struggled--struggled to keep going, to believe in myself, to haul myself out of bed, or to pick up my bow--the SGA Community was right there, reminding me to laugh, and helping me pick up the pieces falling off the ends.

We created the Association because we are inspired by the transformative growth we see in the people who join the SGA family and the impact our community has on the communities around us. It is through that growth and the development of leaders for change that we can make positive impacts, whether big or small, in our homes, families, workplace, or in the world around us, and together make a greater difference than we could as individuals.

Arduus ad Solem

Jason Tong | Co-Founder & CEO