At Mill River Archery, our team of instructors brings a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds to the world of archery. From competitive archers to lifelong enthusiasts and educators, each certified instructor is dedicated to helping members develop their skills in a supportive and structured environment. Whether you’re a beginner learning the fundamentals or an experienced archer refining your technique, our coaches are here to guide you every step of the way.
Our instructors come from different walks of life, but they all share a passion for archery and a commitment to teaching. Some have backgrounds in professional competition, others in outdoor education, and some simply fell in love with the sport and turned their expertise into mentorship. This variety allows us to offer a well-rounded training experience, ensuring that every archer can find guidance suited to their goals.
No matter your skill level, our coaching team is here to help you improve, build confidence, and enjoy the sport. Get to know our instructors below and see how their unique experiences contribute to our club’s welcoming and knowledgeable community.
Lance Piantaggini
USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach, Instructor Trainer, and Level 1 Judge
Lance is a Ph.D. student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in teacher education. When coaching, he draws from a decade of classroom teaching experience. When not coaching, Lance enjoys drumming, cooking, and watching movies.
Mark Pompian
USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach, Instructor Trainer
Mark has been a barebow archer for four years, competing in local, state, regional, national, and international tournaments. He is also a member of the National Field Archery Association and its Massachusetts affiliate.
Elissa Campbell
USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach
Elissa came to archery later in life and has enjoyed coaching youth and adults since 2018. She enjoys the meditative aspect of the sport and likes participating in local and national archery tournaments. Most importantly, she embraces the community that archery brings to her life!
Robert Campbell
USA Archery Level 3-NTS Coach and Air Force Veteran
Robert grew up in Western Mass and has been coaching archery for youth and adults since 2015. He competes at local and national tournaments and enjoys traditional and barebow archery.
Caitlin Anable
USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
Caitlin started archery in 2021 with her brother and became a coach in 2023. Archery has been her hobby where she find her peace. Outside of archery, Caitlin has been a licensed occupational therapist since 2019 and has experience working in inpatient psychiatric hospitals and youth residential programs.
Peter Bienkowski
USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
Peter first picked up archery in 2020 and has since become the #1 ranked archer in his division in Massachusetts (for 2022 and 2023). He currently lives in and shoots out of Northampton, MA.
Nancy Garcia
USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
Nancy is a Ph.D. student at UMass Amherst in speech language pathology. She began her archery journey in 2024 and decided to become a coach to contribute to the community. Ella habla español and has clinical experience supporting neurodivergent youth.
Rory Palmer
USA Archery Level 2 Instructor
Rory picked up archery six years ago for fun with his child and has enjoyed the time they’ve spent together and being a part of the community. He is a level 2 coach and is always happy to lend a hand.
David Kutcher
USA Archery Level 1 Instructor
David is a small business owner who decided to become a coach and practice archery after following his (now) teenage son to practices and competitions for seven years.
Jacob Kutcher
USA Archery Level 1 Instructor
Jacob has been practicing archery for seven years, and, at 15, is the youngest age a coach can be through USA Archery. Jacob has competed around New England and also at last year’s JOAD Outdoor Nationals in New Mexico.
