Adult/Youth Tournament

 

  Many years ago when Aron Stevenson was living in Plattsburgh, N.Y., a few hours north of his hometown, he became involved with his father in-law's shop, 3-Spot Archery, and they held a number of different events. One of the events that drew the most attention every year was the adult/youth tournament, which allowed kids to partner with adult figures, including their parents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents or even a few of their idols who were not related. It was a time when scores simply didn't matter. Instead, it was the older generation and younger generation in one place sharing their passion for archery. 

  In recent times, after moving back to his hometown, Aron made an attempt to carry on the tradition and bring the adult/youth event to Hudson Falls Fish and Game Club. Although this year didn't have the attendance of last year, the event still brought archers of all ages to the event. All archers would shoot a 300 Vegas round, with the cubs shooting from 10-yards and other archers shooting from 20 yards. 

  To give some of the youngsters a little inspiration, local pros were invited to attend and mingle with parents and children alike in hopes of showing them they can strive to become professionals as they pursue the sport of archery. After all, archery isn't limited to athletic people. You don't have to be a superstar in sports, and you don't have to have an athletic build. All you have to do is want to shoot a bow, and the sky is the limit as to where you want to go. 

  I invited some local pros to show up for the kids, and they were all happy to attend. Even though the most sought after local pro, Jacob Slusarz, couldn't attend due to prior obligations, John Vozzy, Jon Scott and Jeff Wagoner arrived at the club around 8:30 a.m. shortly after the first line had begun. 

  Since we hadn't seen each other in a while, we caught up on things and enjoyed each other's company as the adults and young kids made their way through the round. With plenty of laughs and a few spirited debates, the time quickly ticked off the clock. Although we wanted everyone to have a good time, a few kids had frowns that we needed to turn upside down. We tried offering a little support and let them know that everyone misses. We can't get upset when we don't live up to our own expectations. The reason we shoot bows is because it allows us to have fun, so there's no reason to take it too seriously that it brings tears to our eyes. I'm not sure our advice hit home, but I realized I needed to listen to it myself. Too often, I get consumed with the frustrations that come along with shooting a bow, and it takes the fun out of archery. However, if I just go shoot for the love of seeing arrows glide through the air, it allows me to be calm at the center and feel as if I'm floating in the sky watching myself perform. 

  As the day came to a close, we allowed the kids to have a Q&A session, and some good questions were asked -- and answered. It felt good to answer questions for kids and parents who wanted to know more about what we did and how we went about doing it. While all of us ended up in a professional class, we all took different paths to get there. Some kids listened intently, and others seemed to have no interest at all. Either way, it was good to share a few hours with the future of our sport. 

  Being the last one out the door and packing my stuff up before leaving brought me to a place that has long been gone... my youth. It wasn't all that long ago when I walked into that club for the first time in my life. I was slightly older than the oldest children shooting in the tournament, and I had no idea that I would ever travel out of the community to shoot a bow in any type of tournament. Heck, I had gone to the club to join an indoor league so I could make sure I would stop missing so many deer during hunting season. Then, I became addicted to shooting my bow. 

  I've always resorted to the stick and string to calm my mind. I stood in my side yard for countless hours while cutting arrows loose from the string. I've formed a dirt path near every home where I've lived. I've journeyed back and forth on those paths like I had no idea what I was doing. Neighbors believed I was insane. A few of them asked me if I ever got sick of shooting my bow. I always politely smiled and said, "No. I love it. It calms my mind and allows me to be at peace."

  They would smile, laugh, shake their heads and continue walking. Eventually, they just glanced into the yard and never said a word. I was just a piece of the yard, just like the 100-year-old tree  extending its branches into the street. 

  For a few hours the other day, I was brought back to every stage of my life. I remember being 5 years old staring at the piece of land on the hill where my mom and dad told me they would be building a new house. Then, after the house was built, I would shoot in the backyard with a recurve. 

  Time would pass quickly and bring me into my teen years. I was introduced to a compound bow and found myself on the side hill every evening. The yearning for archery was truly born at that time. Navigating through my adolescent, I finally found my way into competitive archery when I went to college. 

  Four years later, I would return home, get married, buy a house and put an archery target in the yard. My love of archery grew, and at that point there was no looking back. I was all-in, and I began traveling across the country competing. The years have brought much pain to my hands, elbows and shoulders, but I continue doing what I love. The results have brought me into bottomless pits where no daylight could be seen. While in the darkness, I bit, clawed and battled to escape. Then, I got lucky enough to experience a few unimaginably stellar moments when I found a way to never give up and find a way to climb out of the pit. 

  When I turned the lights off in the range and closed the door on Sunday evening, I smiled. My journey behind the bow has been more than I ever could've imagined.