A little over a year ago, I stood behind a row of chairs at the Lancaster Archery Classic on Saturday during the Collegiate Youth Tournament. There were kids of all ages winging arrows down range. Some of them as serious as top-level professional archers and others not giving a hoot if their arrows landed in the scoring rings. Then, there were parents who were living their lives through their children and others who were just content to watch their kids have fun shooting their bows.
As the minutes passed, my blood glucose plummeted, and I needed to sit down. Scurrying for a chair to sit in before passing out, I scanned the chairs in front of me and found an empty one to plant myself in until I recovered.
A few minutes later, a parent (a man from Kentucky with a shooter's shirt that said "Coach" on the back of it) accosted me with a verbal attack. He wasted no time going off on me that I had sat in his daughter's seat and she had a bagel in the seat to mark the chair as her own.
I quickly informed him that nothing was in the chair and that's why I sat there. I also noted that competitors had two rows of chairs to sit in a few rows in front of us and no spectators were allowed in those chairs. At this point, I could see the attitude in full force. He began letting loose and had his facts wrong. His daughter had lied to him, but I give him credit and standing beside his daughter. However, he refused to listen to a grown adult. I quickly learned why she had most likely lied about the bagel being in the chair. If I were to guess, I'd say the man (the coach) had the ability to be verbally abusive if not physically abusive too. I can only surmise due to his actions I was witnessing firsthand.
In the end, I watched the girl have a meltdown as the coach ran back and forth between his students and helped them with their attitudes. The Super Bowl was taking place for him, and he wasn't even shooting. The next day I was able to watch Jacob Slusarz win the tournament in the Open Pro class, and I got to stand within feet of him while he did it. I wondered how many kids watched him and dreamed of being like him in the future. He was acting as a true role model. I also wondered if the man from the day before was smart enough to know he was hurting children and the sport of archery by acting like he acted that day.
Last Weekend
Although I had no intentions of attending the NYFAB State Championship, I learned I somehow got the days off, so I told my father I would bring him back and forth if he wanted to shoot. Due to the issues he is having with his hip and being unable to walk well, I knew he couldn't make the drive by himself. When he decided to sign up, I told him I would be his chauffeur. Then, shortly after committing to it, I also saw that NYFAB was looking for someone to help out with the kids' bales on Saturday and Sunday morning. Since I had nothing to do, I volunteered to help with the scorecards and keep an eye on the kids.
As the unofficial practice began at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, I met the kids whom I would be helping. One was Alana Miller and the other was Andy Fritts. As they shot arrows in practice, I didn't know what to expect. After all, they were cubs and cubs are there to have fun or because their parents want to live their lives through their children.
Well, it didn't take long before I learned why both kids were there. They were there because they loved shooting their bows and knew they had a chance to win their divisions. I also got the pleasure of meeting both of their parents. When I met him, I realized I already knew Alana's dad, but Andy's dad was a new face to me.
After a brief discussion, I learned that Andy was coached by Glen Bordwell and he and his dad did their business at Legends of the Fall pro shop, which Jeff Bordwell has run for many years. I met Jeff about 30 years ago at a NYFAB event. Here's Jeff with Andy. The Bordwells are good people, and good people find good people.
As I talked with the kids throughout the round, I learned a lot about both of them, and I enjoyed every second of the conversations. Alana told me she loves shooting with her dad, but she didn't like getting up so early in the morning to make the trip to the shoot. Then, she informed me that she didn't go to bed until 2:00 a.m. I laughed and took it all in. She entertained me the entire time.
Near the end of the round, she knew she was shooting well and kept trying to look at the cards. However, I kept them turned upside down and offered a Jolly Rancher if she shot all Xs. I figured it would take her mind off the score and make her focus on getting that Jolly Rancher. It worked perfectly, and I rewarded her with a Jolly Rancher piece of candy after she smoked the last five Xs of the round. She ended the day with her personal best score of 300 with 53Xs. I was happy for her, and I was even happier when I saw her dad's excitement when he learned the news.
During the round, I also got to chat with Andy's dad quite a bit, and I learned Andy loves motorcycles, hunting and shooting his bow. Andy told me he has an awesome coach, and his coach is Glen Bordwell. He looked like a little Glen to me, and I had the pleasure watching him execute his shots. Even though he was nervous, he pulled through all of his shots and stayed strong right until the end, shooting a 300 with 48Xs.
At day's end, I was ecstatic for both kids. They both shot great rounds and both of them were excited. I couldn't wait for Sunday to see if they could hold on and find their way into the winner's circle. Since I gave Alana a prize for shooting well, I told Andy I would bring him a copy of one of my books the next day. He told me he liked to read, especially anything about hunting.
Day 2
After going home and shooting my bow for a bit, I called it a night and got a poor night's rest. When I hit the road at 5:30 a.m., I needed a little extra jolt of caffeine to stay alert. The ride out was uneventful, and I waited patiently for the round to start. As the minutes ticked away, I began getting nervous when neither kid had shown up when unofficial practice started. I hoped they would make it.
Then, as official practice neared, I saw both kids roll into the arena, both of them telling me what they wanted to shoot for scores. I quickly reminded them that there scores were insignificant and if they shot the best shots they could shoot, they just might get a good score. Although they didn't seem convinced, they went along with my advice. I'm not sure if they understood what I was saying or if they just chose to pretend they weren't listening. Either way, I said it enough to distract them from the real task at hand.
As the round got to the halfway point, they were both shooting lights out, so I didn't say anything other than telling them they needed to change positions of their targets. Neither one of them missed a beat and started nailing 10s on the other end of the switch.
Around the seventh end, Andy got a little rattled, shooting a 10,9,8. I was a little concerned, but it didn't last long. The next end, he recovered nicely and shot all 10s. Then, with one end left, they both asked me how many ends were left. I told them they had three more ends to go. After a few frowns and disgruntled gasps, they headed back to the line.
They both shot great shots on their last end and walked away with their personal best scores, with Alana shooting a perfect 300 and Andy shooting a 296. When you can shoot your PB at a big event, it says something about your mental fortitude and your support group. I wish Andy's coach could've been there to see it because I bet Glen would've liked it more than anything he's done in archery, and he has a long list of accomplishments. Andy's dad came down to the floor when the kids were done and slapped him a high five. They were both celebrating the great round, and it made me smile.
Then, Alana's dad came over and I took a picture of the two of them in front of her perfect target. She only had one close one the entire round and she ended the round with a stellar group of three arrows.
Both kids would end up winning a State Championship title in their respective classes, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them and their parents. I hope both kids continue down the archery path and it gives them the ability to escape problems when they get older.
Final Thoughts on the Weekend
Although I never expected to be all-in while watching kids I had never known shoot, I found it exhilarating to root for them as if they were my own. I rode their highs and lows in the round, and I saw it in their faces. With every arrow shot, I felt a rush of adrenaline, especially when the kids neared the ends of their rounds each day. I'm not sure how I ended up where I did, but I liked it.
I enjoyed chatting with the kids throughout their rounds, and it made me realize that archery really doesn't matter. We all do it because we love it. Then again, we all learn to have a love/hate relationship with it from time to time. We create unseen pressure, and we strive to do our best. We create self-expectation, and I've seen that destroy some of the best of them. However, if we all take a step back and realize we got into the sport because we love bows, arrows and the arc in archery, it changes the perspective. Kids have a way of showing us that life can be simple if we allow it to be simple. However, we create our own demons, and when we feed these demons, they can quickly consume us and take total control. When we all started it was exhilarating to shoot just one arrow into the bullseye, then we wanted to put another one in there, and before we knew it, we became obsessed with accuracy.
The chase for perfection is the root of all evil in archery because even the best of the best can't always be perfect. However, if we chase the repetition of a perfect shot, we might just be able to shoot perfect scores. These kids showed me that when their minds were distracted from their scores, they performed in a more carefree mood and did much better. It was a pleasure to watch.
I also learned how important it is to have a good support group and solid role models. Watching Andy's dad let Andy do his thing without interfering with anything was something more parents should try to do. He would give Andy a fist bump on the good ones and totally ignore the bad ones. Glen has definitely taught Andy well.
Watching Alana's dad let her navigate her rounds without any type of emotion was a pleasurable experience, especially when he appeared at the end of the round and congratulated her. I'm glad I was able to help with the kids, and I'm even happier I got to share my weekend with two new State Champions. They both have fantastic parents and role models. Although I never forget it and don't take it for granted, I'm not sure I tell people how fortunate I've been to have all of my friends' support over the years. Furthermore, without my parents, none of my memories in archery could've ever been made, so thank you Mom and Dad. I never would've been able to live my archery life or meet my archery family without your help.
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