All American Archery | Archery for ALL

Archery: Sportsmanship

Tom — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:49:34 +0000

What is “sportsmanship” in the sport of archery? We don’t do “touchdown dances” and I haven’t seen a lot of “high-fives” along the shooting line lately, but we all know what it feels like to make a really good shot that you’re proud of and, also, what it feels like when your shot is not so good or doesn’t hit the target. A “sportsman” is defined as: “a person who exhibits qualities highly regarded in sport, such as fairness, generosity, observance of the rules, and good humor when losing.” It follows that sportsmanship is sportsmanlike conduct, as in fairness, courtesy, being a cheerful loser, etc.

Like in all sports, there is appropriate behavior when things go well, but also when things don’t. The issue is to figure out what that looks like for each of us.

What DOES sportsmanship look like in archery? I think it would be good for each of our archers to give this question some thought. Remember, your performance is not really affected by anyone else’s performance. Only you can determine where your next shot goes. We all make mistakes and we all get it “right” sometimes. This is one of the things I like best about the sport of archery. We can all be “winners” without having to “beat” someone else. Sure, you may not always score the most points, but does that mean your performance was bad or not good enough? I don’t think so. We should always try to do our best and, if we do, that’s a “win.” You keep shooting your personal best score each time you go out and, sooner or later, you will get that top score!

I believe sportsmanship needs to be practiced in order for us to become good at it, just like anything else. So, next time you’re at practice and you see someone make a good shot, say, “nice shot” and feel good about it. After all, you know how hard that is to do and I believe the better you feel about the other person’s shooting, the better you’ll shoot, too!

Good shooters like to hang-out together and they help each other shoot better. In that way, we can all be good sportsmen & sportswomen and enjoy our sport every time we practice or compete!

Amazing Awaits!

Tom — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:50:27 +0000

That’s the slogan written on the door of the reception area at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Over the past year, that certainly has been true for archers in the United States. In short, we’re on our way back to the top of the world! More records were set in 2010 in JOAD youth archery than in any previous year (ever!) Internationally, we’re finally starting to see American archers on the winners’ podium again. In fact, just last January, the U.S.A. regained the #1 ranking in the World Cup Competition Series after not being even close for over 10 years. Thanks to athletes like, Brady Ellison, Jennifer Nichols, Mackenzie Brown, Chris Luman, and many others, U.S.A. archery is poised to be on the medal stand at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Think it’s out of YOUR reach? Think, again! Alyssa, who shot with us in the summer of 2010 at Stevens Creek Park, made the National “Dream Team” in November 2010! The Junior Dream Team (JDT) is a program that was developed to bridge the gap between JOAD and the Resident Athlete Program in an effort to fast track those archers who show early potential. Selection is limited to athletes between the ages of 12 and 18. The Junior Dream Team consists of 24 of the most promising junior and cadet Olympic style archers in the country. And now, Alyssa has joined the group and completed her first JDT Camp just last week in Colorado Springs. I spoke with her mother and she said, “Alyssa had a great time at camp even though they work them hard. Wishing your kids the best!”

Could you be the next JDT member? I believe you can! Just do your best at practice and remember Coach Kisik Lee’s best advice for new archers is to be very patient and work hard on learning the proper technical aspects of the sport.

“If you aim to reach Olympic level, you must learn well from the first day. Most people instantly enjoy the thrill of hitting the target too much. This is not good for the long term. If you want to be a good archer, you must be patient and try to get more structure and technique first.”

Do this and you may find something “amazing” awaits you in archery