January – NASP® means the world to me. The NASP® program has shown me that I am capable of whatever I put my mind to. Since fourth grade, archery has taught me the value of hard work and balance. From the time I began archery, my coaches have told our team that, despite being from a small town, we can accomplish whatever we are willing to work for. At my first practice, Mr. Oleniacz brought out a piece of yellow construction paper with pictures on it. He and Mr. Rhinevault explained that nothing would hold us back except ourselves. They showed us that on that piece of paper were pictures of many archers with disabilities—one held the bow with his foot, and another pulled the bow back with a mouth tab. From that point on, I learned that I am responsible for my success or failure, which applies to all aspects of my life.
In addition to teaching me life lessons, NASP® gives me an outlet for my frustrations and clears my mind, giving me time to think. While archery is occasionally the source of my frustration—when my group just isn’t as tight as it should be or my aim spot is in the middle of nowhere—the feeling of just me, my bow, and the target on a nice summer day is unmatched. Archery gives me peace while continuously pushing me to reach perfection, along with my teammates.
Archery has given me a whole other family, sometimes called a team. NASP® has also given me people skills, allowing me to meet friends from all over the country. All the archers I have met have been encouraging and genuinely kind, something you don’t get from opponents in most other sports. I have experienced other coaches offering a cable slide when my brother needed to replace his and we weren’t sure if we had one. I even had a coach jokingly offer to trade me for some of the boys on their team. These moments, along with so many amazing memories with archers I am proud to call my friends, are ones I will never forget.
These friends are not only archers but also the coordinators of the archery programs. Specifically, the NASP®/IBO coordinators always ask us how we did after tournaments and congratulate us. These people are truly in the program to help young archers and the sport of archery. They also change the lives of many archers, myself included, with scholarship opportunities.
At almost every big tournament we go to, scholarships are handed out. The best part is that some of the scholarships aren’t for the winners but for random archers. This gives some kids who may not be placing at state, national, or world tournaments the opportunity to reconsider not going to college because of financial concerns. The number of scholarships given out at any given tournament is incredible and truly speaks to the importance of NASP® to archers and the significance of the archers to NASP®.
Archery has changed my life, not only with the scholarship money I have won but also by introducing me to IBO, bow hunting, and bringing me closer to my dad. IBO tournaments are my favorite because I get to be in nature while doing the sport I love and making new friends. NASP® archery also introduced me to compound bows and bow hunting. However, the most important impact of archery on my life is the relationship it has strengthened with my dad. I have always been close with my dad, but archery has become our thing. Like me, my brother began archery in fourth grade, two years after I did, and for a couple of years, archery was a family affair, with both of my parents getting their own bows. However, my brother lost interest in archery, and my mom isn’t as involved anymore. That leaves me and my dad. We go to every practice together, he watches me at every tournament, and he coaches me when I need it. Archery has become our thing, and we even go hunting together.
Archery means the world to me, and I have a feeling that isn’t going to change for a long time.
