Ava Castrogiovanni, February – While team scores are important, a team is so much more. My team is my second family. People look at me like I am crazy when I refer to my teammates as “my kids” or “my sisters”, knowing that I don’t have either, but that doesn’t matter. My team is my family.
When I refer to my kids, I am talking about the elementary archers who I help coach as a junior coach. Many times, the kids get scared by our older coaches. By having junior coaches, the kids are more receptive to coaching advice. When archers coach each other constructively, both archers’ skills are improved. There have been many times that archers have asked me to coach them and often we resolve the issue in their shooting while I gain valuable experience to improve my shots as well. While teammates and coaches help fix any form-related problems, they can also help with the more difficult mental side.
Much of archery is mental, from getting in your head about the score to letting outside things affect your shot. One of the best things about our team is that it isn’t just the archers. It includes the archers, coaches, and parents. These team parents, especially the team moms, are always there for all of the kids. Our team ensures that archers can shoot with a clear mind, despite their struggles.
Teammates also allow shooting to be fun. I shoot so much better when I am having fun. Most of the time, I am incredibly stressed at tournaments. Having teammates at tournaments helps me to be able to shoot better. Before our Centershot 3D tournament last season, there was a wait of almost an hour. For the first couple of minutes, we thought it was usual. As time went on, we decided to sit down and we happened to be shooting with a team from our local area. As time continued to pass, we began braiding hair and taking naps. There was even a round of our favorite game, taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza, although I refrained due to the possible injury of my fingers. I had so much fun during that wait and by the time we began shooting, I was shooting for fun more than I usually would be. In that tournament, I shot one of my best scores ever and I attribute that to the fun I had. A team constantly helps and encourages each archer to shoot better.
While a team is crucial to helping archers overcome the mental challenges of archery, the score is ultimately what counts. Teammates constantly push each other to achieve higher and higher scores. While archers are competing as a team, they are still shooting as individuals. As a result, teammates are supporting each other while still shooting against each other. This was the case for many years while my best friend and I were on the same team and competing. By competing I mean that we were not only in the same division, but we also had scores close to each other often. That competition caused both of us to push ourselves to be better, while still supporting each other’s successes. A team is essential to push archers to improve, not only for themselves but also for the success of the team.
Each member of the team is valued regardless of their score. My best friend contributes to the team not only with her score but also by knowing how to stop tears and stress when we are not doing as well as we would like. Members of the team support our team by making us laugh or distracting us when we aren’t shooting well and cheering loudly when our team and teammates succeed.
The importance of a team is not only to continually challenge each other to break personal bests and improve form but also to help each other get through the challenges of archery and life.
