My favorite NASP® tournament I’ve been to was the 2024 Oregon state tournament. Even though I had an equipment issue and my score wasn’t my best or close to how I normally shoot, I learned some very valuable lessons and still had so much fun at the tournament. One thing I learned from this experience is to not rely too much on your equipment but more on your own skill.The other thing I learned is that you can still have a great time even when things don’t quite go your way.
We live around four and half hours away from where our Oregon State tournament is held each year. I really look forward to getting to travel to a different part of the state. Since it is such a far distance, we get to stay at a hotel and eat at a restaurant the night before. It’s also such a pretty drive between our town and the tournament location.
Since I homeschool, I get to travel to the tournament with my Mom who is also my coach. It is so fun getting to travel with family, including my brother who was a NASP® archer before graduating high school. They are so supportive and a huge help and encouraging. This year we got to put together a basket with donated items. The money raised from raffle tickets for the baskets will be used for scholarships. This was a fun part of the tournament!
When I got to the state tournament I was really excited to see they had food trucks including one that sold coffee and smoothies. It is always a treat to get a fun drink when we travel. Having the food carts right outside of the door where we were competing was great! The tournament is held at a large fairgrounds and is a great place to shoot. When I walked into the tournament it was super exciting to see all of the trophies, the school award banners, and the targets we would be shooting at.
I look forward to making it to the state tournament every year and even though my school year is almost finished, I will continue practicing over the summer to help me get to attend again next year.
Practicing is also an activity that holds a lot of great memories. Practicing with my Mom and brother has been so much fun over the years, there is something so fun about setting up the target in our backyard and just enjoying the sport. Practicing can bring so much enjoyment because you’re having fun and improving, which is just a great mix.
