Emma Hikerson, February – One of my favorite parts of archery are the tournaments! Whether it be a smaller tournament in my county, or going all the way up to state and nationals, one of my favorite parts is getting to meet other archers.
I usually help out with 4-5 of our tournaments a season, usually the ones that my school or my previous schools host. I just love the atmosphere at a tournament and even with sometimes working a 12 hour day there, I feel like I never want to leave. But overall, my favourite part is getting to see all the other teams. I especially enjoy getting to talk to the younger archers, because most of the time you can tell that they look up to you. I personally love when they ask how long I’ve been shooting, and I get to see the amazement on their face when I answer back ‘about 10 years.’
One of my favourite memories is when my team was shooting 3D with an elementary school team, and the kids were going through and naming the animal targets. I told them that they should name the turkey Mark, because that is what we named it way back when we were in elementary school. It’s especially funny, because are coach’s name is Mark too! Archery can have a lot of rules and procedures that can be harder to grasp when your just starting, and like to watch out for the younger archers when I can, like if my partner has a bounce out, making sure they get another arrow or teaching them how to score properly.
I love the environment of tournaments, so I usually like to hang out for a while before I shoot. While I do that, I like to watch the teams that are shooting and try to figure out what teams I will be shooting with. I used to be very introverted at tournaments, and not talk to anyone except my teammates, but a couple years ago I started making a point to talk to my target partner. I now love getting to talk to them because I find it interesting how they’re experience with archery differs from mine, especially at nationals, when they could be from the opposite side of the country! I especially love when they shoot really good and place! Archery is an amazing community, and I love getting to meet and talk to so many people that share the same love for the sport that I do!