When I first started NASP® archery, I never thought that my sister would join too and become my competition. My sister got into starting archery because she was going to be my ride to and from practices anyway, so she decided to try it out and enjoyed it. We both started at the same time, and this became a competition for us because when we started, I was at a higher level than her but by the end of her senior year, we were shooting the same.
How it started
My name is Kelby Gjovik, and I am a high school senior in North Dakota. I have an older sister and a younger brother, as well as three dogs and two cats. I have been shooting NASP® since my freshman year in high school; however, I have been shooting a compound bow since third grade.
I got into archery when I started going out hunting with my dad. When I got my compound bow for Christmas one year, my love grew even more for archery, and it continued to grow when I started hunting and shooting NASP® in high school.
For me, archery has always been one of my ways to destress, whether it be shooting NASP® or shooting compound. Archery practice is one thing that I always love going to. It gives me something to look forward to at the end of a long, tiresome day.
After starting NASP® and shooting tournaments, I enjoyed the competition that I got and the friendships that I made while shooting. However, when Covid hit and tournaments went virtual, I lost the competition part and had to find a new way to challenge myself. I found this by doing my best to always outshoot what I had shot at the previous tournament, or during practice. I would try to challenge myself by talking to an archery friend, who had helped me a lot in the past years. I would Snapchat her about how I was shooting and send her videos of me shooting. We did this so we could challenge each other, give each other pointers, and grow as friends and archers.
Setting goals
Now that we are getting back to having normal tournaments, I have a few hopes for this season. First, I hope to outshoot my highest score from last year and my four years in NASP, which is 293. Another goal I have is to find different ways I can help people improve their shooting.
As captain of the archery team, one thing that I have been working on is helping other archers work on their fundamentals. I want to help the person that I am shooting with, and the rest of my team, overcome some of the mental parts of it by giving them pep talks after they have a rough round or if they are having an off day to help boost their spirit. These are just a few of my goals for the 2022 archery season.
I cannot wait to continue to write and share my archery experiences and how I overcame my struggles in archery with you all in hopes of helping at least one person.
-Kelby Gjovik is a 2022 student contributor. Watch for her future submissions.-
