Jenna Wickersheim, April – Looking back at my nine years of archery, it is really amazing to realize how much this sport shaped me as a growing child. Archery has helped me deal with so many different emotions in a controlled way.
Patience. A huge skill to be taken from this sport. I have never been the most patient person, but archery has always shown me that good things take time. When things take time, patience is your number one asset. Being able to control yourself and wait for the whistle commands is actually a huge skill that archers obtain from a young age. Another big takeaway from archery that I gained is that your results won’t change automatically. It takes time. If you shoot one bad arrow, you might shoot another bad one. But give it some time, and you can be right back on track.
Frustration. Anything that someone takes time to get better at has its ups and downs throughout time. Throughout my career, I have definitely faced a lot of frustrating times. Sometimes the arrows just seem to be going everywhere but the right place. The worst feeling is when this happens during a tournament. Instead of getting upset or being down on yourself, I try to distract myself by talking to my coaches or family attending the tournament. This helps me put my mind on something else while I’m waiting to shoot, so I can step up to the line and shoot with a clear head. Sometimes the most frustration settles in after the tournament. Realizing that the tournament is over and there are no more arrows to make up your rounds with. For me, that is when the true frustration kicks in. During the early years of my career, there were a few tournaments that I would end up crying at because I felt like I didn’t shoot as well as I could have. Looking back, I realized that I’ve controlled my frustration a lot better by learning to take the time to have a little fun at tournaments, distract myself, and not take it so seriously.
Sadness. Like I mentioned before, there were times earlier in my career where I would get super down on myself after shooting below my average at tournaments. This would cause me a great deal of sadness, especially after the tournament during the car ride back home. Instead of feeling so much sorrow, I’ve grown to realize its better to distract myself with something like music, or even going somewhere with my parents to eat after tournaments. Its super easy to let how you shoot at a tournament put you down. But mentally, its better to try your best to put yourself up when you feel down.
Anxiety. Even after nine years of being in this sport I still feel a little anxious before my tournaments. I get butterflies in my stomach while I’m waiting to shoot. I usually try to eat before I leave for my tournament so I don’t have to shoot while hungry. Something that has really helped me was learning breathing techniques to calm my nerves. Learning a breathing technique or something like that is very helpful to ground you during tournaments, especially the big ones like state or national championships.
Archery has shown me a range of emotions on such strong levels that I didn’t know how to cope with before joining. This sport has had a huge impact on me while I have been growing up and shaping myself into the person I am today.