I’m back! After a summer and winter full of tweaking my aim and perfecting my shot, I am ready and excited about the NASP® 2024 competition season. This is my second year returning to be a student contributor, and I could not be more excited about the upcoming articles full of the lessons I have learned about archery. I hope other archers benefit or are inspired to shoot to their best potential this season from the articles I share. My name is Jillian McClanahan, I am originally from a small town in Kentucky, but I currently live in Las Vegas, Nevada and I have been a NASP® archer for three years. I am sixteen years old, and I have been homeschooled for eleven years.
My main goal for this competition season is to place in the top ten at the western nationals. To achieve this goal, I first have to place in the top ten in the state competition, but I’m less apprehensive about achieving that goal, because I have consistently reached this. I am working towards my main goal of being in the top ten at the western nationals, by practicing at least five days a week, mainly focusing on fifteen yards, as that is my weakest spot. Every archer’s goals will be personalized to their specific skills, needs, talent, and the amount of years they have been shooting; so it’s important to remember not to compare yourself to others. It is also always better to be a good sport, and to have a good attitude, even if your performance and score do not meet your expectations.
Another goal that I have already achieved, but I am continuing to make progress on, is encouraging my teammates further through being team captain. This year I was blessed with the opportunity to help encourage and lead my teammates, and while I am still in the process of figuring it out, I have really enjoyed sharing my knowledge with younger archers and just being a positive energy for my team. I know what it is like to be stressed about competitions and I will jump at any chance to share what I have learned about calming myself down to perform to the best of my abilities. It’s important to not lose sight of the reason we all became archers, to have fun!
I am so thankful to be given the chance to share my love for archery through the NASP® student contributor program. I have so much that I have learned this year, and I am so pumped to share it. I wish everyone good luck this archery season!
