Lydia Windell, April –
Oftentimes at tournaments, I see archers either going back to the parents to tell them their score or holding up fingers for their score. I do keep my score in mind while shooting, but not after every arrow, and I do not inform my parents of it during a tournament at all. However, in the case of these archers, they are reinforcing every arrow they have shot. From my experience, this is not the best thing to focus on in a tournament setting. I focus on my form while shooting, and if you are constantly thinking of the last arrow you shot, there is no way to focus on the next arrow. Besides, telling someone your score usually only makes you lose focus.
Another issue that comes to play with informing your parents about your score, is that they can become too involved in your shooting. Having supportive parents is amazing, and I am thankful my parents are that way. But some parents can delve too far into their child’s sport, this only makes the sport less fun for their child. The same can and does happen in archery. Some parents seem to care so much about what their kid shot compared to someone else, rather than if their child enjoyed the tournament. Parents also seem to cause more issues, such as drama once they become too involved in their child’s activities. This will only make an athlete want to quit their sport.
Lastly, I feel that there is truly no gain from telling your parent or parents your score. You will know at the end of the tournament, and they can watch your shooting to see how you are doing. I have shot some of my best scores, and my parents did not know until after. Funny enough, one of the times I shot a personal best, my mother didn’t even think I had been shooting well. All in all, with the mental focus that it takes in archery, it seems informing your parents on every arrow only distracts you. And if you are a parent reading this, I hope you recognize that you can support your child without having to know the score of every arrow they have shot. From my experience, this will only hurt an archer’s score, not improve it.
