Last year was my first archery season. Not only was it my first time competing in the sport, but it was the first time I ever saw and held a bow.
My mom approached me about joining the team because our family friend was starting the program at our school. At first, I was a little skeptical about shooting a bow. “Isn’t it dangerous?”I thought to myself. However, a few friends were joining the team, so I agreed unknowing of how much fun everything was going to be in the first class. After that practice, I was hooked on the sport, and I was ready to start the new chapter of my life with archery by my side.
I remember my first state tournament vividly. My body trembled as I sat in the Duluth, Minnesota hotel restaurant the morning of the tournament. I tried to eat eggs to fuel my body for the day. I looked around and saw at least 15 other archers at the hotel breakfast chomping away on waffles and other treats. We all had one thing in common, if we weren’t eating, we were trying to calm our nerves.
Finally, it was my turn to shoot at the tournament. I stepped up to the line and tried my hardest. It wasn’t my best score but it wasn’t the worst. There was one mishap that my dad still jokingly reminds of, “remember that one time you almost shot your score card at state?” he says. That’s right everyone, my score card was sitting on top of the target as they always do, and my misguided arrow knocked it off as it plunged into the top of the target. It wasn’t a great first impression to others who shot way better than me. But, it is a new year, and I have new ambitions, none that include shooting the score card.
I have achieved many goals unrelated to archery, including interviewing celebrities, keeping up good grades, and being kind. Yet, I haven’t been able to reach one specific archery goal, five bullseyes in a row. For many non-archers or beginners, fifty just seems like an even number, a number with no importance whatsoever. Only archers can tell you what it means and why it is so important. It means the perfect score, the score that puts you on your way to three hundred, the highest possible tournament score. It is a sign of greatness to have 5 – tens on your score card in one end. I have yet to achieve that stunning score and the wave of emotion that takes flight to the very first fifty. So, my one goal this year is to shoot that perfect score of fifty and for it to shine on my score card.
I am Madison Evans, a 6th grader from central Minnesota and member of the Sartell Sabres Archery Team. I look forward to sharing my weird, dramatic, exciting, funny, and true stories with you this year as a student contributor.