Robert Hamilton II, May – So many of us are on our phones, smart watches, tablets and computers a lot. And probably with a set of earbuds in our ears. The National Association of Archery in Schools’ program has only two official rules about the use of technology during an archery tournament. Those rules are:
7.3.Use of personal music playing devices, ear buds and headphones are prohibited on the range.
7.3.1. Ear plugs to block distractions are permitted if the archer remains able to hear and follow range commands.
7.3.2. Ear plugs must be free of any strings or wires.
7.4.Archers’ cell phones must be silenced during their competitive flight. Also, all communication via the phone must be suspended during their flight.
These rules should really start at practice. My coaches collect or try to collect the phones when we enter practice. Practice is our opportunity to prepare for tournaments. If you are focused on your phone, you are not focused on becoming a better archer. You win archery tournaments at practice by putting the work in arrow after arrow and end after end. If you hand over phones at practice, you are starting a best practice that will carry over to tournaments.
If the noise at a tournament bothers you, you can use ear plugs as long as you can still hear commands and whistles, so that you can safely navigate the archery range. You need to be able to hear.
Your phone should be silenced, and it is really best to leave it in your bow case. That way you are not tempted to use it on the line to text your mom or dad or a friend. You also don’t want to be a distraction to your target mate.
An archery tournament could be looked at as a chance to unplug from the outside world. If you are constantly on the NASP® app checking individual and team scores, you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself before you even shoot. You are not focused on the round ahead. It makes it much harder to focus on one arrow at a time, one end at a time if you are solely focused on the score that is at the top of the leaderboard at that moment. You are stressing yourself out.
Take the opportunity to put the phone in your bow case. Spend time with your friends and teammates. Take advantage of the experience if you are at Nationals or at The Championship. This might be your last opportunity to shoot with this team, if you are moving up to middle school or high school. Focus on having a good time, enjoying the experience and leave the phones, watches and earbuds in the bow case.