Something New
It seems whenever I hang out with my daughter Kito, and niece Tanya I am in for a fantastic time. Add granddaughter Bella to the mix and It even gets better. For our latest adventure I wanted to try something new. With that in mind, I scouted the location and put the word out to my partners-in-fun. Meet me at Ladies Only Night, 10/12/22, 6:15 – 7:45pm, at the New Castle Hundred Archers Club. Archery is something that I had never had the opportunity to try but had wanted to for quite a while. As a matter of fact, I had been wanting to learn archery ever since the torch lighting at the 1992 Olympics piqued my interest.
After a two-week wait filled with anticipation the day finally arrived. We had no idea what to expect but were willing to go with the flow once we got there. We were signed in at the Club by Coach Carol. Carol is a Level 3 NTS coach and a National Champion with silver. She is a no-nonsense coach with an outgoing personality to match her vibrant rainbow-colored hair. Carol went over the safety rules assuring us that no one would get hurt under her careful watch. Next, we learned the proper T stance, how to hold the bow, load an arrow, draw the string, and how to properly release it.
With arm guards in place and bows selected, the fun began. We all lined up at the 10-yard line and waited for the signal to take an arrow out of the quiver. When we first started shooting, arrows were flying all over the place. Eventually we got the hang of it and mostly hit our own target. We were a lively group. Our squeals of delight when we hit the center of our target or somewhere nearby was infectious. After a while we were moved back to the 20-yard line. We practiced from that distance with most of our arrows hitting the ceiling and landing on the floor. Right before the end of the session Coach Helen put a balloon on each of the targets. After another round of shooting, I am pleased, proud and a bit braggadocious in my announcement that from the 20-yard line each of us hit and burst our balloon.
We had an amazing fun time and were surprised at how well we did. We are glad we shared this experience together. Tanya said the next day while at work she practiced her stance during hall duty. I was driving and realized that I was practicing drawing. I had my arm up and was pulling my fingers back to my mouth. As for Kito and Bella, I think it was a good thing they did not show up wearing their Hunger Games costumes. I do not think Coach Carol or Coach Helen could have handled their live action antics.
May you always hit what you are aiming for,
Amanda 🎯
