Take a breath, let it out, and… release!
Sedentary. That is the word I would use to describe my lifestyle. However, life likes to be a stand-up comedian, so it decided to get me assigned to write the Raptor Rundown for this publication. When I saw my assignment I thought, “Not really my cup of tea… but sure, why not?” So now here I am.
I arrived on a Wednesday after school, dreading the social and sport-related event that awaited me after school at archery practice. But who could blame me? I was born lazy.
As soon as I saw Coach Davis and some teens entering the small gym I could feel the easy-going and non-judgmental feeling they gave me. Like I wouldn’t be judged for the obvious lack of Hawkeye shooting skill level.
I walked towards the instructor, informing her the journalism-related reason for my random appearance to a practice. Her response was kind, and clear, and she seemed very excited for my visit.
After some warm ups, we joined around a whiteboard as the teacher started explaining what the other students would be working on that day. She explained how they would be working on their technique, rather than their shooting accuracy. I thought it was great — and I especially liked the non-competitive nature the practice was starting out with.
The coach continued explaining that this was personal work, emphasizing that this was a day to focus on the breathing, and posture, and the stance, in order to improve their abilities.
After assembling into different groups she assigned me with one of the team captains, David, who taught and kindly corrected me in the basics of a proper stance, hand position, arrow setting, shooting position, and whistle signaling.
After David’s constant encouragement, and some newfound confidence, I set up my arrow, waited for the shooting whistle, set my stance, took a breath and… shot. The first one was, of course, missed. But that didn’t disencourage me. Instead, I decided to take the teacher’s advice and focus on what I might be doing wrong, and fix it. After not much trial and error, and some help from David I finally managed to hear the muffled thump of the arrow hitting the target.
I high-fived David and smiled as I felt a strange sense of pride in me, feeling the urge to shoot more arrows, completely forgetting my dread for sports and physical activity. After shooting a couple more arrows I shot my last one, and a tsunami of claps surrounded me. I snapped my head and looked at everyone. Seeing my surprise, David explained to me that it was a tradition to always clap for the last arrow, and I could feel the support of the team.
As my time in the practice ended, I packed my things and observed all the people who were still shooting. They seemed calm and confident. I kept staring for a moment before leaving the small gym. I had a smile on my face and maybe a new after school activity.
