Nothing Much

Nothing much is happening...what a relief. I have to say after such a long haul it is nice to take a break and sleep till after dawn. Sort of miss it though. The kids were so much fun it makes me wonder if being a teacher would be just as much fun. There was one little kid who complained that his dad made him go to archery and I have to say of all the kids he was the one I most wanted to mother. Part of me wanted to say it will be okay, dad cares, he just wants to expand your horizons. Parents would come and say they never could get their kid to get up for school until archery came along and then hop, right out of bed, and they're ready to go.  No whining, complaining, or arguing. So the variety of kids was pretty wide. All of them even the one being dragged out of bed, seemed to enjoy archery. When they weren't shooting they were socializing with their friends and yes I know that isn't really what it's all about but the truth is, that is why we as human beings come together, to be part of that village that raises a child.

I used to enjoy watching the kids race back to the mats to see who could get there first. They weren't supposed, I knew that, yet some part of me always felt uplifted to see them happy, challenging each other, playing and just in general being a kid that didn't have to worry about food, shelter, or whether parents loved them. Then it would get a little too competitive and I'd wish I'd said something sooner.


I was talking to a woman who is heavily involved with the NASP program about all the events at nationals and one of the things she pointed out to me was that the kids learned to set goals and work toward them. It really doesn't matter where they placed as long as they improved and had fun. She also said something about archery being an outdoor sport and I pointed out that for these kids it is an indoor sport. She offered to look into this and hopefully, sometime over the summer there will options for the kids to participate in an archery class or camp.

Till then...I posted a few pictures on flicker. Click on the album that shows the tournament you're interested in.

Nationals are over

It was great fun, the kids had an experience worth talking about to their friends. They were part of a team that went all the way to nationals and competed against 4,000 students from across the nation. There were 78 elementary schools (that would be the 6th grade class because of the way NASP organizes their divisions) and 104 middle schools (7th & 8th graders). If you wish to look up individual scores for your child the link is here. Click on individual and at the top of the list you can organize the results by male or female, grade, or school. Our top two girls were Daniel and Haley who were in the top 100 out of 4,000 people and in the top 10 of their grade. Go ladies! Our boys were Alex and Jonathan who made the top 50 of their grade. I'm not sure how many 6th grade boys were registered but I imagine it was around 500.

I have to say, I'm impressed. This is only Chickahominy's 3rd year and both teams got to go to nationals. If I were to guess as to why they're so good I would have to say it has to do with Coach Lovelace's dedication to the kids (and remember it's all volunteer time for him) and their commitment to the team. How many middle school kids get up at the crack of dawn...and during the deepest part of winter before dawn...to get ready for school? It was an opportunity for them to learn what it feels like to handle pressure, to let go of the tension, relax, and shoot. For the kids who couldn't do this, they learned, they grew, and in the future they will remember you can't let it get to you. Just as many of them hadn't a clue there was any pressure. What? It's another day in paradise. I belong to a team, I fit in with a group of kids that are champions, I'm so happy to be here who cares if I'm the best, I'm part of something great.

Tournament Day

The kids had fun today and placed well. By day's end they were still holding at 10th & 11th place for the two teams, 6th and 7-8th grade. Hailey is still in first place! It has been a fabulous experience for the kids and the day is nearly over....so short post about a long day and wow...those kids are fabulous, they have done something they can take pride in. Thanks Coach Lovelace for all you do. It was a lot to manage two (and even three teams including the high school kids) and fund raising and so many little details. Thank you.

Nationals Tournament

We leave tomorrow morning at 7:00 am. The bus will be pulling out at that time. Everyone should arrive much earlier especially if you have to be picking up your bow from the school.

The photos show a closer view of the tournament layout, pretty much like states, and the targets which are slightly different in that they are pinned on larger background forms. The actual size of the target is the same as the one you've always shot at.

Good luck guys and gals!

State Tournament photos

Department of Game and Inland Fisheries' posted 195 photos of the state tournament on flickr.

Happy Mother's Day

Thank-you to all our mothers who bring the kids out to practice, sit through home tournaments, chaperone state and national tournaments, and make our fund raisers successful. I don't have pictures of all of you though all of you are appreciated. This lady is Kim Hall and she handled our doughnut fund raiser and did a fantastic job. Thank-you.

No practice this evening. We meet next on Monday morning 7-8 am, all grades.

Last Year

Last year at the 2010 National Tournament the National Guard brought in a giant slide and the kids got to race each other to see who could finish first. They had a lot of fun doing this.

No tournament Sunday evening. Practice Monday morning 7-8 am for all grades.

One week to go

One week to go, of course, I said that yesterday but you know yesterday we would have been traveling. One week from today the kids will be shooting at the tournament. For those of you who didn't go last year, click on the photo, it should blow up to it's largest size and you can see just how huge this place is. Oh, and what you see is the long part of the L. There is another whole wall of targets perpendicular to this one where more people are shooting.

There is no tournament Sunday night. Our next practice is Monday morning 7-8 am for all grades.

One Week to Go

All the splotches are bug splatter...giant windshields tend to collect them.

One week to go! We will be traveling this time next week. 50 kids, 2 buses, and some very brave parents....actually it's not so bad, their excitement is infectious.  

Tournament tonight from 6:30-7:30 for the 6th grade and from 7:30-8:30 for the 7th & 8th grade.

More photos of hot dog fund raiser

Ten days and we will be in Kentucky pitting our skills against the best of the best!

Happy Customer buying hot dogs.

Real men are not afraid of pink especially if it's an ATV.

Hot Dog Fund Raiser

This is one of the fun aspects of being part of a team without unlimited resources. The kids learn that to achieve a goal that seems out of reach every little bit helps, even if what they do is wave sign, carry around a box of chocolate bars, wash cars, etc. Our kids got out there in the midst of strangers (adult supervision of course) and asked if they would support our team's efforts to go to nationals by purchasing a hot dog lunch. That's one of those life skills that will help them later in life as they learn to handle job interviews or social situations where they walk in knowing no one and must leave having met someone.

Salute to Pepe Le Pew

All the receipts etc have not been tallied yet so we have no idea how much our efforts contributed to the overall fund raising goal. A big thank-you goes out to Bass Pro Shop for allowing us to do our cook-out in front of their store, to Michael Bright for setting it up for us, and to Jenny Coppel for organizing, shopping, set up and clean up and of course working all day including a quick run to purchase more hot dogs & sodas since we sold more than expected.

Doughnuts at Gander

We sold almost every single box of doughnuts. Here we have some enterprising individuals who thought to spread out and catch people coming into the Gander Mountain shopping center from the heavily traveled entrance closer to Home Depot.

More to come later about our hot dog fund raiser.

Tonight May 1 is a tournament. From 6-7 for the 6th grade and from 7-8 for the 7th & 8th grade.  Please note these tournament times are a half hour earlier than the ones held during the weekdays. Tomorrow morning May 2 practice is from 7-8 am for all grades. There is a tournament in the evening from 6:30-7:30 for the 6th grade and from 7:30-8:30 for the 7th & 8th grade.