Flinging Arrows

Unbeknownst to me, Lynn told her neighbors that her friend Patty the archer was coming to visit.  Apparently that was all it took for Alex, the 12 year old next door.  He just got his first bow, and couldn’t wait to get some lessons.

Imagine my surprise when neighbor Gail and her son Alex showed up in Lynn’s driveway, excited and friendly and right there to greet me the day I arrived.  Unfortunately, with schedules as they were, we couldn’t find time until now to fling some arrows— Lynn was tasked with giving German lessons to Alex as he was falling behind, and he couldn’t have archery lessons until he passed his German test. It’s the night before I’m planning to head out.  There we stood in their huge, well protected and safe backyard, under the floodlight, helping Alex shoot the bow.

I could never turn down an opportunity to help a newbie fling some arrows. He was about the most polite kid I’d ever met.  Smart, serious, and focused.  He said he was looking for a challenge, and archery looked interesting.

Gail, a single mom, is the originator of smart, serious, and focused.  She sure deserves a big kudos and round of applause in her efforts to enrich her kids’ lives.  Here’s a born city woman who has no inkling of what hunting or shooting is, yet still makes sure her boy gets the experience. I’ve got to hand it to her; she could have opted for something far easier.

The downside is that she does have to trust the system, the products, and the “professionals” that prepare the equipment to be used.  The first thing I discovered was that Alex was heavily left eye dominant, left handed, and everything he did was left, but he was shown to shoot right handed.  Just like what had happened to me many years ago when I was first introduced to archery.

Let’s just try it lefty.

Let’s get a little closer to the target.

Squeeze your shoulders together.

Breathe.

Relax your hand.  When you release, let the bow fall forward.

Tip of the nose, corner of the mouth.

Elbow out. Elbow out.

Breathe.

Aim, aim. Let go the string….you hit it! Good job!

We talked about the pros and cons and the possibility that his eye dominance will change in the next few years (but not likely). The good news was that the beginner bow he was given can be shot right or left handed and he’ll not outgrow it for some time.  Decisions will be made as he continues shooting, but Alex consistently improved accuracy and stopped the arm stings, the moment he made the changes I’d advised.  He was excited, appreciative and would have flung arrows under the floodlight all night long. What fun it would be to have a kid like Alex.

Take a kid fishing, camping, shooting, hiking what EVER outdoors.  It will rock their world, and maybe yours too.  Here’s to flinging arrows with Alex in New Jersey.  Can’t wait to do it again!