FINANCIAL UPDATE:
As the trials came to an end, so to did the sponsorship money. However, I was able to bring in another $100 from Pam Fales, an agent at Fuller Towne and Country. Thank you all for your support for the 2004 season. I am trying to gather information about whether or not to continue my sponsorship program for next season, please take a few seconds to fill out the survey that is attached to your email.
JUNE/JULY RECAP:
After the trials finished up, I spent my last few weeks of the 2004 season preparing for the US Nationals. A 7th place finish along with a successful last minute attempt to shoot a qualifying score was enough to secure my spot on the 2005 US Archery Team. Read the article in my Latest Articles section or click on: http://www.aim4athens.com/id36.html (you can also find a copy of the article on the usarchery.org site). See below for the full detail on how the tournament progressed.
FINAL RANKING:
I finished up the year ranked 6th for the National Team and 6th for the Rolling Rank. You can see how I measure up to the rest of the US Women by clicking on: http://www.thearcher.com/usarchery/rollingranking/.
2004 OLYMPICS:
Despite not making the team, my mom thought it would be a good idea if I was able to experience the Olympics first hand and she generously offered to fly me out to Athens for two and a half weeks. No doubt that I learned a lot for next time. Thanks Mom! The trip started with the Opening Ceremonies and while I was there I saw every archery match I could possibly see including Vic’s excellent top 8 finish individually and his 4th place finish in the team round. I was also able to see the US women win the gymnastics team silver, the hammer throw and the decathlon, Michael Phelps win his first gold in swimming, and a gold medal men’s 8 performance in rowing. Click here to see my photo album: www.pixagogo.com/6158585171. Special thanks also go to Scripture Union and Athletes in Action for finding me housing for the second week and to John Hodges for his company and fluent Greek which kept me entertained!
WHAT IS NEXT:
I’m looking for ways to broaden my sponsorship and yes… I’m looking for a job. If you know of any Companies interested in sponsoring athletes I would love to talk to them about how they might want to sponsor me. My phone number is 309-303-5650 and you can direct them to my website.
US NATIONALS REACAP:
Reading, PA – After the trials I took a four day break to regroup, reflect and most importantly look at what my options were. My 6th place finish had put me in a great position to make a run at the US National team, so I decided to push the job hunt off until after the Nationals. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the US Outdoor Nationals, it is a four distance tournament (called a FITA) as opposed to the single 70 meter distance I’ve been shooting all year long. We still shoot 70 meters, but it is only ¼ of our final score. Basically, each archer shoots a total of 144 arrows, 36 arrows at each distance. The women shoot 70, 60, 50, and 30 meters, while the men shoot 90, 70, 50, and 30 meters. The total amount of points in a FITA are 1440.
Last year, I shot 4 FITAs and had improved scorewise from 981 to 1150 by the end of the season. For these Nationals, I had two goals in mind. First, I wanted to improve aspects of my game that I felt I had struggled with at the trials, and second, I wanted to shoot well enough to grab a spot on the 8 member 2005 US Women’s Archery Team.
The first day of the Nationals went pretty well despite struggling to come out of the gates strong. It would be day two that would prove to be the most challenging of the whole tournament. That morning we woke up to threats of a thunderstorm which quickly became a reality as soon as the whistle blew to commence shooting. Shooting in the rain for archery is similar to running a race with a ten pound weight on your back. The good news is that it handicaps everyone, the bad news is that if you don’t have a lot of experience shooting in it, you may end up with problems. Again, I struggled in the beginning, but as I got used to the rain and started feeling less timid, I made some progress and finished my fifth ever FITA with a personal best of 1220/1440.
Day three was similar to the first day, for some reason throughout the tournament I continued to struggle on the first half, but would get my act together for the second half. I felt as though I was lacking the confidence I needed. But there was another reason why I was struggling with my shooting. This one I could explain. The NAA has a set of standards you need to meet in order to qualify for the US Archery Team. I needed a top 8 finish in overall standing (which is composed of your US Nationals finish and the next two highest finishes) as well as a series of qualifying scores.
The qualifying scores they require to make the team had been recently raised and I needed to have shot a 158+ and a 106+ in the elimination rounds at some point during the year. Fortunately I had done both, I shot a 161 in Arizona and a 110 in Ohio at the trials. The third qualifying score I needed was either a 1260 on a FITA or a 630 on a double 70. At the Olympic trials I had come within 9 points of the 630, but it wasn’t good enough. My first FITA at the nationals was well below where I needed to be and so I risked making the US team but not qualifying for it.
I was faced with a decision, do I try to shoot my 1260 despite the chance of bad weather or do I shoot a third FITA after the morning 70 and 60 meters are done? Needless to say, once I start focusing on score, I struggle to shoot my best. I decided to wait until the third day was over, and then see if I thought I could shoot the 1260 I needed. If I felt that I couldn’t, I would go ahead and shoot the third FITA I had pre-registered just in case.
At the end of the first 72 arrows, I had a score of 611, meaning I would need a 649 the following day. It was a close call, and I had struggled with the pressure all day. It was more important to me that I didn’t risk it, so I went a head with the third FITA. After asking my training partner Ashley Kamuf and Emma Gillespie, one of my team mates from Boston to help me score, I headed over to the practice field to get the ball rolling. Three hours later, and 10 hours after I had started shooting that day, I qualified with only 2 points to spare. With the pressure off, I was able to finish up the last day on a high note, placing 7th overall. Not only had I made the National team, but I had qualified as well despite having to score an additional 144 arrows.
US OPEN RECAP:
By the time the US Open rolled around, I was relieved that I had made USAT and was looking forward to shooting elimination matches again. I really enjoy the thrill of individual matches. At the same time, I was ready to go home, exhausted from the pressure I had put on myself. Despite the mixed emotions, my first match couldn’t have been better. My head was in the right place, it was the first time the whole tournament where I came out confident and strong. I won my first match easily, and moved into the top 32.
My next match would be my last. I started out on pace, but then struggled through the second end. I lost my focus and shot a 9 on the wrong target. In archery when you shoot the wrong target you have to forfeit the points that you would have received. Going into the last end I was down about 15 points. A deficit that is usually unrecoverable. Despite this the person I was shooting against got shaky and had a really bad end. I had an excellent last end shooting a 57 out of a possible 60. I recovered 10 points but it wasn’t enough to win, I placed 22nd over all.
Although I learned a tough lesson, it was a really valuable one. Sometimes you learn more when you have to struggle than when you have an easy ride!
