[Ansteorra-archery] Youth Archery Division

[Susan Hill]

A lot of people think that the kids get frustrated well, let me tell you, 
all of the novices, youth or otherwise do. I think it's not so much an age 
thing as it is the way that the archery community as a whole seems to treat 
the less experienced or lower scoring archers. Due to a physical condition, 
I will never be able to shoot particularly well. I have made bowman by the 
skin of my teeth and will be fortunate to ever top that. I have recently 
watched a young man who had never shot before, outshoot my average within a 
couple of weeks. He is under 16. Unfortunately he doesn't come out 
regularly.

I know that there are a few things that I can do to improve...give up my 
longbow for a recurve probably would help a bit but I like the periodness of 
a longbow. I'm never treated badly, but it IS hugely intimidating to try to 
compete with the 'big shots', knowing that you will be out in the first 
round. Last year watching better shooters try to come up with excuses and 
reasons to try to enter the Novice tourney at Warlord was very frustrating. 
Why can't we have chances at decent prizes without those that can shoot 
circles around us trying to jostle their way in? Whether joking or not, it 
did leave an impression.

Getting the novices and the youth out to practices will do them as much good 
as another division and with less work. As the kids get older, at practices, 
make sure that they spend some time shooting at longer distances. Keeping 
them shorter will only delay their adaptation. Sooner or later they will hit 
the top of their age group and will have to shoot against the adults anyway. 
If they are still used to shooting shorter distances, they will still be at 
a disadvantage, just as will any adult who only shoots at 20 yard distances 
indoors all year.

Get them out to practices and more tournaments for novices and those in the 
lower rankings will make them more confident and score better without 
keeping them at the kid's table, so to speak. That and really show these 
folks that you care. Take them under your wing. These are the people that 
the better shooters should be taking on as students and proteges. Find a kid 
that has promise and guide them. Making a protege out of someone who already 
has an average in the 60's makes the whole idea of protege's useless as far 
as I am concerned. They already know most of what they need to do, they just 
need to practice more or refine their techniques a bit. It will be a lot 
more rewarding to invest the time to turn a kid who shoots into an archer.




----Original Message Follows----
From: "Ron Bentley" <whitewolf at sabinenet.com>
Reply-To: Ron Bentley <whitewolf at sabinenet.com>,        Archery within the 
Kingdom of Ansteorra<ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org>
To: <eadric at scabrewer.com>,        "Archery within the Kingdom of 
Ansteorra"<ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra-archery] Youth Archery Division
Date: Sun, 2 May 2004 20:49:47 -0500

I don't think there needs to be any new divisions either.

My two sons shoot and if they would practice more. Not just before a shot,
they would have higher scores.  For anyone to improve their scores, they
must spend more time shooting.

Aaron




----- Original Message -----
From: "Eadric Anstapa" <eadric at scabrewer.com>
To: "Archery within the Kingdom of Ansteorra"
<ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Ansteorra-archery] Youth Archery Division


 > Bob Dewart <gilli at hot.rr.com> said:
 >
 >
 > > What do you all think?
 > >
 >
 >
 > I think that most youth particularly young men in that age range
 > should be shooting witht he adults.  Most 15 year old boys are
 > capable of shooting any bow at any range that I am.  VERY Few
 > people shoot bows heavier than 45 pounds.  Most  (almost all)
 > youngsters (boysw and girls) of that age are capable of drawing
 > adult sized and weight bows and typically they learn more quickly.
 >
 > Personally I dont think there is a need to add any new divisions.
 >
 > Regards,
 >
 > --
 > HL Eadric Anstapa
 > Ansteorra
 > eadric at scabrewer.com
 >
 >
 > _______________________________________________
 > Ansteorra-archery mailing list
 > Ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org
 > http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/ansteorra-archery
 >
 >


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