It’s been two days since we came back from the first round of the US Archery Team (USAT) qualifiers, AAE Arizona Cup. I still cannot process what happened during the tournament. Emotionally the weekend was draining and the words escape me at this time. I am so proud of Gabi, she put together a masterful performance which was evident by her glowing smile and radiant self confidence.
The format for the USAT events are one official practice day, followed by a 72 arrow ranking round on the second day and a final day of Olympic Rounds/eliminations. We arrived on Thursday morning, Gabi’s bows did not. Thankfully Alaska was able to get them on the next flight after ours. Thursday’s unofficial practice went well. Gabi had a solid 35-40 minutes to practice in the notorious Arizona winds and was able to confirm her sight marks and figure out her aiming. Friday’s official practice saw calmer wind and true to form Gabi was relaxed and shooting well. Her shots, process and timing were all spot on – everything was coming naturally.
During Saturday’s ranking round the energy level was high. The casual feeling, laughing and chit-chat that was present on the previous day gone. The Cadet ladies were all prepared for business, parents all quiet with binoculars glued to their faces and nervous conversation could be heard in the spectator area. Weather conditions were perfect, wind conditions perfect, everything was going well. Gabi’s shot looked effortless and she stuck to her process. When she had lower scoring ends she would mentally reset, focus on the task at hand and continue on. The top spots steadily changed seeing new names move in and out as the day progressed. Archery is about consistency, mental fortitude, grit…call it what you will all the ladies were doing their best and put it all out there on qualification day. Gabi qualified 4th with a respectable score, brackets would be set from these results.
Sunday was predicted to be a hot day with temperatures in the 80’s. We had a nice gentle breeze most of the day that took the edge off the heat. By accident we arrived 2 hours early so we watched the Cadet men shoot their first two rounds. Gabi had a first round bye in the round of 1/32nd so she took the allotted 3 end practice. Round by round she executed shot after shot just like in practice and round by round Gabi retired her opponent. Tension got higher as we arrived to the quarter, semi and the final rounds. Binoculars and spotting scopes were quickly scanning between targets as each arrow impacted their targets. What little conversation there was almost totally ceased. The only thing being spoken were arrow values, followed by someone asking who took the set/round. Gabi kept shooting, I kept calling her shots and giving her feedback after every arrow. She would calmly nod her head acknowledging she heard me, scan the winds socks, look at her target, inhale with a deep cleansing breath and begin to initiate her shot cycle. This pattern went on through the entirety of the Olympic rounds. Gabi made it through eliminations undefeated and only gave up 4 points to 2 archers, each scoring just 2 points on her.
It’s easy to forget the Cadet women’s division is comprised of athletes age 15-17 years old. It is even easier to forget Gabi just turned 13 last month. Each one of these athletes put it all out there, risked everything, hoped for top finishes, felt the highest highs and the lowest lows. The pressure some of these athletes placed on themselves was immense. Often the pressure was so great some broke down in tears, while others got angry with their performance. Each one of these athletes has a different story and a different reason to be there. For Gabi and me we are so grateful for these young ladies that take the time and effort to complete in these events.
The reality of competition is everyone would like to win a medal but most will not. Each of these athletes would like to be the heroes of their own narrative, many will be; but in some cases they may feel like they failed. The truth and reality of competition is – it is difficult, it is frustrating, it is painful and it is unrelenting. And because of this each of the athletes have attained success that no medal could ever acknowledge.
Congratulation Gabi on a gold medal performance. Your success comes from within, from your spirit!
None of this would be possible without the support and friendship from so many people! Thank you Coach Bob, Bill Hickey, Darrin Barry, Coach Rob and Karin, Coach Timm, Faith, Carrie, Coach Julie, everyone at Next Step Archery, The Nock Point, OCD Strings, all our Next Step Archery Team members, the Washington State Archery Association and archery friends from our club WCW
