This time last week, Gabi and I were standing on a soccer field at the WRAL Soccer Park in Raleigh, North Carolina for the USA Archery 2019 JOAD National Championships (JNC). Weather was a mixed bag of intense temperatures in the high 90s low 100s, sweltering humidity, inconsistent winds with thunderstorms and lighting. To say it was difficult for athletes and spectators alike would be an understatement! For the 2019 season, Gabi made the profound decision to fully commit and shoot the 15-17 year old age division known as Cadet and attempt to make the USA Archery Cadet Nation Team. The process is fairly straightforward, shoot 3 qualifying scores in any of the following events – USAT series (4 events total), indoor nationals, and outdoor nations (attendance at this even it mandatory). The top 5 athletes with the lowest National Ranking System (NRS) points are nominated to the national team. Instead of one-off tournaments, Gabi’s finishes would be cumulative over the course of a year and strategy becomes more crucial as we approach the final event in September. Right now, mathematically some athletes may be locked into the top 5, others will have to attend the last event in September to protect rank, while others need a big finish to move into the top 5.
Leading up to JNC, within a four week span, Gabi had the SoCal Showdown/World Youth Championship Team Trials, Technology Student Association (TSA) Nationals and wrapping it all up with JNC. It was a test of Gabi’s stamina, skill and mental focus. The risk was, Gabi would be taking a full week off from practice prior to JNC while others were ramping up their training. Not wanting to deny Gabi the opportunity to compete at TSA Nationals we sent her on her way. She had the time of her life! Individually she placed 4th in the nation in Digital Photography and her team place 2nd in Video Game Design.
Preparation for JNC was a monumental endeavour. We had 5 days to get in two weeks practice, somehow slip in a hula rehearsal and the giant season ending Ho’ike (show) before flying out. Looking back on those 5 days it amazes me how Gabi and her training partner Lillian were able to keep up the pace. Both of them willingly showed up to the morning session to shoot high volumes and showed up again in the late afternoon to do it all over again! Gabi shot over 2500 arrows, kept her quality high, was able to take a practice score surpassing the national record and set a new PR. She was ready!
When we arrived on Wednesday, conditions were hot and humid but nothing out of the norm for NC. Gabi took official practice on her bale and she looked great. After about 2.5 hours we called it a day and headed back to the hotel to clean up and have dinner, some good ol’ fashion Carolina bbq – The Pit. During these national tournaments we follow one simple rule – absolutely no seafood…EVER. Too many of our friends have gone down due to food poisoning, so we don’t take the risk. It limits our food options significantly, it’s usually some sort of fast food for the week.
Thursday and Friday were qualifications, 72 arrows on each day for a total of 1440 points. With 114 girls signed up in Gabi’s divisions it made for a very long day. What made it even longer was the heat index above 100 degrees. During the first day of qualifications a few archers succumbed to heat exhaustion. Gabi loaded up on water and electrolytes, ate small bites of food and kept her ice bag on her head to stay ahead of the heat. In typical fashion I walked across to the next field, found an empty table under the tents and watched Sneaky Pete on Amazon Prime. Every now and then I would text Gabi to see if she needed anything. Always getting back a text with “No.” At the conclusion of the first day Gabi’s scores were not her greatest and we discussed it. Gabi told me she was struggling the whole time but kept at it and didn’t give up. Finally, on her last 12 arrows she figured it out, her timing had gone long and it was threw off her process. I suspect she was going to 6-7 seconds on her timing when her typical timing is 4-5 seconds – ideal for the windy conditions. With that information she felt good and despite her low first day total she was in good spirits.
Friday, the ladies shot on the 8am line so we were at the fields by 6:45am. As the day progressed so did the temp and heat index. After the first half, USA Archery called a 1 hour weather delay because the heat index was 105. Again, athletes were suffering and falling behind on hydration. When shooting resumed it was even hotter and more unbearable. Gabi kept her ice bag on her head, kept up on her fluids, and was doing all the things she needed to do to remain as cool as possible. Her shooting was much better with the quicker timing and second day scores proved it. Near the end of the second half, it was clear at least one archer had been in distress for some time as a result of the heat. She was visibly unsteady/wobbly and pale, could barely make it to the line, on several occasions had to call equipment failure because she was presumably getting ill in the portable restrooms. While I watched her shoot her makeup arrows her knees literally buckled from under her. I have no clue as to the circumstances that went into her wanting to or having to continue on but she was brave and she put it all out there on her worst day. Watching the young lady do what she did was heartbreaking and so difficult to witness but she earned the attention of those who did witness her effort on that day.
With two very long days of qualifications behind us, Gabi and I prepared to leave for the 1:30pm elimination rounds. When I got back from loading the car up USA Archery called another weather delay. This time it was several hours, shooting would be postponed until 4pm. We quickly got lunch, brought it back to the hotel and basically laid around for several hours. Time came again to pack up and leave so we made our way to the fields. With the overall goal being USAT ranking, elimination day was a bonus day for Gabi. For JNC this event’s NRS points were only calculated on qualification rounds, not the typical combined qualification and elimination ranking like the 4 regular USAT events. Gabi marched her way to the quarterfinals with respectable shooting. In the quarters, almost all the remaining archers started to fade. Scores across the board dropped and it became a battle of attrition. An archer from Texas quickly put Gabi down 4 set points to 0 (6 set points wins the round). In ends 3 and 4, Gabi clawed her way back to tie at 4-4. In the 5th and final set Gabi left the door open with some loose shots and was retired 27-24 to conclude the round 6-4 set points.
A little background on the USA Archery Recurve Cadet Women’s division might be in order. Historically, this division is well regarded as the most contested, difficult and competitive division in USA Archery. It is the entry point for athletes to make national team and for some to go on and do greater things in archery. It is also the division where most archers will choose to drop out and focus on other things like education and personal interests. For Gabi the goal at Nationals was to shave off NRS points and she accomplished that at the conclusion of qualifications. With her 7th place qualifying score, she shaved off 1 critical point from her overall NRS ranking and will be ranked 2nd overall in the nation. Nothing is set in stone, we will be in Texas this September at the Texas Shootout vying for a strong finish.
Through sport Gabi has grown so much as a young person. She takes her successes in stride and her disappointments willingly. Through her defeats and disappointments she continues forward, seldom looking back, and continues to raise her own bar higher and higher. Her successes and victories are seemingly unimportant in her own perception of her positive self image and still she moves forward, shrugging it all off as effortlessly as she does her disappointments. Competing at this level is difficult and to watch these young athletes shows how resilient and strong they are and can be. An athlete pushing beyond their limits, another simply completing their first National tournament, others accomplishing small goals then taking another small step towards completing a larger goal. Whatever the motivation, the Spirit is always there. I’ve watched these young athletes shoot, win, lose, succeed, struggle, smile and cry and they don’t even realize how amazing they really are. Some do not realize their own potential while others know exactly what they are capable of. From 114th to 1st they are all champions.
We have so many to thank for their continued support! Coach Bob and Bill Hickey, Coach Timm, Coach Rob, Darrin Barry, Faith, Lillian, Washington State Archery Association, Kenmore Gun Ranges, Seattle Horizon Archery, RamRods Archery, Hoyt Archery: Target, New Leaf Hyperbarics, #archery #JOAD #GetSeriousGetHoyt #BowsOfChampions
Team and sponsors: Next Step Archery, The Nock Point, OCD Strings, Aisa & Mitty
