Buckeye Classic elimination day saw perfect conditions. My first Olympic Round (OR) was against my friend Liberty, who is always a tough competitor and the most gracious and fun person. We stretched out the round to five sets and it was a battle to the end. Thank you for that Ms. Liberty, great round! Next up in the Semi Finals I went up against another friend from Washington state, Bella. We went to four sets but I went down 7 to 1. My last round of the day was for a bronze medal against a new archer I’ve never shot against. Looking back on it my shots felt good, the point values simply weren’t there and I finished the OR’s with a reasonable fourth place. Though I didn’t win my bronze medal match and somewhat disappointed that I didn’t podium, I did fulfill goals while shooting up two age divisions into Juniors; Gaining 70m experience, learning to read weather and competing at the distance.

Time to look at the big picture and change perspective. Half way through the season and currently my national rank is first. Making the national team is a long game and I’m in it for the long haul. Many Cadets and Juniors work hard to make the national team and some view it as one of the highest accomplishments at the end of the year. Top 5 in Cadet/Junior Div are named to the U.S. National Team. Seniors have a slightly different process.

Such a strange season; the first USAT of the year should’ve been the last of the year. Attendance is down in all divisions. There will be two national teams per division in 2021 – the named National Team and the International Team that gets to shoot the international events. These are strange times but we will make it through. We are shooting, doing our best and having fun! It was great seeing all my archery friends. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Rebel Gear Buckeye Classic and see you in a month at the SoCal Showdown!

Huge thank you to everyone who supports me and makes all this possible.. Next Step Archery, Nock Point and OCD Strings. Our range WCW and Washington State Archery Association. Thank you to mom and sister for making the sacrifices so we can travel to these USAT tournaments!