Oops, I did it again!

Yup, 3rd robin hood this summer. A robin hood in archery is when an arrow is shot into the back of a previously shot arrow. Right down the middle, busting it. Currently I am shooting Jazz arrows, by Easton. Aluminum, so they split nicely. This was done at 45meters today.

I like to think of it as a rare, exotic flower. Here are the others done this summer:

There are many things I love about archery. The discipline, the focus, the way my body is changing, are a few. Shooting at an outdoor range in the late afternoons has allowed me to see more of the sky than ever before. I get to see it change throughout the year, as the days grow shorter, then longer. How often in our daily lives, especially if we are ensconced in a building, in front of a computer, do we see the sky when it meets the edges of day?

I have never considered myself an athlete, not really doing any sport as a child. I had no patience for it. So to experience myself in this way has been fun and eye opening. Now I know what it feels like to be 'in the zone', and why that feeling compels someone to continue in whatever sport they are in. It's a high.

90% of archery is mental. When I am standing on the line, I think about the shot, the flow of it timed with my breath, going into the gold. I think about what I bring to each shot, and how I am expressing myself artistically and creatively with my body. Then I let it all go, to be only in the moment, I take a breath, pre-draw, draw and release. If I start to aim, I let down. Once I have started to force the shot, it will not be good. Kind of like life.