Another New, YoungTrad Devotee

[ber643]

I picked up another "new starter student" this past weekend, and thought it was a good time for me to post another of my (less frequent all the time) postings - LOL

   

From Samantha Kai Campbell's first session. I gave this young shooter some Primitive Archer back issues and a book on shooting basics of the "Stick" for her pleasure and to help further her interest, showed her my bows and other equipment involved, and then "quickly" got her out for some shooting. After some shots and arrow switching, I got the camera in action for learning pictures. Samantha is displaying good form and comfort with my 35 lb. @28" Browning Wasp - a fine little, old bow to start youngsters and ladies.

   

Samantha, from the other side. Her interest and pleasure are top notch, she listens well, and responds well to suggestions - eager to learn. I'd like to see her get her face a little more into "the shot" but she is progressing fast.

   

This is my new range target, called "Tim on A Target" - LOL. Actually, Tim is Samantha's Cousin and joined us to add to her comfort with the new experience, and to add input from his own sessions with me over the last year or so.

   

Getting more and more comfortable but still pulling her head back some, as picture showed her.

   

Sam with Tim shooting behind her to help her compare.

   

Same general idea, and goal, with me shooting behind her, as she gets her face closer to the shot.

(More to follow.)

[ber643]

(cont'd)

 

Sam watching me and my shot.

 

Sam, after she hears the shot hit the target, she got well into the shot - good shooting and having a ball. Good focus and concentration. Also presented Samantha with one of my arm guards from Mike's Leathers, of Ca. Thank you, "Griff" Mike Griffith.

 

Bernie watching Sam shoot - great Session. Much fun and a lot accomplished. You go, girl!
Sam is one of so many shooter's who got a shortened intro to archery (on the dark side) in school that generated an "itch" to learn more, and a preference for trad. She has no equipment of her own yet but has all the required passion for our great, family sport, and I love helping folks like that, when I can. Hope you enjoyed the pictorial - B

[mahantango]

Awsome! Tell her to get that right elbow around further, and love the T-shirt!

[ber643]

Yep, I gave her that piece of information right at the end of our session, as a "going away" thing to think about/work on (without the bow). So she picked up the bow and tried a couple more shots to get the feel - LOL. I'm too danged round-shouldered to do it as well as I'd like to, but I'm hoping she'll get the hang of "trying to squeeze her shoulder blades together". I also told her about vertical pushups (off a door, wall, vehicle, tree, etc.) to warm up, and to strengthen her shoulders.

[Sirius Black]

[ber643]

Thanks, S B    

[ber643]

Had our second session yesterday (Sunday). Covered more fine points and info for Samantha. and signed some of the required "paper work" for her School Project, which deals with "learning something new that presents a challenge". She chose Traditional Archery. Still showing progress but the poor girl had an upset tummy and couldn't shoot as long as last week. However, her 9 year old brother, Tanner, came along (whom Tim had also already sold on trad - LOL). He has a small-ish bow and shoots some but got to shoot some of my more advanced children's bows to experience more. So, Samantha did feel well enough to sit and listen and watch while we worked together (instead of him just watching) which seemed to please both of them a great deal. (It pleased me as well - LOL).  I wouldn't be surprised if Tanner joins her on some other future sessions. Great kids, and ya gotta love it! Their interest is at such a high level, and they listen so well. (Forgot to get the camera out - I will remember next time.) The School Project also would like to see some of the targets and a video of Samantha shooting, so we'll have to take care of that as well in future sessions.

[ber643]

Samantha Kai Campbell, Third Session, 10/19 found her shooting quite well on over half of her shots. She did send a couple of my arrows over the target - one of which i still have to find - LOL. She has a strong draw. She told me she had started doing the Verticle push-ups each day to warm and strengthen her shoulders. She told me she did 65 one AM, (Whew, I told her I wouldn't go quite that far - LOL)

 

Samantha wanted me to get a pic of my bow and arrow range rack for her - it's an old "modified" child's clothing rack - and serves quite well.

 

Sam selecting an arrow. We had a great, long session on this crisp Autum day and covered a lot of information, including an intro to target/shot selection and angles.

 

Her brother, Tanner did also come to this session. We tried him first on the same bow Sam shoots. His first shot was good but then he wasn't getting ful draw easily after that, and was having to draw his face and upper body back too much.

 

I quickly changed Tanner to an old Indian fiberglass longbow - A little lower weight and easy draw with its length. As you can see he immediately got more comfortable in his draws. Gotta work on his foot stance a little more - LOL. Tanner also, once we got him on the right bow, also did fine on over half his shots. These two youngsters are so enthused, attentive, good-natured and polite, that it is a real pleasure working with them. I predict they will become life-long addicts and tight shooters. Makes me wish I had more bow/equipment selections to get them settled in well. At the end of the session Tanner wanted to try the little (heavier draw) recurve again and he pulled it well for about three shots this time. They really are eager students. Next weekend they must go to Myrtle beach to visit their "Mimaw", so Sam said she'd try to get over for a week day evening session, if possible.

[ber643]

Samantha Kai Campbell, perhaps the best all around student in an introduction to traditional archery that I have ever had the pleasure of working with, finished her sessions for her School Project yesterday. I would be very surprised (and sad) if she did not continue her practice and learning, so I am trying to help her find a suitable bow, and she has a standing invitation to come and shoot on my home range anytime she can find time. Another previous student, and Sam's cousin, Tim, also joined us yesterday and we crammed a lot of information, practice, and fun into her last "formal" session. All three of us were highly pleased with so many of her fine shots. We also measured her draw length again and found she had increased it by two inches since her first session. As a sort of "graduation" present I presented her with the archery glove she has been using during the sessions (to go with the arm guard I gave her at the beginning). As an extra gift, since I found out she loved Pandas as I do, I gifted her three ceramic replicas that were duplicates in my collection. It was hard to tell which she was the most pleased with - LOL. An added pleasant surprise to me was when her father, T.J., came to pick her up. I had met him at a number of previous Campbell family gatherings, but it had been years since I'd seen him. I got to tell him how pleased I was to have had the pleasure of helping Sam on her Trad Archery journey, and how I felt about her being able to continue it. All in all, a great finish to the "sessions" part of her learning.    

[Scarface]

Bernie, very nice write up, enjoyed reading it and also the pics, it looks a though you have a very nice set up in your yard.

Semper Fi

USMC 69-91

[Scarface]

Bernie, very nice write up, enjoyed reading it and also the pics, it looks a though you have a very nice set up in your yard.

Semper Fi

USMC 69-91

[Scarface]

Sorry for the double post, don't know how that happened

[ber643]

LOL - looks like something I would do, Hank. Thank you, I enjoy the setup a great deal and love it when folks stop by to shoot or get introduced to the joys of trad archery. (A double post sure beats no posts - LOL)

[ber643]

My friend Tim realized Last weekend, when I mentioned that I was anxious to find out how his cousin Samantha Kai Campbell had done on her final Traditional Archery Project presentation, that he was supposed to tell me the results, and forgot to (Sam'll git ya for that, Tim - LOL)

So, now that he told me, I'd like to recognize her huge success with it - I'm impressed (though I just knew she would nail it). She was graded a whopping 97, and passed with flying colors. Ya done great, Kiddo, just as you did with your "lessons". Keep on keepin' on! You'll have Traditional archery as an accomplishment, and pleasurable pass-time, for the rest of your life.

BTW - Sam's (and her classmates') "Presentations" were judged by a "board" of three adult judges (teachers, I believe), and she told me that they were smiling all the while she was giving hers. Needless to say, she was pretty pleased, as was I.

Another addendum to this story is that Samantha's and Tanner's parents bought them both new bows (and arrows) for Christmas (A nice Bear Bullseye bow for Sam), and I have added the pads, rugs, silencers, nock points etc., for them both. They were over this past weekend for another great fun shoot with their new bows, with the "bells and whistles". I also gave them two burlap bag targets I had made and used some, plus sandbags and stuffing to make more small ones of their own. Sam sent me a meessage and said Tanner had already stuffed and made them all ("nice and full") that very night. Ya gotta love it when things work out well.