…Now with Curie and Elia
There are so many things to frustrate, sadden, and worry that when a little thing makes you smile it is worth writing about. If you have known me for a while you know that carry a pen, a flashlight, a knife and wear a watch (and at one point would have included cuff links)..
Today we became an archery family.
I first learned to shoot with a Pearson fiberglass stick bow at Sierra Vista in 1981( George, Maximillian). I bought my first bow (a Bear TD) while at Northwestern in 1989 with Mavis and Frank. In 1996 I went to Arrow Mfg. to get some arrows to show a friend how to shoot. I bought a second hand Yamaha EX to begin shooting competitively even going to Vegas and Indoor Nationals in my first year. In 1997 the family at Arrow Mfg (Shirley, Philip), in their generosity, they let me become a shooter for them without seeing if I could even shoot after I went to their shop every day to look at an emerald Radian riser. At Vegas the next year I made some lifelong friends Brooke), after shooting competitvely for a while I gave up competitive shooting after starting work.
I would collect bows and shoot with friends, family, and colleagues, Bernard, Agnes, Sean, Jon,Octavio, Amjed, and others) and I would buy Erin‘s bow before ever meeting her knowing that we would be an archery family one day. We would shoot with friends and family getting them and their families involved (David, Candace, Librada, Buck, Nancy, Alberta, Michael, Ono, Amy, Levi, Julie, and many others).
Then we had kids, and had to wait until Elia was 5 before we could go. Curie got her bow when she was 5, so did Elia when she turned 5. Today was the first day we went to the range at Ft. Belvoir to shoot. We were afraid the kids wouldn’t like it, we shouldn’t have worried, they LOVED it. That second picture on the bottom of our bows is as much a family picture as the one next to it. I tagged so many people and missed so many more because I realize that archery is a pretty big part of my life)
Anyone want to go shooting?
From Facebook to the Cotton’s: My kids started shooting today! While going through my archery gear, I came across this. Shirley and Phil, do you remember when I used to come see the emerald Radian every day? I shot a red Hoyt Avalon, then a black Avalon Plus as an Arrow Mfg. Shooter thanks to your generosity and kindness. I am forever grateful for the friendship your family offered me. I bought Erin Sky Medalist, long before I met her.
I’ll tell you something crazy: I became somewhat of a collector since those times in hopes of getting friends to shoot recurve with me. Of the top olympic bows of the day (’96/’97), I have, for Hoyt, the Avalon+, a Radian, a Gold Medalist/TD4 or four, a tnumber of Sky Medalists/Hoyt TD3s, and for Yamaha, an EX, a YTD II, a YSTL II, and an Eolla. I never got a Sky Conquest, though I did get a PSE Centra that I ended up giving to a friend. In total, I have in our garage, 27 risers, 31 sets of limbs, a Japanese yumi, and a number of older bows still at my parent’s house that were not take downs. Before Arrow Mfg., I only owned one Bear TD.
Thank you, your family (and Ron and your parents, may they rest in peace) again for your friendship and generosity.
