A way to read information about each podcast!
(and see the craziest pictures Scott can find of me)
Why us?
Depending on who you are and what your goal is, you could say navigating through all the different aspects of archery is challenging. Are you just starting out? Are you thinking you may want to get your child into archery? Do you want to hunt? Do you want to compete? Scott and I went through it. We came into this sport with no knowledge of how to start or where to go. Now that we have been in this sport for quite some time, 6 years for me and probably double that for Scott, we came up with the idea that we would try to help others who want to get into archery. We want to help you!
Many parents find themselves trying to find something their kids like to do and that they are good at. Some people choose baseball, basketball, soccer, or swimming. Okay, swimming is okay. My kids compete in that too. Well, that right there is how Scott found archery. Scott was trying to find something for Ryan to do and something he could be successful at. They got into archery and joined 4-H. That was just the beginning for them. I, on the other hand, was trying to stay away from archery (I did not know ANYTHING about archery). However, Julia was begging me to let her try archery at our local Kids College. There was NO changing her mind. Six years later, she is still into archery and so is her brother.
That is how we got into archery, but what makes us kind of knowledgeable on this topic? The two of us are similar in that we both go all in when we do something. Back in 2014, my friend, Scott, became certified as a 4-H instructor. Then, he became a certified USA Archery Level 1 instructor. He did not stop there. Scott went on to become a Level 2 instructor, and a Level 3 instructor. Oh! Did I mention that he was a 4-H head coach? He became the assistant coach for Woodlands JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development). We met him when he was the head coach of Woodlands JOAD. As if being an instructor was not enough fun, he became a Certified USA Archery Level 1 Judge. Today, Scott is a Certified USA Archery Level 2 Judge, Head Coach of Texas Archery JOAD, President of TSAA (Texas State Archery Association), owner of Eyes on Score (a live scoring app), and owner of Texas Archery (an archery shop in Spring, TX). This all happens when he is not traveling to multiple state and national events to support Ryan, or to judge. We won’t even go into the amount of time it takes to be certified as an instructor or a judge. I guess you could say he is dedicated. Just kidding. He is dedicated, very knowledgeable, and loves to talk about it.
Me, I am a mom of two archers, Luke and Julia. There is my expertise. I guess I have a little more knowledge than that. I became a Certified USA Archery Level 1 Judge and then became a Level 2 Judge. I have been alongside my kids as we have maneuvered our way, and learned our way, into archery. I have a son who has won numerous state championships as well as a national championship. I have a daughter who has won numerous state championships and set several state records. She is a national champion as well. Because of always being there alongside my kids, and the knowledge that I gained by doing so, I was asked to become a judge. The same man who got Scott into judging, got me into judging. During my time off from my real job of being an elementary special education teacher, I can be found traveling to multiple state and national events to support Luke and Julia, or to judge. These days, it seems I do both. SOME, or just Scott, say I was always alongside my kids because I am controlling, or I am a helicopter mom. I say, it was so I would know what was going on and so I could help them. When things go wrong, I need to know what to do, or who to call on. Some, or again, just Scott, make fun of my tool kit, or now tool cart. It has also been called my Mary Poppins bag because almost any archery equipment or tool can be found in it at any event we go to.
How did we get to doing what we are doing? Do you remember when I said that we both go all in when we do something? As if Scott was not doing enough already, he decided to start live streaming archery events. He called me one morning as my family and I were on our way to a tournament at Texas Archery. Scott says, “Hey! Are you on your way?” I said, “Yes. Why?” I knew something was up. Then Scott says, “Do you have your makeup on?” What?!? I said, “Yes. Why?” He did not answer my first question which is why I asked it again. Finally, he explains that I would be co-hosting a live stream of the tournament with him that day. At that point, I really had to put makeup on! In the beginning, there was one camera and the two of us talking about the archery tournament that was taking place. Six months later, there are six cameras and many volunteers who make the live streams come together. The live stream lead to a call that went something like this. Scott said, “Hey! What are you doing?” Almost all his calls start this way. I am sure I said, “Nothing. What are you doing?” He comes back with, “What do you think about doing a podcast? We could help people who want to get into archery.” Did he just say that we could help people who want to get into archery? I was hooked. My response, “That would be awesome!”
In closing...
Are we over the top when it comes to archery? Maybe. Over the top, or not, we want to use our experience to help others navigate through the world of archery, and here we are.
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