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| Jack of All Trades, Master of Nothing  |
As our daughter gets older and better, the coaching and parenting challenges get ever more complicated. Ever since Vegas she's not wanted to practice. At first it was that her arm hurt from a pulled muscle, then it was her bow was not shooting to point of aim, this afternoon she flat did not want to practice at all. We had a long talk and it finally makes sense as to why she's been avoiding shooting. At Vegas, she had a monumental equipment malfunction on her last arrow. The bow she was using completely locked up at rest and she could not draw it back. She borrowed a friend's bow and shot her last arrow as a makeup. What I thought was one of her greatest moments, she thinks of as one of her worst. She's literally afraid to shoot her bow out of fear of another equipment failure. She's afraid of being on the line with everyone watching and not being able to perform to the best of her ability. Not a good feeling to have with Indoor Nationals next weekend. We've got a session with her coach tomorrow night and he's aware and has some ideas of how to work wit her. I've just never had to work through anything like this or coach anyone through anything like this. My daughter can deflate your daughter's soccer ball. | ||
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| I have not yet begun to procrastinate |
There are a butt-load of links and articles in this site: Sports Psychology Today Some may be old hat to you or your daughter, something else may hit the spot. I hope her next session with her coach will help her let go of the equipment problem and focus on the task at hand. ETA - I hope PSE got an earfull after the equipment SNAFU. -------- After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. | |||
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| Jack of All Trades, Master of Nothing |
No reason to give PSE an earful. They had 2 reps on the arena floor in Vegas offering to help before she could get set for her last arrow. The bow's been fully torn down and gone through, we're waiting to hear what the issue was. Things don't always go right and mechanical things can fail. Learning how to overcome is part of competition and life. She was able to overcome it at the moment, now she needs to overcome it and be able to move on. My daughter can deflate your daughter's soccer ball. | |||
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| I have not yet begun to procrastinate |
Oh I don't mean a full on swearing session, but PSE needs to provide their shooters with equipment that: 1 - works 2 - provide in a timeframe for it to be used enough for any bugs to show up and for it to settle in. Very odd that her bow worked in the booth after the malf. I wouldn't blame her for wanting a different one or for PSE to want her to use a different one. That bow could have bad juju attached to it.  I've let stupid stuff in competitions get under my skin that should have just been blown off as a "$#!+ happens" moment. -------- After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box. | |||
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| Run Silent Run Deep  |
She’s got the yips... She’s in her own mind and psyching herself out... _____________________________ Pledge allegiance or pack your bag! The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher Spread my work ethic, not my wealth | |||
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Member |
I'm unfamiliar with the rules of her sport and it's governing body but is backup equipment allowed? I think the most important thing is to teach her about being prepared for the inevitable equipment failure and working through it. The whole 1 is none and 2 is one kind of thing. If PSE is the sponsor maybe wrangling a secondary bow is part of the answer here? | |||
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| I made it so far, now I'll go for more  |
Sounds like burnout. Bob I am no expert, but think I am sometimes. | |||
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| The success of a solution usually depends upon your point of view |
Could taking some type of course on bow maintenance and repair be an option? Maybe if she got a better understanding of the mechanical side she would be able to regain some trust in her equipment? “We truly live in a wondrous age of stupid.” - 83v45magna "I think it's important that people understand free speech doesn't mean free from consequences societally or politically or culturally." -Pranjit Kalita, founder and CIO of Birkoa Capital Management | |||
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| Member |
Teachable life lesson on equipment or life knocking you down & the will to get back up? Don't lose heart. | |||
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Funny Man |
Good on you for posting this and keeping it real. I have two young athletes as well, age 11 and 14, and it's always easy to post the brags about their successes. But as you probably know, the real growth usually happens as a result of the setbacks along the way. She is determined, invested and surrounded by support. This too shall pass.... ______________________________ “I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living.” ― John Wayne | |||
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| Member |
"At first it was that her arm hurt from a pulled muscle," Maybe it really did. "... then it was her bow was not shooting to point of aim,..." Well, it DID have some sort of lock-up problem....maybe something's wrong. ".... this afternoon she flat did not want to practice at all. " A whole day off ?!?!?! HORRORS! " We had a long talk and it finally makes sense as to why she's been avoiding shooting. What I thought was one of her greatest moments, she thinks of as one of her worst." I don't know the details of you or your daughter, but just reading it through, is it possible that this whole thing is a bigger deal for you than it is for her ? I mean after all, it IS just shooting a bow and arrow. Why do it at all if not enjoyable for her ? "We've got a session with her coach...." I mean, seriously, how many kids need private archery coaches? Don't get me wrong, if she is into it I am all for striving for the top; but it sounds like she doesn't enjoy it (at least right now) and you have created a situation with a lot of pressure.....most likely inadvertently, but still it is there. "Crom is strong! If I die, I have to go before him, and he will ask me, 'What is the riddle of steel?' If I don't know it, he will cast me out of Valhalla and laugh at me." | |||
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| Leatherneck |
There is a whole lot to say about this post, but I think this sums it up best:  Don't feed the troll 2000Z-71. “Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014 | |||
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| Leatherneck |
I have never dealt with anything quite the same as you are. But I have had kids not want to practice or play because of an injury they received or because of a mistake that they made that cost the team a game. I tried writing some stuff out but since my experience is with team sports mainly it really isn't the same. Does she know that the failure was not her fault? Since it worked at the PSE booth immediately after is there a chance that she thinks it is something she caused? “Everybody wants a Sig in the sheets but a Glock on the streets.” -bionic218 04-02-2014 | |||
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| Funny Man |
Yes, we must not guide kids toward perseverance, hard work and dedication to be their best. I mean damn, they might actually grow up with a set of life skills that prepare them to meet life's challenges In case you were not able to pick up on the sarcasm, you haven't a clue what you are talking about. His daughter, and his whole family as a result, have invested tremendously into competitive archery. Something she clearly loves and is excelling at a high level doing. An endeavor which may not get her to the Olympics but will certainly prepare her for life's many challenges ahead. It never fails that some armchair child psychologists jumps in to shit all over parents who are going though any ups and downs with a kid who competes at a sport rather sitting on their ass chugging soda and watching Spongebob all day like a "normal kid". ______________________________ “I'd like to know why well-educated idiots keep apologizing for lazy and complaining people who think the world owes them a living.” ― John Wayne | |||
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| Jack of All Trades, Master of Nothing |
I just received an e-mail this morning. The bow she shot in Vegas is at our shop. PSE is going to have a rep in the shop along with our shop's owner for the bow tear down and inspection this week. They have invited our daughter to be there to watch and participate. It will be a great learning opportunity for her and hopefully build some confidence. If nothing else, maybe she'll start using the proper terms for components of her bow rather than spinny thingie or cable thingie.  My daughter can deflate your daughter's soccer ball. | |||
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Striker in waiting |
Knowing Mya, she'll have PSE re-name the components, "spinny thingie" and "cable thingie" by the time they're finished. -Rob I predict that there will be many suggestions and statements about the law made here, and some of them will be spectacularly wrong. - jhe888 A=A | |||
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Member |
I think some of us here all know what that feels like. You train years for something, then it comes time and something fails, it rattles you. The best thing I found is to just do it. Shoot again and she'll feel better. And just for fun also, no pressure Used guns deserve a home too | |||
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| Jack of All Trades, Master of Nothing |
Not discounting that at all. When we returned from Vegas, we treated it as a pulled muscle. She took a couple of days off from training, we applied ice and gave motrin. Training resumed using light poundage recurve and Genesis bows to ensure that she was healed and prevent further injury.
Different bow, this is her personal bow, not the one she was shooting in Vegas. Prior to Vegas she was offered a field staff shooter position with PSE which is one of the major bow manufacturers. In doing so, she really couldn't show up in Vegas shooting the Hoyt she had been using for the past several months. One of our teams's coaches loaned our daughter her backup bow which is an early production of the same model that our daughter is now shooting. That is the bow she shot in Vegas.
No, having a day off is not the cause for concern. With kids, it's quite common to have to peel the layers of the onion back to get to the core and discover the root of the problem. It's not as simple as it appears on the surface of just wanting to take a day off, it's the reason behind it. In talking with her we found that she's dealing with some anxiety from what happened in Vegas. It's a mental game issue that she is going to have to deal with. At least now we're aware of the issue and can support and coach her through it. If we hadn't have had that conversation, the problem could compound itself during Indoor Nationals next week in San Diego.
No, it's not just shooting a bow and arrow for her. Here's a picture of one of the youth shooting lines in Vegas last year to give you an idea of scale. Now imagine, you're a 12 year old girl, on that line by yourself with an arena full of people watching you shoot one single arrow.  What happened this year is that the bow she was shooting locked up and she could not draw it back to shoot her final arrow. Se tried repeatedly and could not do it. With 2 seconds left she called an equipment malfunction and was allowed to shoot 1 makeup arrow. She borrowed a bow from a friend that she had never shot before, was not fitted to her, stood on the line by herself in a packed arena and still managed to drill a 9 with it. I thought it was one of her greatest moments in that she had the presence of mind to recognize the situation and then perform under pressure. She views it as one of her worst as not being able to get her final arrow off. That's causing her anxiety, not wanting to be in that position again.
Most kids that compete in archery at the state and national levels do. She does strive to be among the best. At 12 she holds 1 national record, 5 state records, multiple state championships, finished 5th in Nationals last year and was invited to the selection camp for the US Olympic Archery Team's Compound Dream Team Selection Camp this past fall. Archery is her sport, she chose it, my wife and I have followed her into it. She does enjoy it and it is her passion. That's part of the issue right now, she's afraid of not being able to perform in the sport that she loves. My whole point in sharing is not to brag but to share. Share to see if others have experienced similar and learn from them. Share so that others may learn from us. As far as whether of not she enjoys it, a picture of her from Selection Camp back in November. If she can have a smile that big on her face after training, drilling and shooting for a week straight from 8:00AM in the morning until 7:30PM at night, I'd say she's enjoying it. That's what we're challenged with now, making sure it's something to be enjoyed and not feared.  My daughter can deflate your daughter's soccer ball. | |||
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| Member |
Yeah, that's a mile wide grin with gleam in her eyes. She'll do fine in life also. | |||
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| Not as lean, not as mean, Still a Marine  |
She just lived every concealed carriers nightmare... that one where no matter how hard you pull the trigger it won't fire? I feel for her, as every time I've had that nightmare I was unsettled until I went to the range with 250 rounds. Hopefully after the tear down and a practice or sighting in session she will get her confidence back. I shall respect you until you open your mouth, from that point on, you must earn it yourself. | |||
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