I just got the last email from USA Archery that all my pre-requisite checks were now complete.  I’m officially a Level 1 Archery Instructor!  I’m now qualified to teach beginning archery skills to 8-13 year old children.  While not a difficult process in general, it was actually more time-consuming that I had originally thought and of course, more expensive.  As with any organized sport, the organizations will charge more money than anyone thinks is proper, but you don’t have a choice.  That is all behind me now and I’m already looking forward to actually running a weekly practice session at our local range.

My daughter has taken archery lessons now for just over a year and it’s the longest activity she’s managed to stick with in her 10 years on this planet.  It’s a big deal people!  We even were confident enough to go out and buy her first bow with all the trimmings that go with that to the tune of more than $400.  She’s actually become quite good and has achieved most of the pins for indoor and outdoor re-curve bow.  Her skill with shooting has quickly matched mine and in some respects, surpassed me.  I don’t have my own bow but am planning on purchasing one with my next work bonus next month.

She’s tried soccer, softball, basketball, tennis, swimming and field hockey and wanted to quit all of them before the first season was over.  We did force her to finish out the season because we did pay for them up front.  Archery was one of those things both the wife and I thought she would quit.  Well, it turned out to be something that she looks forward to going to each week and actually gets mad when we have a conflict and can’t go.  I was there so much that when the went around asking for people to volunteer as instructors, I naturally volunteered given that I’d been shooting off and on since college (more than 20 years ago!).

Now I can help teach other kids while spending time to and from archery every week with the daughter.  We play this game where she tries to explain to me what anime and manga are and I obviously act like a Dad and just make it harder for her.  It’s all in good fun and I never make it feel like I am making fun of anime and manga, even though I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.

Let’s hope I don’t hurt myself!!