Plans, Memories, Reflections, And Thrills!

Yay, Spring Break next week! After class on Friday, my family and I leave for New Mexico! Gonna spend a week there visiting my Dad's family, and that's always fun. One of Dad's sisters raises horses, and we always go riding. It's a great time. My favorite cousin Joanne also has horses, and she and I love to ride together. She's a great girl.

We get back from that on Sunday. The Wednesday after that, Billy and I leave for Gulf Wars! The next day, Mike and Liza join me there! Gulf Wars is always the highlight of my SCA year, and there is truly no experience like it in the world. This year, however, it is special because of an event that literally makes any lover-of-archery's mouth water: The First Annual Grand Exhibition Tournament!
Let me put this into perspective for you. Out of more than 400 archers AROUND THE WORLD, only the top 10 that show up get to compete! Right now, I'm ranked around #45. Not bad, but I know I can do better. I've been practicing! Yesterday I stopped by Ty's place and put in an hour of shooting, as well as picking up a new shooting glove. I think it's going to help a lot! Today, I put in another hour. I tell you what, the new glove helps my release a lot. I think I'm getting consistent enough to really count, now. Once I make the switch back to cedar shafts, I think I'll be able to attain that position I've been dreaming of my whole life...#1.

You know those daydreams you've always had about being the best? Being recognized for accomplishing some outstanding achievement that's never been done, or that no one else could do? Most people have little things in life that give them some small feeling like that every day. I've accomplished that once before. Back in 2000 I became a national champion in the Choong-Sil Taekwondo Federation. I was 17. In my head, it was my last chance to accomplish that, because after I turned 18, I would go up an age bracket and begin competing in the 18-32 year olds division, and it scared me to absolute death. There are World Champions on an Olympic caliber in there, and I did NOT want to have to fight them for a title.
But I did win that year, and the next year, I stepped up, and I found myself unexpectedly able to hold my own with them, though I never really won. It was a feeling of enormous satisfaction and confidence. Now I get to try the same thing in the sport that was and is the partner passion in my life to martial arts: archery.
Even if I come in dead last, the fact that I even get to compete among archers of this skill level is both incredibly humbling...and the rush of a lifetime!

The day after we get back from that, I pull my much-anticipated St. Patrick's Day Chase! Ask me for more details. The only thing everyone REALLY needs to know is that they should meet me between the Music Building and the Theater Building on campus around 2:15 on Monday, St. Patrick's Day! I look forward to seeing everyone there!