On Saturday, February 13, 2016, Phoenix Military Academy Archery Team attended the Cupid Classic, one of their many competitions, at Armstrong, IL. They competed against fifteen other schools in Illinois. However, Phoenix did not score as well as they hoped.

“When I arrived to the competition, I felt confident that the team was going to do well. However, I started off strong at 10 meters, but I guess that I panicked and messed up at 15 meters. I believe this is what lowered my score,” said junior Alejandra Olaguez.

The 15 meters shooting range has always been an obstacle for the team because it is from a longer distance and you have to make sure the rest of your body is focused as it was in the 10 meters. Some of the obstacles do not always refer to how the archers position themselves, it can also relate to how they may be feeling physically and emotionally.

“I will try to fully rest before the day of our next competition. I will also try to focus and not panic because all it takes is being able to fix your mistakes when it comes to archery. For example, if you shoot a bad arrow just reflect on you did wrong and try to correct it,” said Olaguez.

If everyone on the team would put in more effort and focus more on how they shoot, they will be able to improve their scores. Therefore, it is a team that is continuing to improve. In this competition, the team was able to boost their score compared to the past two other competitions. They ranked eighth out of fifteen schools, with a score of 3,033 points.

“The team can simply improve by shooting more 10’s; it’s that simple. It is all within the math. However, there might be a lack of confidence within each other and we probably need to feel more comfortable in order to communicate our issues and help each other out,” said Olaguez.

Archery requires a lot of focus and skill but at the end of the day, the team always manages to have a good time regardless of what they score at the competition.

“I really enjoy the road trips with the team because every time we go down south we discover something new about our team members,” said Olaguez.