I finally shot my bow last week and am SO incredibly excited! My shots were spot-on with great groupings:
Coach Jim measured the draw weight and let-off weight which turned out to be heavier than what I thought. DW = 28.9#, LO = 7.7#. So happy I've built the strength to comfortably draw at this weight. It's hard to believe that just last September I was unable to move the string, much less draw on Lizzie's bow which is 22#!
My new arrows arrive this week; who knew that I would be excited about selecting the colors for my fletching. How silly! I'll post pix when they arrive.
I'm looking forward to shooting outside when the weather warms up. It's still too cold for me to shoot outside and try not to shiver. I've had my eye on a battery operated vest that can provide heat for up to 10 hours. The problem with layering to shoot is, if the layers are too thick, I won't be able to get into proper position. I'll figure out a solution.
My training is coming along great and am up to 15# on my exercises having started @ 5#. I'm giving myself one more week of training at 15# and then bump it up to 20# next week. Dr. Lenke prescribed PT massage which I'll start soon now that I'm shooting. Jeremy helps me with massage but he's looking forward to a little bit of a break since I need massage more frequently now.
I'm really curious to see how I'm shooting at the end of the outdoor season. :D
UPDATE 3-20-13: Seems there was a little faux pas on my results because Dr. Nyland contacted me today and said I am classified as an AR Standing Para archer to compete in the Open Division (compound). :D
ORIGINAL POST 3-19-13: I'm not disabled enough to make the cut as a classified para archer. What exactly does this mean? The process of getting classified for archery means having an exam with Dr. John Nyland in Louisville, KY who is the only classifying doctor in the US. He explained that in an archery exam, the minimum points an archer must reach for 2013 is 15 points which translates to a loss of strength or range of movement. The main focus for the archery exam is the arms and legs with little focus paid to the core/trunk area. I had to do many different exercises that were quite painful. I asked Dr. Nyland if his room was a torture chamber. So while I have zero strength/mobility in my core, my arm and leg strength was good which resulted in me not hitting the 15 point requirement. Had I been classifying for a different sport that has a primary focus on core strength/mobility, I would have been in like Flynn, but that's ok.
Dr. Nyland said that even if I hit the 15 points this year, that there is no way I could get re-classified next year when the point system changes to a minimum of 24 points. The change is a result of the Russian Men's Standing Paralympic team who apparently fudged their disabilities at the 2012 London Games and shot great... too great. This raised red flags with World Archery who will implement the new point system in 2014. Dr. Nyland said that it is getting to the point that if an archer isn't missing a limb, they won't get classified.
How does that impact my long term goals? Well, I am disappointed I won't be able to make it to the Paralympics, but that just means I need to focus on another target. ;) While I still have my disability, Dr. Nyland needs the committee to advise exactly what type of archer am I:
Able-bodied Archer
Disabled Archer
Para Archer without Classification
As an able-bodied archer, I'm unable to pull my arrows nor am I able to bend/lean to look around arrows when scoring. I'll get this all figured out.
The reason we were in Louisville was for the NFAA Indoor Nationals where Lizzie shot. This was a BIG event with over 1,400 youth shooters and I don't know how many adult and pro shooters. It was a fun weekend; it even snowed! I'm looking forward to shooting with her at Louisville next year.
I was able to get my bow fixed which was a big relief! My draw weight is currently set at 26# on a 30#-40# bow until I get stronger which means there is some slack on the string being set so light. I was at the end of my drawing practice when my bow arm fatigued. As I was letting down my draw, my bow arm started to shake which tilted the bow and resulted in the string popping off. I'll order arrows this week and plan to have a shooting lesson with GRIV in a couple of weeks.
My weight training has been good and I've increased my weights from #10 to #15 and introduced a pec exercise on the machine.
Current training:
Lat Pull Down: x3 sets, 10 reps, #15
Seated Rows: x3 sets, 10 reps, #15
Pecs: x1 set, 10 reps, #5
Lunges: x10 on each leg
Therabands: prescribed exercises
Drawing bow until arrows arrive and I can actually shoot
Shot a vid today so I can see what my pull downs look like:
Despite trying to pinch my shoulder blades together, it doesn't look like I accomplished that movement yet. At least I know what my starting point looks like. It will be interesting to see how things change/improve a few months from now.
I'm getting excited about my classification appointment next week. Lizzie will be shooting at the NFAA tourney this weekend. I've heard this is a fun shoot and usually has a big turnout of about 1,200 archers.
We are looking forward to shooting with Kennesaw Archery Club when they move back to the outdoor range in a few weeks.
Yesterday was a very exciting day because I finally got my bow set up with the d-loop, peep sight, arrow rest and sight with scope. I'm feeling really good that the draw weight was set to 26#. It felt great drawing the bow and I was happy I had built up the strength to pull it. How horrible would it have been if I wasn't able to draw? Shortly before leaving the shop, the tech guy said, "Because your draw weight is set so light, there is a very small chance the string can pop off." I asked, "How much of a chance exactly?" "Probably never," he said.
This morning I'm practicing drawing my bow (I need to order arrows so I won't be shooting for a couple more weeks) with my Flip vid because I want to see what it looks like.
After a few draws, I notice the peep sight is rotating and I can no longer see through it. How odd; I'll be sure to show this to GRIV when I have a lesson with him. Right after I shot this vid, I drew one more time and POW! The string jumped off the cams. :( I'm SOOO bummed. Sigh. Back to Snellville I go. At least my scapula moved.
