Have you ever felt like an outsider? I come from a military family, so I have moved around and had to make new friends in new places. I have felt like an outsider a lot! When I came to Louisiana, I was called “the new girl” and “girl from Tennessee”. It made me feel like I didn’t have a place in my school, where everyone had been friends since practically birth.
When I made the archery team, I felt like I finally belonged somewhere.
With the help of archery, I started to meet people, not only at my school but in my community, and I quickly started to feel less alone. I practiced every day. My parents entered me in tournaments and encouraged me to put myself out there, win or lose. I worked hard to get better at archery and people started to notice my name on the leaderboard and say “hey” at school and at tournaments. I started to get invited to participate in tournaments outside of school. It even helped me get to this point, right now, writing for NASP® as a student contributor, which never would have happened if I hadn’t tried out for archery.
The thing is, if you want something bad enough, you will put in the effort to get it. If you’re having a hard time finding your place, maybe you must step outside of your comfort zone, try something new, and prove yourself. It may be hard, but it will be worth it. I didn’t know anything about archery or NASP® before I moved to my new school, and now I have an entire organization, teammates, and coaches that support me and consider me a friend. NASP® archery helped me find a place in a new community and a hidden talent for a new sport!
