Who Am I?
It's me: Manisha! I am the Host and Producer of the Archery Parent Podcast - What parents need to know to best support their Archer.
And, most importantly: I. Am. An. Archery. Mom.
I am so excited to be sharing this information with you.
Why Am I doing a Podcast?
The easiest answer: Because...why not?
How and when did I become an Archery Mom?
Short Answer:
2014.
Long Answer:
HOW IT STARTED:
Our Archery adventure started back in 2014, when Reece got his first compound bow.
We lived in a city where Archery resources were, and still are, far and few between. We were able to find an outdoor range nearby, where Reece spent time learning how to shoot. Our knowledge of and involvement in the Archery community gradually expanded and Reece moved to an indoor range in another city where he did his first tournament. Reece didn't mind shooting his compound bow, but shorter distances was all he knew. He was kind of getting bored by the spring of 2015.
WHEN IT ALL CHANGED:
In the summer of 2015, the City of Toronto hosted the Pan Am Games. I had purchased tickets for the Archery qualification rounds (Thursday) and the medal matches (Saturday). We had never been to an outdoor event, nor did I know what to expect. What's a 720? How many arrows are they shooting? What's an end? How long do I have to sit in the sun? Wait, what if it rains? Yeah, as an Archery Parent, I knew nothing.
The Archery events were held at Varsity Stadium, part of the University of Toronto, July 14-18. Fifteen countries from North, Central, and South America, were represented. We attended the first of two days of qualifications - one round of 72 arrows, scored out of 720. Oh, and, they were shooting recurve bows. Not compound. Back then, compound bows were not allowed to compete in the Pan Am Games (that changed at the 2023 Pan Am Games).
Again, knowing nothing but compound bows and an indoor range at 18 meters, what the heck were they using? A recurve bow?
They're shooting how far? Seriously: 70 (!) meters! Oh, my gosh!
EXTRA INFO:
The Pan Am Games are considered a Continental Qualifier for the Olympics, which are held a year later. The Pan Am Games offer spots to be earned by the various countries, based on performance. They are part of a series of global qualifier events: Asian Games, European Games are two examples. (Additional reading, if you're interested: World Archery, "How do archers qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?")
This event was also my first exposure to Crispin Duenas, Patrick Rivest, and Jay Lyons (who won Bronze), who made up the Canadian Men's team; and Brady Ellison, from the USA (who went on to win Silver medals individually and as part of the Men's team that weekend).
Four years later, Brady went on to become the 2019 World Champion.
BACK TO OUR STORY:
As you get to know more Archers, you will notice the majority of them aren't the most expressive people. There we were, sweating in the sun, sitting on scalding metal bleachers in Varsity Arena in the middle of a humid Toronto summer. I look over at Reece and his face has no inkling of his thoughts. I don't know if he is enjoying this experience, or if he's hating every minute of it and wanting to leave. He gave me nothing. I was dreading having to spend another whole day in the exact same spot for the medal matches. His reply when I asked what he thought about the qualification round, after we finally found seats in the packed, but wonderfully air-conditioned, commuter train on the way home:
"Yeah, it was okay."
Um...okay. Mom Fail?
The matches two days later were exciting. The crowd "oohed", "aahed", and made the grimaced faces of people 100% invested. Binoculars were pressed to faces. Spectators acted like the competitors were their best friends, referring to them by their first names only.
(Now that we're 10 years in, I get it. The Archery community is small, even globally. You get to know a lot of them personally when attending major events. Funny, the majority of Archers have names unique enough that you can say "x" and everyone knows who you're talking about.)
After the medals had been placed over the heads, I turned to Reece once again to ask what he thought of the day. This time, his expression was everything. He looked towards the target stands, pointed his finger at them, and simply said:
"I want to do that."
That's when I officially went into Archery Mom Mode.
WHY A PODCAST AND WHY NOW:
We have been on this Archery Adventure for so long, and have had a lot of experiences others have not. Parents come to me with questions. I also was a team manager for the Junior National Recurve squad for two years, assisting Canadian National Coach Joan McDonald. Since then, Reece and I have been to tournaments in 9 Canadian provinces and 14 (?) US states, returning to several provinces/states many times over. I leap at the opportunities to book accommodations and transportation, and pack the car like a game of Tetris.
I've gotten to know a lot of people across North America and learned a lot a long the way. Many seasoned Archery parents bring new parents my way when there are questions. I am a go-to. Why wouldn't I share that information? Hence, this podcast.
HOW IT'S GOING:
We're still travelling all over Canada and the US.
And, Reece is on the Canadian National Recurve team. He spent 2024 travelling on the international circuit. Unfortunately, Canada was not able to earn a Team spot to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, but that's not to say their World Cup efforts were not fruitful. Reece and teammates Brandon and Eric made history as the first Canadian Men's team to win a medal at a World Cup event (Yecheon, Korea, in May).
Onward to LA2028.
LESSON OF THE DAY:
Never leave home without your wagon. (We'll have a whole episode about wagons.)
ENOUGH ABOUT ME. LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU.
Contact the podcast to let us know what you'd like to hear: ideas to share, topics to discuss, and questions to answer. DM, send an email, or leave us a voice mail through this website. If you find something helpful, learn something new, or hear something interesting, be sure to pass it along to another Archery Parent.
