Monday, April 23, 2007

Trying Something New


Over the years we have placed Aimee in different types of classes and training. Currently she is in Aikido but in the past she has taken drawing lessons through the Monart program and through ASU. For awhile now I have been asking that she take some sort of shooting discpline. Jill of course was abhorrent to this at first. She has always been dead set against guns. I don't want Aimee to shoot because I like guns, I want her to shoot because my father and myself have demonstrated a talent for hand eye coordination that has manifested itself through shooting sports. In the Army I was a top notch shooter, never shooting below a 36 out of the 40 required for the 4 years that I was in. And of course over the last few years I have continued to shoot skeet and when focused do a pretty good job at it. I tried to prep both of them about the Junior Olympic program here in Arizona, they would have none of it. Standing smallbore, air rifle, air pistol, biathalon, all denied. The wanted noting to do with weapons, and I understand. Violence and weaponry in society are all too prevalent and a dangerous thing. I've only wanted Aimee to take up some sort of shooting sport because I know that she has the focus and the talent to do well at anything that she does plus the talent of my father and myself at a hand-eye coordination sport. I wouldn't care if it was darts or tiddly-winks, as long as she got practice at something. Well, it turns out that the Chandler Community Center offered Archery this summer and Jill signed Aimee up. We've gone twice now, Aimee is having some problems with the recurve bow that is larger than her (literally), and after a few rounds she begins to tire from the pull of the bow. She manages to hit the target with regularity and a few times now has hit the center 10 ring. Not bad for a little scoot. I take her every weekend and we may take a second class in the summer. I've already primed the pump about the Junior Olympic Archery Division program for girls from ages 7 to 12 that meets at the same range about an hour earlier. We'll see, for now we’re just having fun.

1 comment:

OKDad said...

Is the Little Scoot still into rock wall cliimbing and rappeling?

C is 7 1/2 now and I'm dying to take her to a place in the city that has several indoor rock walls - created using converted grain silos - how cool is that?

As far as archery goes, I'm sure it won't be long before my F-i-L takes the girls out bowfishing some night at the lake. Same sport, different aim, so to speak.