Archery in the Outfield

ContentImagesVideo

Find Local
Sports

HOME / ABOUT / Events & News / Sox Park Archery
FEATURE Archery In The Outfield… Youngsters take aim inside pristine U.S. Cellular Field for a day By Paul Slomski, WSC Contributor Keeping in-line with its’ mission to introduce Chicago's youth to the fun and benefits of sport and help each child in Chicago recognize that there is a sport to meet their interests and abilities, World Sport Chicago (WSC), Illinois Sports Facilities Authority and Archery Education Resources’ Lives On Target program hosted more than 100 kids from Chicago schools on Wednesday, June 16 at U.S. Cellular Field home of the Chicago White Sox, for a unique archery event that was literally out of left field. Taking advantage of a White Sox road trip and a beautiful, sunny afternoon, WSC provided youngsters with an opportunity for hands-on target shooting, archery lessons from a USA national team member, a pep talk from a WSC Archery Scholar and a tour of the home teams’ dugout. A number of the kids attending the event were Becoming A Man (BAM) participants this past school year, participating in an after-school program that exposed them to a number of Olympic sports, including archery, that was coupled with in-school group counseling sessions concentrated on cognitive behavioral therapy. For most of the kids it was their first time inside the park. While most claimed to be Sox fans, all of them agreed on how much fun they have with archery, “it’s exercise, but you don’t have to run,” exclaimed Santonio Whitfiled, a 6th grader at Parker Community Academy. Participants rotated to various stations throughout the day, learning, listening and shooting…
TARGET SHOOTING Aspiring archers were able to take aim at targets in left field placed at various distances, learning to use all the proper gear, shooting techniques, safety rules and scoring, aiming for a ‘10’ or yellow bulls-eye. Lives On Target , who conducted the BAM archery component this year, and its certified instructors, took the kids through the paces, keeping score and ensuring all the safety precautions were followed. Jomar Denis, a sophomore at Clemente High School thoroughly enjoyed the BAM archery program this year and “wants to buy a bow this summer” so he can continue to shoot and maintain his skills. ELITE DEMONSTRATION Stephanie Miller U.S. Archery National Team Member Stephanie is a World Sport Chicago staff member who also happens to be a USA Archery National Team member. She showed the kids her high tech gear, talked about her travels as a national team member, demonstrated her phenomenal accuracy and answered questions from the inquisitive kids. With her parents encouragement, Stephanie began shooting as a seven-year-old and is glad she stuck with it through the years and countless of hours of practice because she has been able to “make friends all over the world.” They keep in touch on a regular basis, but know not to contact each other when “the sun is out, because we are probably shooting…” Stephanie passed along some of those same messages and encouragement to the kids that her parents gave to her, “if you are passionate about it, keep working at it, who knows where it will take you.”	WSC SCHOLAR PRESENTATION Leticia Duran WSC Scholar Leticia is a junior at Chicago Military Academy and was chosen as a WSC Scholar athlete in archery this year. She will be participating in various networking activities, college prep courses and competing among the other 55 WSC scholar athletes for one of sixteen renewable $10,000 scholarships later this year. She was asked to speak to the kids about the experiences and the opportunities archery has provided her. Telling them how archery taught her “perseverance and determination,” having to shoot lefty at Nationals after suffering a broken arm in another sport. She is considering studying architecture at the University of Illinois. More on WSC Scholars VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT Lastly, all the kids got a home team perspective from the dugout, taking a seat and even partaking in the antics and chatter of their professional counterparts. Titus Bell, a 5th grader at Parker Community Academy exclaimed, “I am going to be the richest archery player in the world and put half in the bank!” It was a great way to wrap up the last day of school for a number of the Chicago Public School students. The event’s gracious host, the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, provided a number of lucky participants with free tickets to a White Sox game this summer.