Even Archers.....
Well, I most certainly met an Archer today!! And in my own hometown, about 4 miles from where I live!
While yardsailing yesterday, I bought some items. Took them home, and realized that I could use more. So, I went back to the sale today in hopes of buying the remaining they had. No luck, already sold.... But...
In the course of typical yard sale chit chat, I must have made a comment about how their yard would be a perfect layout for an Archery range. Well, that little comment led me to meet, and make, a new friend...
A young gal was helping her mom at this yardsale. Wearing a home-made Archery graphic T-shirt. The mom responded to my comment, and took out her smart phone, and asked: "Can I show you a video of my daughter, Bella?"
Well, the video showed a young gal, hand standing on some wheels, riding down her street, shooting at a target with a recurve, and hitting it.
I looked at the video, and realized I had watched it over and over from a recent friend's Facebook posting. Then, I realized the young Archer, Bella, was standing in front of me!!
Now, as a 56-year-old, I'm pretty nonplused about "celebrities", especially folks younger than me.
Well, let me tell you that it felt pretty cool to be standing beside someone with such talent, and ability to show their talent. Especially since it's a talent...a gift...that I will (and probably most of us) could never achieve.
A talent seen on the telly, on Youtube videos, on countless Facebook posts.
Bella and I talked about Archery, what her inspirations were ("Merida" from the Disney movie "Brave"), her gear (a really nice low weight RH takedown)....you know, the typical stuff Archers talk about.
I would have to say that she's quite shy, which is not evident from her videos. Her mom said that she's doing her best to "work on that", and simply by dealing with folks...even at yardsales...it's a help for her.
Bella showed me some of her arrows, and said she could no longer use a few of them since they were missing feathers (yes, feather fletching). To which I said: "Want me to fix them?" Bella and her mom were taken back by that, so I explained the wonders of a Bitz jig and having a wide stock of feathers at home. And that fixing them would not take long at all. That made both her, and her mom, smile.
And then, UNLIKE the curmudgeonly grouch that I normally am, I asked her something: I asked for her autograph. She got the biggest grin, and found one of her no-longer-usable arrows (cracked near the nock), and signed it: "Bo~Bella, 7-22-18"...!!!!
Pretty cool, Huh?
I have two other arrows from a rather influential Archer whose first name was "Elly"; this "Bella"-signed arrow will be placed with Elly's, because to me, this young person represents a future of Archery that not only has influenced me, but has, AND WILL, undoubtedly influence a new generation of Archers. Probably both YOUNG, and .... not so young!! (And even a few of us curmudgeons....)
Bella's mom said to me, as I was leaving this wonderful visit: "You coming back to my yardsale: it was supposed to happen. You were guided back here today..."
Bella smiled. So did I.
Yes, her mom had it right.
Archery is the most cool of strings that tie the past, to the present; in straight, and sometimes very contortioned ways. Bringing people together, over the shear beauty of the flight of the arrow. No matter what appendage is propelling it!
"So Randy, how was your weekend?"
"Most excellent! I met the coolest Archer, and her name is Bella"......
Not a bad weekend at all....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mojcd2O-y7c
She was shooting a custom Blacktail recurve with her feet better than I could have done with my hands. And she did it while doing a hand stand!
I think she's coming back this year too. If so, I'll see her Saturday.
