An Archer’s Dedication at Inhibitor Family Camp

Our inhibitor programs are all about pushing your boundaries to try something you may have never done before. Read about Evan Chung’s achievement at Inhibitor Family Camp at Victory Junction. This experience had such a profound effect on him, he wrote an essay about it! Way to go Evan-you demonstrate such determination! We are proud of you! -Janet Brewer

Published: Lifelines for Health Spring 2018

By: Evan Chung

I was running down a steep hill at 6:30pm. I was going to archery at Inhibitor Family Camp at Victory Junction. My dad and I came there together. My dad and I had to wait for a while. Finally, I got a spot. It was pretty windy there. I was feeling pretty excited because I just got a spot, then I tried reaching a bow, but I couldn’t reach one because I wasn’t tall, and I was only 6 3⁄4 years old. I tried many more times, but I couldn’t make it. Then my dad took one bow down, and I said I wanted a different bow. But he said it’s not my size and he also said the one he picked was the right size for me. Dad picked a blue bow.

Then came Larry the archery councilor at camp. He said to my dad “good!” I don’t know why. Then Larry gave me twelve arrows. Then he told me how to do archery. Then he said to try to get a bullseye which is when you get your arrow in the middle of your target. Once at a different camp called Camp Bold Eagle, there was archery too, but I never got a bullseye there. In fact, I never got a bullseye, ever. Anyway, I was really determined to even get one bullseye because my dad told me if I get one bullseye, I can get a gold medal from Larry.

Anyway, I shot my first arrow. Really surprising! I did better than last time! Then I shot my next arrow. Then I started going crazy because I just got my arrow in the red part of the target. My dad said, “calm down, Evan” so I calmed down, but in my thoughts, I just kept going crazy. That caused me to waste some arrows because I was going crazy. I only had three arrows left. I shot an arrow. Red part. I shot another arrow. Blue part. Worse. It was my last arrow... and I got the red part. I sighed. “Parent, pick-up!” shouted Larry. Then all of the parents went to pick up the arrows. They also pulled them off the targets.

It was almost lunch time, so I thought I’d better hurry up. But I didn’t waste any arrows. I did my first shot out of twelve arrows. Blue part, bad. Then I shot my second arrow. Red part, not that bad! Well now let’s skip to the ninth arrow. I got it in the yellow, but it was not a bullseye. I was on my second to last arrow. I took a deep breath, then set up and shot. Then... “twang!” It hit right in the middle of the bullseye! Then I started going really crazy. I shouted, “Larry! Larry! I got a bullseye!” Of course, he didn’t hear me because he was working with another kid. Then I shouted again. This time he heard me. He gave me a gold medal. It was the first medal I ever got. I felt really proud. “I did It!”, I thought. Dad said it was time for lunch. Then we ate lunch. I played with my medal. I felt really proud.