During the first few weeks, the bow caused more stress than the heart  condition.  At 35 pounds, I couldn't draw it by myself, I cursed the idiot who designed a rest that wouldn't keep the arrow on, and managed to raise ugly welts on my arm.  Determination and hours of practice eventually paid off and soon I was hunting with my husband and shooting 3-D to improve judging distance and shot placement.  Just when I thought I had it made, I developed Carpal Tunnel in my bow wrist.

The shock of the bow slamming against my hand when I released an arrow sent  me screaming in pain. I tried wearing a brace and packing my wrist in ice between rounds, but it wasn't enough.  Something had to change.  An evaluation of my shooting form revealed that I was not aligning the bones in my arm and hand properly with the bow grip, causing me to torque the bow and making my wrist the shock absorber.  Once again it was back to basics and re-training began.

I had been fortunate to harvest several animals, including a nice Manitoba black bear and collected a few trophies from 3-D tournaments.  But, the more I learn about the different archery organizations the more I wanted to try something new.  My 50th birthday and the Arizona Senior Olympics gave me that opportunity.

In my usual well planned way, I made this decision two weeks before the competition.  I had never shot paper targets and seldom shot distances over 50 yards, so it was back to the drawing board.  I quickly discovered that a foam 3-D target at 50 yards had a lot more to aim at than a little 2" circle.  I traded my 1-1/2" fiber optic hunting sight for a 3/8" target sight, sighted in my bow and started practicing.  As the day grew closer, I started to panic; could my wrist handle 90 arrows, could I stay on target at 60 yards, had I lost my mind?  I took to the line with the other competitors.  Five hours later, I was tired and overwhelmed with emotion as I stood on the podium to receive the Gold Medal in my age division.  I had managed to shoot a 787 out of 900 possible in my first target tournament and the honor of representing Arizona in the July 2001 National Games in Baton Rouge, LA.

I have been fortunate to have the support of my husband, daughter and on-line archery friends.  Archery is not just about personal accomplishments or overcoming obstacles.  It is about the values, ethics and special friendships that we build.

Yesterday was another milestone for the Alford family when we finally met John Vitt, a fellow Arizona resident and on-line bowhunting friend.  We shared a day together talking and listening to Ted Nugent expand family values, hunter rights, ethics and the importance of archery in the world today.  We walked away with a renewed spirit for archery and a commitment to the preservation of hunting.  It is up to each and everyone of us to do our part to promote and preserve the sport of archery, whether in the field hunting or on the range shooting targets.

Archery, the prescription for life!