USA Archery Olympic Trials- June 1-3, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Following our Incline escapade today, we were happy just to sit for a couple hours and watch the training session for archery!
Arriving at the venue, we were a little surprised to see virtually no one there but the 
competitors and staff. Yes, archery is not exactly a mainstream sport and it was just practice. But these were Olympic athletes! How cool to get to watch so up close and personal. So we settled in to learn and observe the process. With Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods as a backdrop, it was most picturesque and inspiring setting.
The session was very casual, laid back and about as simple as it gets. Eight women on one side, eight men on the other, each with a target, a bow and quiver full of arrows. The signal beeps. Each archer shoots his/her 12 arrows. An “all-clear” signal beeps and all 16 stroll to the target to retrieve their arrows. The signal beeps for ready to shoot. Signal beeps to shoot. Repeat.
After a shot, the archer might look into a scope to get a better look at where the arrow landed. Occasionally coaches would make a correction, maybe walk to the target with their athlete. There was an occasional comment or laugh between competitors as they walked back.
The reason the mellowness was so interesting to me is that I come from a gymnastics background where an Olympic Trials training session would be high energy, intense and tension filled. I’m not saying the archers weren’t serious or focused, they definitely were. It was just a very different atmosphere than I’m used to.
As the practice session was wrapping up, we bought our requisite Archery Olympic Trials T-shirt. We were also able to get autographs from some of the athletes on our USA banner. They were very friendly, talkative, gracious and appreciative of our support.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until much later I had an embarrassing realization. I’d forgotten we’d come straight from our hike. I was salty, sweaty, dirty and looked and smelled like a homeless person. I have no idea what they thought, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t very flattering. So embarrassed.
Our third new life experience of the day was the christening of “The Podium.” Jim bought a small used camper for the back of our pickup truck for the June trip to diving, track & field, trampoline and gymnastics. We’ll be on the road for over three weeks, staying at campgrounds along the way. So we needed to check it out, make sure everything worked, and most importantly, see if we could survive the small space and each other!
We stayed at an RV campground in Manitou Springs (our first RV park experience). We uncovered a couple of small glitches, the water hose didn’t work, Jim is longer than the bed, and we need special shocks for the extra weight of the camper. We definitely have some logistical issues to square away before we leave in 10 days. And maybe a few ground rules. But it looks as if The Podium will be our home for our west coast Olympic Trials trip. Stay tuned!
In Celebration of Sport!