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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: McDave on January 21, 2017, 10:27:00 PM
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Today my club manned an indoor range for kids at a Sportsman's Expo. There were 4 shooting positions, with one of us manning each position. There were a variety of recurves and Genesis compound bows for the kids to choose from, and they shot at targets with animal silhouettes and balloons on them, about 10 yards away. Occasionally a dollar bill would fall out of one of the busted balloons. This wasn't a class, but we offered whatever instruction each kid needed to get his or her 5 arrows off safely, which varied from a lot to none, depending on the kid. The kids were allowed to get back in line after shooting their 5 arrows and shoot again if they wanted to, and quite a few did. From the time the Expo opened at 9:30 until the end of our club's shift at 2:30, there was always a line of kids and all 4 shooting positions were active unless we were pulling arrows.
I wasn't paying any attention to the line, because I thought it was my job to give whatever kid I had a good experience and my undivided attention while he or she was shooting. Whenever I finished with one kid, there was a guy at the head of the line whose job it was to direct the next kid to my position. So I turn around and this kid shows up at my shooting position who is about 5-6 years old, and has only one complete arm and the other one ends just below the elbow. Most kids of that age, I would be holding the bow with them as they shot to help direct their arrows and help them pull the bow back, and the first thought that entered my mind was to do that with him; I would be his string hand.
But I asked him the standard questions anyway: Do you know how to shoot the bow? yes. Do you want to shoot a right or left handed bow? right handed. Do you want to shoot a recurve or a compound? a compound. Since he answered the questions without hesitating, after I got him a bow, I asked him if he wanted my help? no.
So he held the bow in his left hand, and hooked the little bit of forearm that God left him on his right arm around the string, and shot 5 arrows into the target, which is better than the majority of the other kids, at ages from about 5 to 80, were able to do.
His parents were watching, but hadn't come up with him to the shooting line, and they shot after he did. I took my cue from them, and other than telling him he had done a great job getting all 5 arrows in the target, I didn't make a big deal about it. I assume at some point he can get a prosthetic, but maybe while he is growing it isn't a good idea, I don't know. I used to know a man who was a good shot who had a prosthetic arm, and I hope this little guy can do that some day.
What a blessing, though, for me to be able to be a part of this, and for him to have just enough of a forearm to be able to pull it off.
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:bigsmyl: :archer:
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McDave that is a Blessing to see this kid shooting and it was Awesome you treated him just like the others.
I have three adopted daughters and my youngest has shot a bow that they all three share that was from the giveaway here back about 7 years ago .
The reason I am responding is our youngest was born without any thumbs and her hands are turned inward to a 45 degree angle.
Even though she can use her hands she can't bend her fingers on her right hand but can move her left fingers some.
To watch her do everyday tasks we take for granted is amazing to see when she figures out on her own and she does it.
We are in the works of having her first finger on her left hand moved over to act as a thumb and will benefit her much.
I was out in my shop one day and she was in tow and asked Daddy can I shoot that little bow Ande and Kaci won in that drawing ?
I said well lets try and I put it in her hands the best I could and just imaging if you have limited motion and try and pull a bow string and you will get the picture.
I helped her by pulling along with her and she let it fly and hit the target several times.
Kids learn to use what they got and when we watch them giving it with what God gave them We get a Blessing.
I was worried and concerned how will she manage in life as she gets older and will she be able to do the things her sisters and friends do and the answer is yes but in a different way.
When I saw the very first picture of her as a child with a special need the adoption agency had close up pictures of her hands and my heart was touched cause I could relate a little bit with her due to severing my right hand in a log splitter in 1985.
I looked at my wife and said God wants us to adopt this one too and we did.
I have two special needs children and the other has a repaired cleft palate and lip but the special part is We get the Blessing from above and our hearts are filled with joy when we see what they can do.
Thank you for sharing that story and I do believe this little boy will do good good as he go's through life .
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:thumbsup:
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:clapper: :pray:
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What a privilege to meet such a determined young guy.
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what a heart warming story , well done
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:clapper: :clapper:
Nick
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:clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
Bisch
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I went through the same thing this fall. There is a day where members of the United Bowhunters of Missouri go and help with the archery event at a thing called "Hand Camp". It is put on a YMCA camp and sponsored by the Shriners.
All of these kids have a hand or arm missing, deformed at birth, something, but they don't know they can't do something. I had a young boy about 10 who had his own bow with part of his right arm missing below his elbow. He just hooked his arm around the string and let it fly. He was hitting 4 out of 5 balloons every time. We had some kids shooting with a mouth tab. It was a terrific day to be able to see these kids do what they can do.
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It's a blessing to have guys like those above on this site...
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McDave. I have a booth at this show. I'm in building A. 416. SDI
Mark