When I first came to the range to practice, I thought all archers belonged to one group and were categorized according to their degree of ability. I found out later that there were two groups, the 'Bowhunters' and the 'Target Shooters'. The kind of bow that these two groups used and their utmost goal set them aside from one another. 

I can surely state that the main object to hit accurately is shared by all "archers" which differed only in the intensity of desire to perfection. After mingling with these two groups I somehow detected an invisible line dividing the bowhunters and target shooters. First of all the personalities in general had varying distinctions between the two assemblage of individuals. From my personal observation, I gathered that the bowhunters were mostly extroverts. In the practice range, this bunch of machos were boisterous and didn't take target shooting as seriously as the target shooters did. They walked away with a smile on their face when they hit the target almost but not quite on center, knowing in the back of their mind that near the center of the mark was good enough to hit hunted prey in the wilderness. This was the ultimate goal of the bowhunter, to be able to hit the vital part ( a large area ) of the prey to make a clean and swift shot for a merciful end for the animal. 

On the other hand, the target shooters were mostly introverts. The target archers always want to land their arrows dead center of the mark because their ultimate goal is to win the tournament competition. During target practice they preferred to be left alone with their analysis of each shot. the "whys" and "what's" of the arrow placement were constant questions that occupied their mind. There was this consistent perplexed expression on their faces when their arrow did not hit the center. 

The bowhunters made fun of each other and paid too much attention to their surroundings as they go about their practices. The analytical target shooters were not overly friendly because they concentrated more on the finer art of target shooting. I would not like to write further about the bowhunters and the target shooters because a few months of fleeting observation will not be sufficient for me to draw conclusive statements that might not do justice to either of these groups. 

I am just happy to be one of the archers who came to the range to practice. First and foremost I would like to be a bowhunter. At the same time I find the idea of becoming a target shooter very compelling. It has a different set of challenges. My youngest daughter Tracy, given a brief lesson, decided to be a target shooter. She bought a recurve bow and started with all the enthusiasm of youth. But because of her school work, upcoming SATS in preparation for College and other activities, she has been missing in practice. She promised to go back to this sport this summer. I will be awaiting the day she comes back to our fold! 

The road toward perfecting any sport entails time, patience and perseverance. As in any sport, skill will not happen overnight. Armen (my husband) and I have spent most of our free time familiarizing ourselves with the rudiments of archery . We try our best not to forget to put emphasis on  the fun part of it all. 

As I walked toward my target to pull the three arrows I shot, I couldn't help but smile at myself. Automatically I plucked the first arrow farthest from the bulls eye leaving the arrow that hit the mark last. " What a show off!" I thought to myself. An unconscious habit had started to form. Sometimes when all the arrows hit the center, I would walk sluggishly toward the target and get my arrows ever soooooo slowly, waiting for everyone approaching their own target to see my results. But if my arrows were embroidered all over the target, I scurried over to hurriedly extract the arrows so no one would see my miserable performance. 

To top these little idiosyncrasies, I came up with a wonderful idea of resting in between sets of practice whenever I hit three arrows nearest the perfect place. Expertise is still a far cry in my case as I rarely land my arrows where I intended them to be....so I ended up seldom resting during practice! Some archers on the range marveled at the stamina I had. Little did they know what I was up to! If by chance I let loose the arrow ideally, I left my arrows where they landed and took a long rest, chatted with friends and occasionally took quick glances at my accomplished work on the target wall. I often wondered whether I shared the same naughty thoughts and habits with fellow archers?  | Email Susan Lagazo | 

Article #3 TO TINKER, TO PRACTICE, TO BECOME FRUSTRATED.

Al and his wife Martha at Queens Archery (me in the center).

I sat quietly at the corner of the lounge facing the range reflecting on the age old process of drawing and shooting a bow. My efforts to perfect my form today were futile, today. As I was sulking, feeling dejected and sorry for my self I replayed the entire process of the shot. I envisioned my stance, the grasping of the bow, nocking the arrow, raising the bow, drawing the string and holding, aiming, and smartly letting loose of the arrow. I replayed this picture over and over again trying to catch what I was doing wrong. I felt frustration creeping into my composure. Despite all my efforts at perfection, every shot missed the mark. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHH! 

Yesterday I was elated and unashamedly applauded myself for my accurate shooting. Today, I hung my head. Today, I was doing a terrible imitation of an archer. Today, I stunk! My husband meanwhile, like most of the men in the range, seemed to relish in spending more time tinkering than shooting. Armen was forever adjusting his bow, installing new accessories, moving this, altering that. These adjustments seemed an endless task. As for me, once my bow had been set up, my main concern was to merely rest the arrow on point ‘A’ (my bow) and land it on point ‘B’ (the center of the target). Maybe this is an elementary way of thinking about things but right now in my brief career as an archer and would-be hunter, I would just like to be comfortable and familiar with my bow, without being too technical. 

I try not to complain about my bow to my dear spouse lest I divert his rapt attention from tinkering on his bow, to tinkering on my bow - which I know will only result in taking me back to square one. In other words, if Armen tinkers I will need readjusting to my draw, resetting of my target sight and etc. . His reasoning for this constant adjusting (yeah, right) was to get ‘maximum’ accuracy from the bow. I have an additional theory. Experimentation is in every man's nature. It is not a fault, only a habitual curiosity. I certainly agree that a good set-up will lead to ‘maximum’ efficiency. However, the bug of experimentation has not yet hit me. I just want to learn how to ‘shoot’, not spend my time playing ‘archery engineer’. 

I believe the bow is a constant factor in the whole process. Once it has been tuned, the bow should stay the way it was set-up unless it is altered or is in the process of some kind of mechanical failure. It is the human inconsistency that changes from day to day that affects the outcome. When I go to the range I always remind myself that I am the one in training , not the bow. I never blame the bow for my mistakes. I have concluded that the best solution is to PRACTICE diligently & conscientiously and leave the equipment alone. I do not want to discredit the male populaces’ need to improve on newly acquired properties whether it be a bow, a car, a boat or some thing else. It's what men like to do. They can never leave things alone it seems. Women , through evolution, have learned to rely on men for technical adjustments with the knowledge too, that men actually enjoy helping women regarding this aspect. My husband had been very accommodating toward tuning my bow and I liked the arrangement quite well, thank you. That could also be the reason why the immediate need for me to learn any technical aspects in a hurry escaped me. I want to learn on my own time schedule . My mind always welcomes information but not. . .today. 

Of course it does seem the knowledgeable people who pamper their equipment succeed in their quest for excellence. Perhaps I will continue to rely on my husband for his ‘tinker’ prowess (keeping it to a minimum of course) and redouble my efforts to practice with more rewarding results. | Email Susan Lagazo | 

Article #2

The bow on display was just hanging there, hoping that someone like me would come along and buy it...giving meaning to its being. Somehow, as soon as I touched that bow, I had automatically given her a gender. Like my husband's bow, one glimpse at his bow resting on his favorite lounging chair tells my children and me that he is around the house & will soon appear to claim his bow. His bow had taken on his identity and personality. To the kids my bow is "Mom" and to my husband it is his bow's "lover." But to me my bow is my "new friend." She has become an extension of me-- I needed to dress her up. I needed to make my bow a statement of what I intend to be, a bowhunter. I gave my bow a FINE-LINE peep sight. This is a device that looks like a tiny donut measuring about 3/4 inch in diameter attached to the bowstring. Looking through the 1/4 inch aperture at full draw enables an archer to see and align the bow sight pin to the target. I added an 8 oz. Stabilizer. This is a cylindrical weight that measures 6 " long and 1 " diameter. The way I see it , it's function is similar to that of a car's shock absorber. 

As a bowhunter would aptly put it, "The stabilizer absorbs 'bow recoil'." This is connected to the front of the bow in a standard threaded hole. There are various styles and sizes of stabilizers available in the market.. The choice of stabilizer is up to the purpose and preference of the archer. I have installed a new FINE-LINE, ULTRA GLO, Fiber Optic bow sight. Spider Leggs were attached near the ends of the bowstring. This looked like small rubberized pompoms that silence the bowstring upon release. I provided my bow a new Golden Key arrow rest with an overdraw to match my 26 inch arrows. I am still a beginner in selecting accessories for my bow, and hopefully my confidence in this area will increase with added experience. I have, however, been advised these manufacturer's make the best products. 

Unlike the male members of my family, time limitations do not permit me to read volumes of bowhunting information. Instead, my game plan is to observe, and pick up bits and pieces of information from the boys. this usually happens over dinner, and yields the women of our family a mandatory education in the fine art of bowhunting. I bet if my husband gave the female members of our clan a pop quiz, we would all get an "A"---no problem. Also the household chores had become a family dilemma. Since my sons & I have found archery, we have had to choose between the sport and the duties at home (Guess who won). Chores were left for anyone free & willing to do them. For example, when my husband and the boys needed to fix the plumbing system in our house, the only willing person was the plumber. Too bad his service was not free. 

There we were , Armen, my sons George and John and I, practicing how to draw the bow in the living room, a room that was directly facing the entry door of our house. When the bell rang, my daughter opened the door . There stood the plumber, wide eyed and mouth hanging open -- aghast at the welcome of three drawn bows pointing directly at him. He stood there for a second, cemented to the ground . In his eyes we could see him debating whether to retreat slowly or just drop his stuff and run. He turned white as a sheet and slowly stuttered "I ... I ... er ... made a mistake. This must be the wrong address." He tried to act as normal as possible . My husband realizing the source of his fear hurriedly explained the hostile scene he saw. As we pointed out that the bows had no arrows, the plumber hesitantly inched into the house. It was a comical scene and everyone including the relieved plumber burst into laughter. 

A greenhorn bowhunter is like a navigator in unfamiliar terrain. Of course the quickest way to get there would be by asking for directions from people who had traveled that way before. But a man behind the wheel, when lost, will most often opt to follow his instinct, & have the unbelievable patience to try alternate routes. The resistance to stop, recognize the disorientation and ask for directions completely baffles us homemakers. Because my spouse was so intent on starting all of us on the road to our destination, that is, to hunt, he chose to put aside Rich Walton's initial advise that our family seek professional instruction. Before the clan had a chance to do this all of us started our own style of pulling the bow. We were so eager to draw the bow and shoot it that on the fourth day of practicing I injured my left arm. The pain was serious enough that I needed to rest my arm. The injury prompted my husband to seek for an instructor. We all now recognized the importance of proper direction. Also, we found out that Federal law does not allow anyone to practice with a bow outdoors if the distance from the practice site to another house is less than 500 ft. 

I discerned that Al was a person whose life intertwines with everything about the bow.

We had three choices of archery ranges. We liked the third voice that answered on the other line. "Hello, Queens Archery Range! What can I do for you?" I immediately gave him a brief explanation of what we needed. We wanted a place to practice where we could engage the services of an experienced archer. Confidently he answered. "I am Al Lizzio, owner & professional instructor for the shop. I have 40 years experience as an archer. Also, I am currently coaching the women Archer team of Columbia University. I assure you, your family will be in good hands should you decide to drop by my shop." he continued to elaborate on archery for a few more minutes while I listened with pleasure. I discerned that Al was a person whose life intertwines with everything about the bow. Indeed, Armen & I visited his shop the very day we spoke to him. 

The first impression the man gave me was true. Al was in his fifties and together with his wife Martha, ran the Queens Archery which was located at 170-20 39th Ave., Flushing, New York. His shop had a display area and sold everything that had to do with archery and bowhunting. Adjacent to the shop were two 20 yard lanes ( the official distance mandated by the Federation of International Target Archers). Each lane can accommodate 12 archers. On a busy day 24 archers can alternate using the top and bottom target points. It was the second lane that caught my interest . This lane is used for target practice and for beginner lessons and it stages game hunting. Al provides a projector slide to display game on a big screen on the target wall. Turkey, bear, mountain lion, deer and other animals are projected onto the screen for a few seconds in various positions and distances. In different stances, the bowhunters need to load , draw and shoot with their bows at their choice target. One of the best stances is in a make believe tree stand at a height of 10'. It was imaginatively provided by Al for bowhunters to practice from. In time, I will definitely try this. 

Inwardly I thought, "I am actually inching my way toward my goal to become a bowhunter.!" This sport is fair & open to everyone. There is no age limit, nor gender.

We had our own bows, so used them on our first lesson. Al's usual fee is $12.00 per person including the bow rentals. Al said, "I can teach you the basic concept in 15 minutes and both of you will be on your way to shooting your bows -- but remember that it takes years to perfect the form." All we had taught ourselves went down the drain. Al started us off with our finger and arm placement. We started shooting at 5 yards, eventually progressing to 20 yards. All this happened within the hour. It was amazing! I was actually shooting that day with the grace of an archer. I was proud of myself. Inwardly I thought, "I am actually inching my way toward my goal to become a bowhunter.!" 

Nowadays, I can appreciate the beautiful mornings because I know very well that my spouse and I will soon ride the adventure of a life time . . .TOGETHER.

This sport is fair & open to everyone. There is no age limit, nor gender. Now as I practice as often as I can at the target range with my spouse, the desire of perfecting this sport grows stronger. I know there is much more to learn before my first hunt with my husband. There are additional accessories and improvements to consider for my bow . The additional materials will come along as time goes on. In the mean time, I believe that this sport had given me an opportunity to widen the horizon of the life I share with my partner. The thought of the future expedition into the woods lifts the stress and the little irritations of our lives. Nowadays, I can appreciate the beautiful mornings because I know very well that my spouse and I will soon ride the adventure of a life time . . . TOGETHER. | Email Susan Lagazo | 

I thought patting and holding the bow while watching the TV or sitting in the family room was just about as far as it would go. Wrong!

Bowhunting was different. This bug that caught my husband progressed slowly toward a constant goal, to hunt for prey. As on onlooker, I thought it involved too much preparation and too much wasted time. First there was a bow bought and displayed. Packages and magazines on bowhunting kept arriving in our mail box. I thought patting and holding the bow while watching the TV or sitting in the family room was just about as far as it would go. Wrong! 

Our dinner hour suddenly depended on when daily target practice ended. Our spic and span bedroom started to look as if Indians were attacking nightly. Id spend my time browsing the Internet on my computer and often falling asleep waiting for him to finish making arrow after arrow. "How many does it take?" I thought. 

In the morning I would find cut arrow shafts, all kinds of glue (strong enough to give one a high). I would find feathers and all various tools all over the place. My boys and my husband started to converge in the basement after dinner leaving us girls alone at the dining table. This new sport had even invaded the comfortable night rituals we used to have. I became his sideline of interest and bowhunting his main. Once I realized this I knew I had a problem. It was time to take action. 

I announced to my husband that I would like to join him in his newfound sport. I was surprised with the reaction.

I announced to my husband that I would like to join him in his newfound sport. I was surprised with the reaction. There was no hint of argument , in fact he was delighted. As it turned out he was just waiting for me to decide on my own. Hmmmmm, a true hunter. He was waiting for me patiently, like a true stalker. 

After that announcement, my nights were filled with endless lectures dotted with a litany of do's and don'ts. Armen showed me a whole treasure box of gadgets and stuff collected quietly over the months. His affair with bowhunting was not a casual one. This was a serious and dedicated bowhunter in the making. I was really in for it! 

Although my husband had been reading volumes of material on the subject, he had not actually done any hunting yet. He had been practicing archery as often as he could (almost every day). The target date for his first hunt would be next season, hopefully with me. 

My first step was to choose a bow. Sifting through the bowhunting magazines I was left with the impression that all bows were good. I needed to touch base with some experienced people. I searched the Internet and found ‘Bowhunting.Net’ and just cried, ‘Help’! It came in no time. Rich Walton of Bowhunting.Net seemed to take great delight in helping me get started. He answered my many questions and made the mounds of information less imposing. One comment he made was, "If you can scuba you can bow hunt. At least with bowhunting you don't have to worry about drowning." 

Finally Armen just took the bow, returned it to the salesman, thanked him and veered me toward the car. "A salesman like that does not deserve a sale," he said.

Armed with the information I needed I ventured to the pro shops near our home. The first two shops didn't have bows for women and the salesman didn't take me seriously. The second salesman seemed annoyed with my questions and finally just responded with a curt. "Nope, we don't have that". He did not offer an alternative nor did he give me an opening to ask more questions. With a sigh, maybe to stop me from bothering him, he handed me a bow at random and asked me if I wanted to try it? He then watched me as I tried to draw the bow. I tried twice, muscles screaming and eyeballs popping, to pull the bow. I couldn't budge the string. I felt frustrated. My husband didn't intervene but just watched. Finally he just took the bow, returned it to the salesman, thanked him and veered me toward the car. "A salesman like that does not deserve a sale," Armen said. . So off we went to find another store. The attitude of this salesman perturbed me. Was he acting that way because I was a woman or was he just bored with his job? I wondered. 

We made the trip to the last shop in silence. I was off tangent and thinking, "How in this world could I manage this pursuit if I couldn't even get the most necessary piece of equipment?" My husband did not offer any comforting words, deciding to just leave me alone with my thoughts. I appreciated the silence. 

As we entered the third shop Armen purposely stayed in the background and just watched me carry my own show. A young man in a pony tail approached me and I told him I wanted to buy a single cam bow. I read this was the latest design development. The explanation in the magazines Id read sounded logical to me so that is what I wanted. Seems this shop did not carry this type of bow but would need to order it. I noticed there was no variety of bows for women to choose from. I guessed this was because the majority of their clientele were men. I did however find a HOYT ‘REBEL XT’ that I thought had sex appeal. It had a 40lb. max draw, set up lower so I could actually draw the bow. The feeling was almighty! 

The moment I said "I'lll take it", I knew I was hooked . The young salesman changed, suddenly catching my excitement. He started giving me pointers. I was thankful someone was finally taking me seriously. Because I was very awkward he felt sorry and told me not to worry, I would get the hang of it and finally be able to do some target practice. 

As we were wrapping up the deal I asked for two Teflon Shrink Sleeves for the arrow rest. He looked at Armen and said, "She won't be needing it, she is not going to hunt is she?" My wonderful husband replied, "Eventually, she definitely will so give her what she wants"? He did, but he must have been frustrated too because he gave me the wrong size sleeves. 

I was more than happy with my bow. The feeling (as my youngest kid would say) was "Awesome Dude!" So now I find myself mimicking what my husband does with his bow. Now I too sit in front of the TV holding my bow. I feel it, draw it and pat it, wondering to myself, ‘Is this just for now or for always’? Only time will tell……. 

Left to right, Tracy (High School), Nancy (Registered Nurse), Susan (Architect), Armen (Architect), John (Registered Nurse), Tina (Computer Specialist), George Thomas (Registered Nurse).