my archery blog

XIII Olympic Congress

2009-10-08T00:15:00.001-04:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... so I guess I'm in luck because I was trying to think of how to describe my time at the Olympic Congress in Copenhagen and I couldn't formulate a sentence that gave justice to the experience. I learned soooooo much, met some of the most influential people in the world, was able to contribute to the congress, and had the time of my life!

Thanks again to the IOC and all the people who made this possible!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

진영이 왔다감

2009-07-02T07:38:00.004-04:00

So, it's July 2nd. Hmmm...
I'm sitting at the airport right now waiting for my flight back home. I've been dreading this day for over 6 months now. Oh gosh..

I came here with some goals that seemed way out of reach at the time but ended up achieving them all. It took a lot of hard work and persistence but my efforts always paid off. There were difficult days when things just weren't going well but not once did I ever want to quit. I came to Korea loving archery and I'm leaving Korea loving it even more.

It was tough saying bye to all the people who have helped me throughout my time here. The 11 archers that I trained with feel like family and I'll admit I shed a couple tears saying bye. Coach Ryu showed so much generosity allowing me to come and train with her team. I am very grateful to her but I can't seem to form a proper sentence to express just how grateful I am.

I missed my family and friends at home and I can't wait to see everyone again!!!

I love Korea. Bye for now, but I'll be back very soon.

Happy Father's Day, Post-Antalya, and 1.5 Weeks

2009-06-21T00:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day, 아빠! I love you very very very much and I can't wait to see you again.
Thanks for always supporting me in everything I do. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you. 사랑해요~!

Post-Antalya...
I'm very happy with my accomplishments. I never imagined I would shoot personal bests at such a big international tournament. Considering the windy weather and my nervousness, I think I performed very well. BUT..... Antalya really opened my eyes to how I stand compared to the rest of the world. If I want to become a real international competitor, I need to start comparing myself to real, tough competition and set higher goals for myself.

I have only 1.5 weeks left here in Korea so training is full throttle right now. I'm heading to Daejeon in a couple of hours where I'll be training with the Korean national team being sent to the Universiade. It's going to be a very valuable experience, no doubt. Luckily, my friend 혜진언니 made the team so I'll be training along side a familiar face.

I'll be back some time during the middle of this week so I'll see you then! =)

Love always,

Vanessa

Antalya 2009 - Part 3

2009-06-11T13:47:00.002-04:00

The third and final part of Antalya 2009!!!!!!!!

I can't tell you enough how great of an experience this tournament was for me.
I'll have to get into more detail another time and just let the videos do the explaining for now.

I'm off to Won-ju for the third Korean national tournament this year. Unfortunately, things didn't work out and I won't be competing but I'll be bringing my bow along to practice.

Okay see you soon!

Love,
Vanessa

Antalya 2009 - Part 2

2009-06-11T09:44:00.002-04:00

Part two of the greatest time of my life

Antalya 2009 - Part 1

2009-06-10T09:31:00.003-04:00

Here's my first video from the 3rd stage of World Cup in Antalya.

I had the greatest time of my life in Antalya and can't wait for my next international tournament.
I shot well during the ranking rounds... put up a good score by Canadian standards but placed 44th. That just shows how much stronger the female recurves in Canada need to get in order to become serious competitiors internationally.

I met SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people at this tournament and had a wonderful time getting to know everyone.

See you tomorrow with another one! =)

대통령기 (President's Tournament)

2009-05-27T08:56:00.002-04:00

FINALLYYYYYYY I figured out how to get Windows Movie Maker to save my video. The thing is, I had to slice it in half.

To put it lightly, I had an absolutely AMAZING time. I brought my bow along with me so that I could practice on the practice field. And when I wasn't shooting, I was taking pictures. It was great seeing people I knew and also meeting a lot of new people as well. I think I can say that I have plenty of contacts in the 'Korean archery world' now.

Anyway, I'm off to Turkey for the 3rd stage of World Cup on Sunday. It's my first international tournament at the senior level so my number one goal is to absorb and learn as much as I can. I'm going to the tournament so that I can start building experience. I'm sure it'll be lots of fun!

So, I'll see you sometime soon... I'm not too sure exactly when that will be. Maybe when I get to Turkey.

Take care and see you soon!

-v.

AHA moment and headed back in the right direction!

2009-05-17T09:56:00.002-04:00

I had a great week and finally, things feel like they're headed back in the right direction.
I realized this week that it take the right mindset and with a little bit of patience, things will just fall into place.

I'm headed to the 대통령기 (President's tournament) in Yecheon this week. So I'll see you next week with a whole bunch of pictures! =)

-v.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T07:12:00.002-04:00

To 엄마,

I've been thinking for the past hour what I should write here.
But more than big words or a long extravagant post, I think it's better to keep things simple.

Thank you. I love you.

Thank you for everything... from changing my dirty diapers to helping me deal with the difficult days. I love you as much as how far away from home I am right now (which is far). Yep, I'm half-way across the world but it feels like you're with me because you're always there for me.

나실 제 괴로움 다 잊으시고
기를 제 밤낮으로 애쓰는 마음
진자리 마른자리 갈아 뉘시며
손발이 다 닳도록 고생하시네
하늘 아래 그 무엇이 넓다 하리오
어머님의 희생은 가이없어라

어려선 안고 업고 얼려주시고
자라선 문 기대어 기다리는 맘
앓을사 그릇될사 자식 생각에
고우시던 이마 위에 주름이 가득
땅 위에 그 무엇이 높다 하리오
어머님의 정성은 지극하여라

사람의 마음속엔 온가지 소원
어머님의 마음속엔 오직 한가지
아낌없이 일생을 자식 위하여
살과 뼈를 깍아서 바치는 마음
인간의 그 무엇이 거룩하리오

Happy Mother's Day!
I love you very much, 엄마.

Wisdom Tooth and Turkey

2009-05-03T07:09:00.003-04:00

STILL...... not much going on here, just the same old which is basically eating, shooting, sleeping, eating again, and shooting some more. And I can't complain!

Three weeks until the next Korean national tournament (YAY!)
And four weeks until I leave for Turkey (OH MY GOSH!)

Good luck to 하늘오빠 in Croatia for the 2nd stage of World Cup. FIGHTING!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jen and Becky this week! Ahhh wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys! =( / =)

-v.

The Top Ten Foods That Made Me Gain Weight

2009-04-27T09:08:00.000-04:00

oops!

2009-04-26T08:22:00.004-04:00

It's Sunday April 26th, and I left my camera at the archery rangeeee today...
But I'll see ya tomorrow with a video.

Hi cousin Barry! Love you! =)

HelloOo!!!

2009-04-19T10:19:00.003-04:00

Today is Sunday, April 19 and I haven't made a video.
Why? Well, this week was very very very uneventful. It's the first week back since the Jong Byul tournament so everyone on the team here is taking it "easy" and is only shooting 200 arrows a day. I remember a couple months ago when 200 arrows in one day was a big accomplishment for me. I, on the other hand, have been working very hard at the archery range since I wasn't able to shoot while we were at the tournament. I realized how important it is for me to shoot regularly. Going to the tournament was probably one of the best experiences I've had since I got here but it cost me some valuable shooting time and since Monday, I've been working to get my shooting back to where it was before we left.

So anyway, I'm doing a lot of one-on-one training with the coach here because all of the archers are back in class and actually this week they have midterms.

I really wish I had something more to talk about but there wasn't that much going on! hahaha I'm gonna leave this short and I'll see you next week with a video! =)

-v.

전국남여종별선수권대회 (Jong Byul National Tournament)

2009-04-10T11:10:00.005-04:00

Wow. I learned so much from the few days spent in Chung Ju at the Jong Byul National Tournament. I got to meet SOOOO many people that I can't even name everyone. Seeing so many people shooting at such a high level was very humbling.

I have so much to say about the tournament... but words can't describe what I'm feeling. It was definitely the greatest thing I've experienced thus far.

I hope my 300+ pictures each speak their thousand words.

With Lee Tuk Young
With my hero, Park Sung Hyun

Bye bye...

2009-04-05T11:25:00.003-04:00

There's a glitch in the sound somewhere in the middle of the video. I've been trying to fix it for hours now. But it's really late and I'm dead tired from training today so I don't think I'm gonna try and fix it anymore.

Windows Movie Maker and I are not the best of friends right now.

See you in a week! =)

-v.

Exactly half gone, and half left.

2009-03-29T10:17:00.003-04:00

I really didn't mean to make this video so depressing.
I didn't realize how unhappy I looked until I watched the final product over again.

happy happy happy

혜진이언니 화이팅!!!!!! Hye Jin unny FIGHTING!!!!!!

2009-03-22T11:37:00.003-04:00

I got upset because I put a lot of effort into my last video. And then the audio didn't work. So I got a bit lazy this week with my level of fun and stuck to the bare minimums.

The first tournament of the season is just around the corner! It's crunch time for archers in Korea. This week was pretty uneventful... but next week should be a great week of shooting since we're going to be training at Apsan archery range.

혜진이언니 is at national team trials right now. I've never wanted anything so badly for another person until now. This is HUGE for her! In the video, I said she finished off the day in 7th place.. but the 3rd stage of trials goes until Thursday. So I'm praying that she'll keep up the great shooting.

The Lightning of Enlightenment!

2009-03-15T09:11:00.008-04:00

*** ahhhhhhhh!!! I fought the law and the law won. Audio doesn't work anymore because of copywritten material in my video...BAH ***

Happy birthday, Ashley!! =)
I really wish I could've celebrated with you and all the girls...
It's been almost 21 years that we've known each other. Pretty crazy, eh?
Have a very happy 21st year.

This video was definitely one of my favourites to make!
As I mentioned in my video, shooting was absolutely amazing this week. Something just suddenly "clicked" and everything just came together. Every shot feels soooo smooth and easy and I feel like I have more control over where the arrows go.

I got to go watch an elementary and middle school archery tournament this week. I had to pick my jaw up off the ground because I was in shock. Those kids were shooting higher scores than what you might see at the senior level! It's so true that the talent in Korea runs VERY deep and starts at a VERY young age. I also got to meet some very special people, which you will see in the video! =)

Finally... YEAH THIRD YEARS!!!!!!! Good job on not losing!

See you guys next week!

-v.

The top 10 things I like about Korea

2009-03-08T07:52:00.004-04:00

Just this weekend, Naver featured Kim Jin Ho, the Olympic medallist and professor I visited in Seoul. Unfortunately, it's all in Korean so if you don't understand Korean, get your cloesest Korean buddy and ask them to translate it for you because it's a really great article. Here's the link:

http://navercast.naver.com/korean/sportsperson/175

My super power revealed!!!

2009-03-01T08:08:00.003-05:00

So this week was just another week of training.
Things at the archery range are great and the changes we've made lately are really coming together now.

We had to switch dorms and so room assignments changed a bit. I'm REALLY sad that I'm not rooming with Hye Jin unny anymore but she's just two doors away and I'm also very happy to be sharing a room with Ga Young now.

I just came back from spending the weekend with family in Busan. I had a great time and yes, I got to eat my aunt's delicious potatoes!!! =)

Just the ordinary

2009-02-22T06:52:00.003-05:00

It's Sunday!!! I'm glad I was able to make a video this week instead of typing. It's actually easier for me to edit a video than it is to type a blog post!

So this video is just the ordinary... =)

Limbs, arrows, and valentines ♡

2009-02-15T09:38:00.006-05:00

The university is building a hospital very close to the dorms so today, they cut the electricity. Of all days... why must it be Sunday, the day I get a full 24 hours of rest?! baaahhh! Anyway, I spent all the battery on my laptop watching the Grammy's and so I couldn't make a video. I guess I'll have to save all my lovely charm for next week! *insert a 느끼한 wink right here*

Last week, I was worried about my back pains coming back since we were switching to much heavier limbs. Just in case you might not be familiar with archery equipment, here's a VERY BASIC diagram I just found on Google images:

On a recurve bow, you can use the same riser but switch your limbs so that the weight you're holding at full draw isn't too heavy or too light for you. Anyhooo... I was worried that my back pains would strike again and I am VERY pleased to say that I haven't had any signs of the evil thing returning. I've been shooting 400 to 600 arrows a day and I am just very pleased.

I also switched to X10 arrows and WOW they really do make a difference. Even my bow feels different! This week I'm going to be tuning and polishing short distances before I go to 70m next week.

In other news, it was Valentine's Day yesterday. I hope you got to spend it with people you appreciate. Here's a little something you may not know about Korea. Every day is Valentine's Day in Korea. You can't go shopping without seeing couple's keychains, couple's rings, couple's special on a dinner menu. It's not out of the ordinary to see a couple wearing matching clothes from head to toe (and probably underwear too). Anyway, it was the actual Valentine's Day in the land of lovers yesterday and I survived as a very single person! =D 성공! I actually went to watch the movie He's Just Not That Into You with some friends and it was just very refreshing to watch a movie in English.

On a more sensitive, and hopefully not-so-emotional note, I realized just HOW important my friends and family at home are to me. I spent a lot of time this week just thinking about you guys at home and it made me happy. Thanks for keeping in touch with me even though I'm standing upside-down half-way across this beautiful world. Oh yeah, just one question... will you be my valentine?

NOT! I already have a valentine. Her name is Ellie and she is my dog. I love her but she loves everyone BUT me. Anyway, love ain't easy, right?

-v.

First week back!

2009-02-08T09:08:00.003-05:00

So it was our first week back from our little holiday. Training got tougher and it was NOT an easy, breezy, beautiful week.

I think I'm gonna post every Sunday now. The interesting events are less frequent now and it won't be a few months until tournaments start.

Thanks to Yoona and Steph Ju for the snail mail!!! I absolutely loved receiving some mail! And it was nice being able to read something in English, other than my Exercise Physiology textbook or the broken English at the bottom of stationary.

Thank you to everyone who's been keeping me in their prayers. This week is going to be very difficult because I'm switching to heavier limbs and I'm slightly concerned that my back pains might come back. Soooo if you can, please keep me in the back of your mind. =)

Thanks for checking my blog!

p.s. If you wanna be pen pals, e-mail me and let's write each other!

-v.

Three birds... one stone?!?!

2009-02-01T00:57:00.004-05:00

I'm finally BACK from our holiday! I had a great time with family and friends but I'm just glad that training is starting again tomorrow.

I have three videos here..

p.s. don't forget to click the little HQ button on the bottom right corner after you click play!

Ski Trip (January 20th to 22nd)

Busan and Family! (January 24th to 28th)

Seoul and Friends! (January 28th to 31st)

I got Seoul!

2009-01-28T19:53:00.003-05:00

Hey friends and family!

I arrived safely in Seoul just last night. I'm staying at my mother's friend's house until the 30th or 31st... I'm not quite sure yet.

Today, I'll be meeting family friends at 2:00PM and then I'll meet up with Hye Jin unny at 6:00. She's going to stay the night. Tomorrow, we're going to visit our friends at the Korea National Sport University. I'm really excited for that because so many of Korea's top elite athletes come from that University. BUT... when it comes to female recurve archery, Keimyung University always does much better than KNSU. (I think I've already developed quite a bit of school spirit!)

So, I'll be taking the subway to get around today. You may not know this, but the Seoul subway system is simply incredible! I used to think Toronto's TTC was pretty awesome but MAN, I was wrong. In my opinion, we have a lot of ground to make up when it comes to public transportation. When you're in Seoul, all you need is a public transport card and you're good to go. Chances are there's a subway station so close to your destination that the furthest you'll have to walk is a couple blocks.

click to enlarge

The thing is, you'll have to carefully plan your way through the spider web-like routes.

I will catch up with you in Daegu! Love you!

-v.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-23T09:53:00.005-05:00

I've been incredibly tired since coming back from the ski and snowboard trip. I took a bunch of pictures and even took some video of my friends going down the slopes but haven't had a chance to put it all together in one easy-to-watch YouTube video. So, I guess it's time for a good ol' fashioned BLOG... with typing! ahhhh!!!

Training today was... AMAZING! My coach and I started to focus more on the right side (drawing side) of my technique and it's amazing how quickly everything came together. My shots felt so smooth, like slicing through a warm stick of butter!

Oh, I forgot to mention this a couple of weeks ago. But ever since my January 5th (The Aftermath) video, we have been running 10 laps and weight training every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It became a regular thing! Gosh, it's no wonder why I have such a huge appetite. My roommate calls me her little pig.

Monday, the 26th, is 설날... (seolnal) or Lunar New Year. It's comparable to Christmas in North America. So for the New Year, we get a one-week holiday!

After practice tomorrow morning, I'll be going to Busan, where I'll stay with my relatives until the 28th. Then, I'll meet my roomate, Hye Jin unny, in Seoul (the capital of South Korea) where I'll visit my mom's friends as well as some archery coaches I know at the Korea National Sport University (KNSU). This is actually the school of one of my favourite archers, Im Dong Hyun. It's too bad he graduated in December because his coach promised me that we would meet. I guess I'll just have to wait until the tournaments roll around in March and April.

When I get back, I will very busy posting pictures and videos from our ski trip, time spent with family in Busan, and my time in Seoul with family friends, Hye Jin unny, and friends at the KNSU.

Take care and I will talk to you soon! =)

A quick (and very boring) update!

2009-01-19T10:55:00.001-05:00

See you in a couple days!

Fun times! =D

2009-01-15T11:05:00.002-05:00

Here's a pretty cooky (head 가 빙빙) video. We work hard but we have fun too.

Jang Hye Jin

2009-01-13T10:13:00.003-05:00

So it has become a little difficult making videos. I think I'm running out of ideas. But from now on, I'll just make an update when I have something to update about. haha makes sense, I guess!

Shooting has been very good. I can feel that my body is adapting to the huge number of arrows we're shooting everyday. I'm getting a lot stronger very quickly and my shot is much easier to execute.

So this may be my last video for a while. The last thing I want to do is to make a boring video. But be sure to check back soon because there's always something new and I'm sure I'll have ideas in the near future.

The Adventure

2009-01-10T08:52:00.003-05:00

Today, we went hiking up a mountain with the Dongbu High School boys. It was very difficult and quite steep but the feeling of accomplishment was worth it. I am VERY tired right now and I should probably get to bed.

zzz...

see ya!

p.s. the video quality is very low. If you'd like to, you can watch the video in high quality by clicking on the YouTube image on the bottom right corner of the video. You'll be redirected to YouTube, where you can click "watch in high quality" under the bottom right corner of the video.

January 9, 2009

2009-01-09T08:15:00.001-05:00

So this week has been pretty 정신없어 and my mind has been all over the place. So here's a very scattered video with a bunch of pictures and a short clip of my form. It'll probably be the last clip of my form that I post, though.

I'll have to make another video sometime this weekend because... tomorrow, we're going on an adventure! You'll have to wait and see what kind of adventure it is!

Hope you're all doing well.

Vanessa.

The 6th of January

2009-01-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here's yet another video, probably my last one for just a few days. I don't want to over-do it.
Sorry, the photos are from last week.. I haven't been taking many photos this week.

Two birds, one stone.

2009-01-05T07:47:00.004-05:00

Video #1: My Morning Walk

(There's a glitch later on in the video.. the sound stops)

Video #2: The Aftermath

So, I have internet in my room now! I'll be able to post regularly. But I still haven't decided what "regular" means. Everyday? Maybe every other day. I think I'm posting a lot lately because everything is still so new to me. But I don't know if I can make interesting videos every other day for the entire time I'm here.

hmmm... I'm so happy I have internet now! YAHOOOOO!!! The world of the English language is infinite through the beauty of the World Wide Web!

Appa, Umma, Stephanie Unny, and Princess Ellie:
I miss you. But I'm having the time of my life. Thank you for this amazing opportunity. I can't say thank you enough, but I'm sure you know how much I appreciate everything. I'll be saying thank you forever.

Archery friends:
WHATS UP!!! I hope you guys are all shooting well and enjoying the winter break. Specifically to Alana, I'm using your strings very well and Melissa, everyone loves the t-shirt! JD, I'm taking unbelievably detailed notes... and to the Arcands, I have absolutely everything I need...thank you! I hope you have a very happy birthday, Crispin. Sorry I can't mention everyone... but know that I'm always thinking about you all. Let's all make 2009 a year of awesome shooting!

23:
See you on the blog!

It's been... ONE WEEK!

2009-01-03T08:08:00.002-05:00

Wow, I've been updating a lot, eh? It's just been so hectic and crazy, that I want to tell everyone all the details. This video was from yesterday.

I think my posts won't be so frequent when things start to settle down. Not that I don't want to post frequently, I just don't want to talk about things that aren't very important or interesting.

Stephanie Unny, I miss you very very much. I miss Appa and Umma and Ellie too! Thank you for being the best sister ever and supporting me through everything. I hope my bed is sufficient as your second (or third) closet and I hope that you realize you love my out-of-tune singing. I tried to do handstands for you! Miss you and love you! <3

Video Update - It's 2009, yooo!!!

2008-12-31T22:20:00.003-05:00

Videos/pictures from the plane with cutie Hannah, pictures of my neices Eunjin and Eunsung (who have grown so much in 4 years) and stuff from around campus.

Day 3! - The 29th.

2008-12-29T05:19:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Sunday so there wasn't any practice. I went downtown with Hye-Jin and we bought things that I needed like hangers for my clothes and laundry stuff. We also walked around and ate a lot of... EVERYTHING. Frozen strawberries covered in candy on a stick, green tea ice cream, and yummm free samples at the grocery store. It was heaven! We also took some sticker pictures (OH YEAH!) and I felt very Korean.

So today is Monday and was my first day of training. The team ate breakfast together at 7:20 and then walked to the archery range. It's FAR! I couldn't eat very much because I was too nervous about my first day. We got to the range at around 8:00. When we got there, the 1st years were already busy sweeping the floors. It's just what they're expected to do.

Once the building was clean, we went for a run around the track. Jogging for 4.5 laps and sprinting the last half. It definitely wasn't easy for me and I felt VERY out of shape. Just like the other day, everyone took turns leading the same cycle of dynamic stretches and at the end, did a cheer. "1-2-3 fighting!" (yeeaaaaah!!!)

From 9 am to noon, we shot and shot and shot. From 12-2, we had lunch at the cafeteria and had a very nice break. At 2, we stretched again and shot until 5. At 5, we all headed to the track and did the 5 laps. Dynamic stretching and a cheer. This time, the cheer was "oi, 수고했습니다"... which is how you tell someone that they worked hard. Just like Saturday, we all went back inside and stood in a line and listened to what the coach had to say about practice today. After the synchronized bow (it sounds so weird in English), practice was over.

I was VERY scared at the beginning of practice today. I was most concerned that I would shoot an arrow through one of the windows. Luckily, I didn't and I actually shot very well. There's something about shooting beside people who are so talented that it makes you work so much harder. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

We went out for 라볶이 (yummmm!) and now I'm just very very very tired.
I'm going to have to sleep early tonight and hopefully be ready for tomorrow.

I've been taking a lot of pictures and will post them soon!

Hye-Jin and I made a video so I'll have to post that soon too.

Day 1! (December 27, 2008)

2008-12-29T05:01:00.004-05:00

Here's my first post from Korea! (I haven't been able to access a computer with internet until now.)

The 14 hour flight from Toronto to Incheon went by VERY quickly. I had an awesome emergency exit window seat so it was great. Hannah, the cutest girl ever, and I entertained each other for a lot of the trip so time just flew by.

At around 6 AM Korea time, I took a shuttle bus from Incheon airport to Daegu, where my coach picked me up and took me straight to the university. She gave me the choice of either going to the dorms or to the archery range and of course, I chose the range! As we pulled up in the parking lot, all the archers came outside to say hi. I felt very... special. I was especially happy to hear someone shouting "HIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!".. it was Hye-Jin, the friend I shot against in Taiwan.

The targets are outside but the archers stand inside a small, heated building and shoot through open windows. It's such a simple concept but allows them to shoot long distances all year round. After they everyone shoots their arrows, they all put on their winter coats and either walk or run to the targets. At noon, everyone put their bows away and headed for the track outside. It's an awesome track that goes around a soccer field and basketball court. I watched the archers run 4.5 laps and sprint the last half. My coach told me they either run 5 or 10 laps, depending on how she's feeling that day.

After the run, everyone came together in a circle and took turns leading dynamic stretches. Then they put their hands together and did a little cheer. Finally, everyone went back inside and stood in a line in front of the coach. I didn't know what they were doing so one of the guys gave me a nudge and told me how to stand - with my hands behind my back and feet shoulder-width apart. The coach then told us what she liked and what she didn't like about practice. Once she finished, we all had to bow together and practice was over for the day.

My cousin and his family stopped by the university and took all the archers out for dinner. I got a cell phone after dinner and when I made it to my dorm room, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Cold feet...

2008-12-24T00:10:00.003-05:00

LITERALLY
OH MY GOSH! Where did all this snow come from?! It's so beautiful outside.. that is, until you have to shovel your way out of the driveway. Christmas is in 24 hours! I hope you have all your holiday shopping done. And if you aren't and you're planning on hitting the malls tomorrow, I SALUTE YOU, oh brave soldier!

FIGURATIVELY
I'm starting to get a little nervous about leaving. It's such a new experience for me... I have never been away from home and on my own for more than a week. I think that I'm thinking I think too much, I think. I'm getting anxious about things that I shouldn't worry about. Like, how people in Korea might judge me or whether I'll be able to follow along with conversations. BUT I seem to be worrying too much about things that I have no control over. SOoo.. I'm just going to chill out, sip on this amazing frozen hot chocolate my super cool sister made, and finish packing.

Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Christmas/"Lee-ving" surprise party. It was such a special night for me and I really appreciated it. Thanks, Joan, for planning it.. you're very slick and I had absolutely no clue! Thank you so much, everyone!

-v.

VIDEO UPDATE!!!

2008-12-17T16:55:00.007-05:00

It was soooo much fun making this video.
I'll definitely have to make video updates a regular thing!
After having watched my video and hearing the horrendous noise that came out of my mouth at 0:52, I now understand what I put my sister through day after day.

-v.

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

2008-12-02T23:27:00.002-05:00

It's December! The weather has been confusing me lately, as it always does this time of year in Toronto. Rain, wind, snow, rain, sun, snow. It keeps things interesting, I guess! It's the most wonderful time of the year! All the radio stations begin to play Christmas music, the streets light up with decorations, and crazy people start taking over the shopping malls! ahhh, it's lovely.

I'm glad to hear so many of you enjoyed my mom's comment on my last post. haha she's great... (did you hear that, umma? I love you! ^^)

Not much is happening right now. School will definitely be keeping me busy for the next two weeks.

My friends that I shoot with always enjoy learning words and phrases in Korean. So I figured it would be cool to teach some simple Korean through this blog! Here are some words and phrases you might find useful: (I took the images from learnkorean.com shhh!!!)

ahn-nyong-ha-se-yo
"How are you?" (this is how you say "Hi!" politely)

ahn-nyong-i kah-se-yo
"Goodbye!" (literal translation is "go well")

kahm-sa-hahm-ni-da
"Thank you!" (formal)

양궁
yang-goong
"Western archery" (han-goong is Korean traditional archery)

Change in plans!

2008-11-24T22:56:00.007-05:00

Madonna was right.. time goes by so slowly!
Okay, okay, okay. I should stop complaining about how long each day is and how many more days I have to endure.

Sidenote:
"Coach" = coach in Korea (you never call a coach by their first name in Korea)
Joan is my actual coach here in Canada, but we all call her "Joan"

EARLY Sunday morning, my mom came running into my room with the kitchen phone in her hand. She said I had to get up and talk to my coach who was waiting on the line. My coach said that every year the university's archery team goes on a ski/snowboard trip right after Christmas for 3 days and 2 nights before they start training. The team looks forward to this trip every year and they always have an awesome time! Since I was planning on visiting my family in Busan for New Year's before heading to Daegu, the team thought it would be best to postpone the trip so that I could go along with them. But when my mom heard this, she insisted that we cancel my flight to Busan and go straight to Daegu! Now this means that they don't have to postpone the trip and that I can meet everyone on the team as soon as I arrive in Korea!

I am SOOOOOO-O-O-O excited. If I am good at anything, I know that I'm good at snowboarding. Thanks to my sister, I learned how to ride when I was 7. I loved it so much that I wanted to go to the Olympics for snowboarding after it first appeared in Nagano. My parents are relieved that I got into archery and replaced my snowboarding days with a sport where my two feet are firmly planted on the ground.

So for the three days of snowboarding, I'll do my best to thoroughly enjoy the time we have on the hills. Because for those three glorious days I'll be able to kick their butts on the slopes... but for the six months after that, they'll all be kicking my butt on shooting line.

What made me happiest about Sunday morning's phone call was what my coach said about the team. She said they are VERY excited that I'm coming to train with them. If they are anywhere near as excited as I am... that's pretty excited.

I'm excited.
They're excited.

one more time...

excited!

How many times can you use the same word in one blog post?

* Oh gosh, I just turned twenty. Woo... hoo...

"It's war!"

2008-11-11T23:54:00.004-05:00

Why have the Koreans (or the Korean women) dominated the world of recurve archery for the past two decades? I think there are two things responsible. No, not rice and kimchi. I believe it's discipline and the sport system. Children begin the process of learning archery at the age of 10. I called it the "process of learning archery" because they don't get to shoot a single arrow until they have mastered perfect technique with an elastic band. This is rumored to be 6 months of practicing with a band. Can you imagine trying to implement this kind of training in North America? I don't think we would have any kids participating in the sport! It is also rumored that the first time a Korean child shoots a score at 30m (after 6 months of band practice), they typically shoot over 330 out of 360 points. Now, I don't know if these rumors are all true (I will try to find out) but I DO know that their sport system brings about results!

When I spoke to my coach in Korea over the phone last week, she talked about the national team trials for the 2009 World Championships and Asian Championships. Unlike the one-time deal type of trials (or two-time deal) here in Canada, there are several stages involved in Korean team trials. My coach said it's so intense, everyone is at each other's throats and it's like war. At the first stage, there were over 200 archers who shot the ranking round and went into eliminations. After eliminations, only the top 32 went on to the second stage. My friend, Hye-Jin, (who I talked about in my last post) made it to the top 32! The second stage was held this past week and again, it consisted of a ranking round and eliminations. This time, only the top 13 (per gender) along with the 3 men and 3 women who went to the Olympics advance to the next stage. I checked the Korean Archery Association website to check the results and WOWWW Hye-Jin made it! I am SO HAPPY for her!

There will be a training camp held sometime during the winter where Hye-Jin and the other archers will fight for the six coveted spots (3 men and 3 women).

The talent runs so deep in the Korean archery system that it seems no matter who makes the team, they'll end up kicking butt anyway. I remember in 2004, Park Sung Hyun (my ultimate archery hero) said in an interview that making the national team is harder than winning gold at the Olympics. It's no wonder why for the past two decades the Korean women have dominated the international scene when all their competition is sitting back at home.

Seven weeks

2008-11-05T11:17:00.013-05:00

Each day progressively gets painfully loooonnnger.

Tick... tock...

It's kind of like the last few days of school before summer break - except that this feeling of impatience has come 7 weeks earlier. In an attempt to pass the time, I started reading Harry Potter again. (I only read the first book when it came out) so now, I'm starting again from the beginning.

OH! A few days ago, I called my coach in Korea (my real coach is Joan, here in Canada) and she handed the phone over to Hye-Jin, a friend I made at University Worlds! In Taiwan, Hye-Jin was the top ranked archer going into eliminations and I just happened to meet her in the second round. Of course, after a nail-biter of a match in the first round, I was already thrilled that I had made it through to the second round! I ended up losing to Hye-Jin but I was still smiling from ear to ear at the end of the match. For some reason, getting eliminated by a Korean makes it okay or much easier to accept. Anyway, Hye-Jin is just as excited about me coming to train with her as I am!

Left: With Hye-Jin; Right: They made it their goal to make me do these "A" hand signs.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who have been checking my blog, commenting, and encouraging me through other means of communication! It's nice getting such great feedback! As of right now, these blog posts might be a little dull.. but they'll definitely get more interesting once Christmas rolls around.

I added a couple "gadgets" to my blog. If you look to the right, you'll see a clock that shows what time it is in Korea and just below it you can watch some of my practice videos I post on YouTube. But I'm warning you, those videos are pretty boring (I use them to learn). Some might find it interesting to see how my form has changed over time.

Okay, take care!

v.

Fear of Failure

2008-10-30T22:06:00.008-04:00

My wonderful cousin, Ann, gave me the idea of starting this blog. (Thank you, Ann!) I thought it was a great idea! I immediately got on this website and created an account. But as soon as I logged on for the first time, I hesitated. This blog meant that people who are close to me will see that I have a dream, which is to one day make it to the Olympics. BUT if I never make it to the Olympics, everyone will see that I failed.

I think I've always been afraid of failure. In grade 9, I ran for the position of Junior Mayor on the student council. I really put a lot of effort into the campaign and in the end I failed. After that, I decided never to put myself in such a vulnerable position again. I can see how my fear snuck its way into such simple, everyday things. This might be a silly example.. but when playing the drums, I would have this ongoing struggle in my mind (while playing the song). One part of me wanted to play a difficult fill that would probably sound cool and the other part of me wanted to play it safe with a simple fill. And when it came time, I would almost always play it safe. Whenever I did go for that cooler sounding, more difficult fill, I hesitated and got off beat... failure.

In so many aspects of my life, I self-limited myself because I was afraid I would fail.

When talking about archery with friends, I would often hear things like, "cool! What do you want to do with archery? Go to the Olympics?" I would always reply with a safe answer.. "mm yeah maybe, we'll see." Yep, I would give a safe answer while on the inside, I knew SO clearly that my answer should have been a solid, "YES!"

So, I'm trying to be brave and I'm letting everyone in. I'm letting you follow along my journey to achieving my dreams even with a lot of uncertainty as to whether I'll actually achieve them or not. Even the URL to my blog http://koreatolondon tells everyone about my aspirations. So now, I'm putting myself "out there". I feel vulnerable but at the same time, I feel liberated.

Whether or not I make it to the Olympics is an insignificant detail. If I fail, I'll accept that. But I'll be content with the fact that I was brave enough to try.
I guess there's no better way to end this post than with a cheesy quote..

"Accomplishments will prove to be a journey, not a destination." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ciao! Mi chiamo Vanessa.

2008-10-25T20:05:00.010-04:00

This was a great week. Why? Because my friend, Jessica from Italy, was visiting Toronto.

The first time we met was in Taiwan for the World University Championships in July. She told me she was planning on visiting Toronto sometime during the Fall so I gave her my email, cell number, and address so that we could meet up.

Early September, I was on the FITA (International Archery Federation) website following the results from the World Field Championships. HOLY COW!!! Jessica, this friend I made in Taiwan, not only kicked butt during the ranking round, she dominated right until the end and won gold! Daaang, I was friends with a world champion!

So once she got to Toronto, she gave me a call and we met up.
On Monday, along with my friend Melissa, we did a bit of shopping at the good ol' Toronto Eaton Centre, chowed down on Pad Thai and spring rolls, and went to archery practice. It's not too often you get a chance to share your bow with a world champion. Shooting on Monday was definitely a night to remember.

We met again on Friday. I decided I didn't want her to go back to Italy without having had a poutine. mmm poutine... She loved it. Mission accomplished! We went to archery practice and this time, with the help of my coach and friends, we had a full bow set up for her. It was great and I think she appreciated it. Alana, Crispin, Melissa and I left a bit early to take Jess bowling (sorry Joan and Gary for splitting like that). Here's a word of advice: stay alert when bowling with Jessica because there's a pretty good chance that a bowling ball's coming your way! hahaha There was a lot of crazy dancing, singing off-key, and gutter balls. All in all, it was a great night. We all agreed that if given the chance, we would keep Jessica forever.

She's leaving on Tuesday.
Ahh I'm really gonna miss her.

Korea?!

2008-10-23T21:23:00.006-04:00

Oh yeah, I should probably let you know why I'm going to Korea! haha

I'm going to be training for archery. I met a wonderful Korean coach while I was at University Worlds and she was really interested in helping me out. She invited me to come to her university and train with the team there. I won't be taking any academic courses, but if I get the chance, I'd like to take an intermediate Korean course or something like that.

Sooo, the school is in Daegu, one of the largest cities in South Korea. It's closer to the southeastern side of the country, where people have thick, thick accents.

I'll be in Korea for about 6 months. This is an opportunity many people would kill for. I'm going to make the most of this trip!

hmm... I already know that the 6 months of training is definitely not going to be easy. I'm excited, but at the same time I'm scared out of my mind.

Plane Ticket!

2008-10-23T02:21:00.000-04:00

On the subway ride home, my mom told me over the phone that she booked my plane ticket to Korea! I shrieked and people turned to see where the high-pitched noise came from. YAAAAAAY!!! The big day is December 25... Christmas! I'll stop in Incheon for a few hours and then fly to Busan, where I'll be spending New Years with my cousins. Daegu's just about an hour away from Busan so it won't be difficult getting there.

I'm so excited. But it still doesn't feel like I'm going yet. The next 2 months are going to go by sooooo slowwwwwly.

I really like this idea of blogging. It's a great way to stay in touch and let everyone at home know what's going on. So check back often (especially after I leave for Korea) if you want to learn about all the ancient secrets to the success of Korean archers! ... or if you just want to see what I'm up to.