2020 has been a difficult year. Probably the biggest understatement in history. The world slowed down and was shaken to the core by the virus. Everyone’s lives forever changed with the loss of livelihoods and worse, countless loved ones. We have all had to adapt to this new world we now live in.
2020 didn’t start off too bad for me. Island Archery had developed a good following. Lessons and sales were on a roll. After going through a terrible 2019, losing work and going through carrier burn out, 2020 started filled with hope. Things felt like they were turning around for me and Island Archery. February was probably the strongest month in both student turn out and sales. My regular student roster was at an all time high. Weekly sales were consistent, and I had a couple schools and local government units with big orders. I had started to feel that Archery was gaining popularity. And I was making a difference. Then March came and the world stopped. Lockdowns were implemented. The virus froze everything. Businesses. Outdoor activities. Specially sports. All put to a halt.
March and April were probably the most surreal months of 2020. Strict lockdowns were implemented throughout the country. Everything felt like a zombie apocalypse movie. I could hardly believe what was going on. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, however. Families all over the world had become closer than ever. Busy professionals and working parents spending more time at home with the kids and taking up new hobbies. The rise of the plantitos and plantitas. The first time ever, I actually had time to play my favorites From Software games and maintain my 150 arrow per day volume. I have been lucky enough to have some space to shoot and practice at home. I was able to fine tune my new bow and improve on a few things in my own shot cycle. Island Archery had come to a screeching halt during these months and with it, my only source of income. Shooting 150 to 200 arrows every day during these 2 months kept me sane. Hopeful even.
May came along and the country was still in lockdown, but shipping and online sales started opening up again. Things started to pick up and I had unprecedented sales on traditional and hunting bows. Probably a sign of the times, people doomsday prepping, but I had never before setup and tuned as many trad bows and hunting bows ever.
June rolled around and things were looking better. Island Archery sales had come back to a relatively consistent pace. Restrictions due to the virus has slowly loosened. I couldn’t shoot as much as I did in the months prior mainly because my son had started remote schooling which is a big thing now in 2020. Though far from normal, things felt better in June.
July for Island Archery was a good month. It had good growth and sales, all things considered. Things were looking good. My shot process started to feel better than ever. My bow shoulder felt stronger specially since injuring it badly in 2018. My bow felt great with the load of weights I had added to my setup. The 2020 Olympics were postponed but things were looking up.
In 2020, weeks started to feel like days and months felt like weeks. Before we all knew it, August had come. The new normal had started to kick in full swing. I had joined a couple of online tournaments. Online archery lessons were working great. The world was moving forward. Archery had adapted.
Archery is one of a few sports that seems tailor fit for the new world we live in. No physical contact. For the most part, open air venues and environments. There are low risks of injury and social distancing is pretty much built in. Online tournaments, this time with the world’s best archers, have started to gain momentum. But awareness of the sport still could be better. There is much room for the sport to grow. And I continue to help in my little way.
September arrived and Island Archery had sold its 60th bow since opening in May 2019. Archery ranges all over the world have started to reopen. Lessons at the Cebu Archery club range have even started up again. Things were looking better but sales have somehow declined. The first time in a long time, my long-time nemesis, depression, had started to rear its ugly head. Archery, for the longest time, has been my greatest and most effective tool in fighting this decease. Archery being a very introspective sport, teaches one to self-evaluate and correct one’s own mistakes. Archery is extremely process oriented and thus enables one to break things down into individual steps or parts, making problems seem smaller than they are. The amount of focus required to shoot archery at higher levels is such that it forces one to let go of everything else and think of just the shot. In archery, we avoid thinking about out past arrows. We do not anticipate the next shots. We only focus on the moment, the shot we are in. The now.
October. By far the most difficult month of 2020. My father, Island Archery’s biggest supporter, my hero, died. He fought cancer for just 2 months and in an instant, he was gone. If anyone wondered why my regular 2 blog posts per week went down to 1 and in some weeks, none. This was what happened. I was broken. The world had ended for me. In spite of the loss, I am putting myself back to together now. My wife and son help me stand up each day. Archery has kept me going. Shooting long distances. Mind on the target. Talking to customers. Helping them find their ideal bow. Teaching new archers, the sport. These have all helped me rise from rock bottom. My dad was a dreamer. He dreamed of a prosperous and happy life for our family. He spent every waking moment trying to make the dream a reality. My dream is Island Archery. The dream of making archery one of the biggest sports in the country. The hope of training an Olympian someday. These dreams keep me going.
2020. The show must go on. I will keep shooting, teaching, and making archery grow. Thank you for helping me make these dreams come true.
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