An Empowering JOAD Program
(Joy Lee Archery Academy)
By Coach Roy Villasor
Following the pipeline that provides future members to the Junior Dream Team (JDT) led to Long Beach, Ca. This is just one location of the Joy Lee Archery Academy (JLAA). Initiated by parents with a vision to provide the best instructions in archery, the JLAA is now on its third year of operation with two locations, San Diego and Long Beach and two more to open in Pasadena and Los Angeles. At the Academy, parents have an active role in this JOAD Program. When you enroll your child, the parents receive an education in archery as well.
Upon entering the field, one will be amazed at the beehive of activity. A member of the JLAA parents association welcomes you and acts as your guide by introducing you to the faculty and staff, if not, Joy Lee herself will personally give you the tour. They will point out the Intermediates on one part of the field shooting FITA Distances for juniors and cadets, complete with timers and buzzers. Beginners are on the short range receiving advise from a plethora of instructors, while new parents receive an orientation course which will proceed to more detailed courses designed to assist their children. Today’s course was on nutrition.
Advance shooters are receiving one on one instruction in another part of the field to perfect their form. Alongside The Coach, parents are taught to catch minute errors in their child’s form. They also learn the ways to correct those errors. Parents are a force multiplier in the sense they are able to monitor and correct their child during practice on weekdays. When they return the next weekend, progress has already been made to advance to the next lesson. It was not surprising to learn that many JLAA parents are now USAA certified level 1 and 2 instructors.
On and off the field there is just so much to do, fathers are busy preparing a sumptuous barbeque. Mothers are organizing the buffet table in preparation for an early dinner after a long day of shooting. All guests are invited and have a place on the table.
JLAA teaches the National Training System or NTS. Here NTS is taught in it’s one and pure form from beginner to advance levels. Students learn very quickly that there is only one way, the right way. A newbie on her first day joins the beginner’s course handled by Rene Paguia, a USAA certified NTS Coach. The assignment of a top coach sets the high quality of instruction from day 1. This assures the transition from beginner to intermediate is seamless.
Getting the NTS form right from the get-go is emphasized. An instructor is personally assigned to guide a newbie through the initial steps of NTS. Speaking in a calm voice, male and female instructors provide not only the proper movements but also encouragement. Coach Rene tells the beginners that learning the form is like learning to dance. One is reminded of an interview of legend Bruce Lee saying the same of Jeet Kune Do. The similarities are not lost because archery is taught as a martial art at JLAA. Coach Rene constantly reminds them that good form results in good score.
Returning to the field, NTS Level 4 Coaches Gary Holstein and Steve Nita keeps a close eye on the intermediates. Previously coaching the Resident Athletes at the Olympic Training Center, Gary reminds the young students to complete the requirement of each step before proceeding to the next step of the KSL Shot Cycle. The students are given high standards and the physical requirements are clearly seen with 14-year old Kent Nita executing a controlled shot with a 47-pound bow.
The choice of El Dorado Park is appropriate for the level of instruction and standards set by JLAA. Most of the students are too young to know that this was the venue for the archery competitions at the 1984 LA Olympics. Considered hallowed ground for a lot of veteran archers, these future Olympians are learning their skills where past Olympians made their mark in Olympic history.
The Academy does not dwell on the past but prepares for the future. For its third anniversary, JLAA San Diego under Head Coach Keaton Chia, hosted the celebration by arranging an Olympic qualifier and match including team events at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. The young students were inspired by the current resident athletes who are preparing for the next round of selection for Pan Am, World and Olympic Teams.
This also gives the student archers the opportunity to shoot on the same grounds where Brady Ellison, Jake Kaminsky, Jacob Wukie and Miranda Leek were developed. If that were enough, the student archers will go up against the famous juniors of the Baja Team from Mexico. An international but informal dual meet to see how well prepared the students are in comparison to their counter-parts from across the border. The match is likewise open to all cadets and juniors who would like to join in the celebration, matches and the raffle.
The much anticipated raffle offered the grand prize of a Hoyt Formula Excel Bow Set. Second prize was a set of Easton X-10 Arrows. Numerous prizes totaling $3000 will be awarded for only a dollar per ticket. One realizes how effective the JLAA parents association is in fund raising. At the 2013 State Indoor Championship, they are a well-organized machine handling transport and accommodations. Their presence can be felt behind the waiting line.
Overall, the program of the Joy Lee Archery Academy has proven effective with students, Geun Woo Kevin Kim, Jin Woo Kim, Stephanie Kim, Jenna Ahn, Eric Kil, Aileen Yoo, Christine Kim, Kent Nitta, Jorrin Song, and Sean Chang making the JDT. Engineer KJ Ahn, spoke of his accidental discovery of the JLAA in Long Beach. But the selection of his daughter, Jenna (15) for the 2013 United State Archery Team, Female Cadet Recurve was no accident. He credits the JLAA for Jenna’s continuing development.
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