Local sixth-grader garners win at national archery event

Young Waseca archer Wanli Chen, 11, took first place in his “cub” division at the U.S. “SuperBowl of Archery” in Las Vegas on March 28, winning a hefty medal and a $1,000 scholarship toward his future college education.

 

Archery is something of a family tradition among the Chens. Parents Fei and Dong have four sons: Kevin, 23; Kyle, 22; Jack, 19, and Wanli. Both Kevin and Jack were also archers and members of the Waseca Archery Club, with Kevin having won some titles and now helping coach his youngest brother. Also offering guidance and training are club founder Rick Rugroden and youth coach Aaron Hanson.

 

Wanli says his fascination with archery began when he was five or so, watching his brothers as they practiced and competed. When he was old enough, at age 7, to join the archery club, he continued to consider the elements of form and technique. “I like it that it takes time to get better at it,” he comments. “When it starts to happen, it’s really satisfying to see those arrows hit the middle of the target.”

 

Rugroden and Hanson explain that typical distance to the target in youth archery competitions is 10 yards; at Las Vegas it was 20 yards. Not only that, but taking part in an event which draws thousands of archers from all over the world, navigating large crowds and unfamiliar locations, and concentrating on form and marksmanship despite the many distractions were all elements which needed to be overcome to be successful.

 

Hanson says Wanli shows impressive focus as a young archer, practicing faithfully both on his own and during weekly team sessions. “He’s super hard-working and willing to put in extra time,” he says. “He asks good questions, and really picks up on input from his coaches, applying what they tell him to his own form and style.”

 

Wanli attributes his consistency to his devotion to practice and his coaches’ advice. He mentions he also likes to watch online videos of nationally successful professional archers and learn from what he sees of their style.

 

Success under pressure, he says, is achieved just the way he’s been advised: “When you shoot a bad arrow, you don’t think about it,” he says. “You concentrate on the next arrow.” The most important contributor to success, he declares, is skill which comes from practice and consistency. But now and then, “what feels like it was a bad arrow still goes the way you wanted it to.”

 

As for the activity and distraction at Las Vegas, he says he didn’t really notice it. “I was looking at the target,” he says. He says he was also encouraged by the results of his first practice round in Las Vegas, where he managed a perfect 150 out of 150.

 

Regarding how he felt when he was announced as the winner of his division, his best answer is to give a triumphant gesture.

 

Another highlight for Wanli in Las Vegas was mingling with many of the nation’s top archers, professionals who compete all over the country and win prizes of $10,000 and more. He was able to get the signatures of many of his personal role models on a baseball cap he acquired at the event and wore throughout the competition. Pointing at the signatures, he can name many of their personal accomplishments, including that one of them designed the release mechanism which is on the bow he uses.

 

In addition to his March 26 win, Wanli took second place in his division at a South Dakota outdoor shoot in September and first at the Iowa Pro-Am Shoot in Des Moines in December. He and a number of members of the Waseca youth team competed on March 8 at a Minnesota State Archers Association competition in Hugo. 

 

Hanson says many people don’t realize how many archery competitions take place: members of the Waseca Archery Club can choose among up to 50 “shoots” throughout the summer. Rugroden and Hanson want interested people to know the Waseca Archery Club has divisions for participants from age 7 to adult, with members able to choose their own level of commitment–from simply working to improve their own skills to those who wish to compete, even up to a professional level.