Job Well Done!

National Head Coach Kisik Lee

Dear Junior Dream Team Archers and Parents:

I want to take this opportunity to tell you how proud I am of the Junior Dream Team (JDT) and the success we had in Illinois at the Southern Illinois (SI) Cup.  Almost all of our JDT archers competed at the SI Cup.  With that kind of attendance we were bound to do well.  As it was, we did great!  We earned 10 of the 12 recurve positions available for the Youth World Championship.  Our team members set some records too, despite the conditions.

I am not surprised at how well we did during the tournament and the Round Robin matches.  I expected great performances from you and you met that expectation.  I am very pleased with that, but what I am most pleased of is that we were truly a team at the SI Cup and Jr. World Team Trials.  That level of teamwork will allow us to be successful throughout this archery season and for years to come.

The SI Cup is the first tournament in a busy summer.  We have international and national competitions almost back-to-back from now until the middle of August.  We must be physically and mentally strong to meet the demands of this campaign.  We must also understand the roles of the team and the individual.

The role of the “team” is to support the individual and vice versa.  The archers who did not get selected for international competitions deserve as much credit as do those who earned a spot on those teams.  Without your support, our team mates who were selected may not have won a position.  You won matches which eliminated those non-members who might have earned a spot if it had not been for you and your archery skills.  The entire team owes you a debt of gratitude for being there to help Champion our cause.

As none of us can stand alone against the world, we must all stand together.  The single stick may be easily broken, but the bundle of sticks is stronger than the sum of its parts.  Before this summer we were individuals; each of us striving to accomplish great tasks, and many times succeeding.  Now I see us as a team and where one of us stands so does the rest of the team.  This is the kind of tight-knit cohesive group we must be to realize our goals.

As we enter this competition season I wish each of you the best and I want you to know that I am proud of you all for being a part of our team.  We may each achieve minor victories alone, but the major victories will only be won with continued teamwork and each of us supporting the others.

One Body, One Voice, One Team!

See you in June every one!

Sincerely,

Kisik Lee
National Head Coach / USA Archery