Emily Blake: From Dreams to Teams

Emily Blake

I started archery when I was 8 years old. We shot at balloons during a girl scout outing, and decided to sign up for lessons. After one year in JOAD, I made the Vermont Junior Archers Road Team. We traveled around New England for regional tournaments and such.  It was the beginning of a great experience for me. By 2005 I was competing in outdoor archery competitions, and in 2008 I made the Junior World Team.  As a member of the 2008 Junior World Team, I competed for the United States in Antalya, Turkey at the 2008 Youth World Championships.

I decided in order to achieve my future goals, I would need a better atmosphere and the best coaching I could get.  So, I decided to become a Resident Athlete in September of 2008.  Training at the Olympic Training Center has helped me see how I have to change in order to become the best.  In mid-December of 2008, I made the switch from left-handed to right-handed.  This was a very difficult change for me, but by the end of April I was showing great progress.  In May of 2009 I made the Junior World Team again, this time shooting right handed instead of left handed!  Now, I will be competing in Ogden, Utah at the 2009 Youth World Championships.

My dream since I started competing in Outdoor Archery, has been to go to the Olympics. I also would like to qualify for the spot to compete in the Youth Olympics in 2010, held in Singapore. This summer I will have that opportunity to qualify for the Youth World Olympics and with a little luck, I will do it!