Katniss Who?: Izzy’s Hootworthy Archery Journey

Izzy didn’t plan on becoming an archer. She just gave it a try and never really stopped. What started as a ten dollar experiment turned into hours of practice, training with a college coach, and eventually competing at the state level.

In this episode, Izzy shares what it was like to struggle through her first competition, come back and win her next one, and learn how much of the sport is mental. She talks about staying focused under pressure, building confidence, and how one small decision led to a scholarship opportunity.

It’s a real look at growth, mindset, and what can happen when you stick with something.

Stay hootworthy.

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We spotlight the students and faculty of GCA and the stories that deserve to be heard.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Katniss Who? Izzy walked into her first competition, finished last, then came back a week later and won it all. In this episode, she breaks down her love for Archery, how she leveled up fast, and where she's headed next. Enjoy the show. Thanks for coming on the show. Hoot Worthy here, but archery. This isn't exactly like an everyday activity that students are doing, people are getting into. So it's like after school activities, usually like softball, football, but yours is archery. So how did that even become a thing? Like where did that even come from?

SPEAKER_00 0:55

So I've always been an athlete. I've did dance when I was younger, soccer, and then I kind of moved on to the more niche sports for a while. I did dirt bike racing.

SPEAKER_02 1:06

Wow. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Um curling. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Yeah, very, very niche.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Hammer throwing, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:13

So javelin disc is doing all that.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Um, but I tried archery at one of those, you know, cheap, you pay ten dollars and you shoot a hay bale kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

And I thought it was fun, and I kind of did more research on it and I found out that it is more competitive. And I thought, you know, why not?

SPEAKER_02 1:33

Very cool. I need to find these like hay bale$10 archery side of the road stuff to like check out. That sounds cool. I want to do that. But um who's the who's the better archer? We need to figure it out right now. Okay, let's settle it here. Hoot worthy. Is it Katniss, Legolas, Hawkeye? Izzy. Uh no, not obviously Izzy, but who okay? Okay. Who are you voting for?

SPEAKER_00 2:01

I was gonna be egotistical. Um, personal bias speaking, Katniss.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Hawkeye's a superhero, he's got like an unfair advantage.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Sure, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

I've never seen um don't tell me.

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Don't say it. Sorry.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

No, sorry, I've never seen it.

SPEAKER_02 2:19

You haven't seen Lord of the Rings. All right, we need to cut the show right now. You need to go watch.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

I just I just started Game of Thrones. It's a lot, okay. I'm behind.

SPEAKER_02 2:28

It's fine, it's fine. No, no judgment here. So you apparently you spent months begging for this bow. You're like, I really want this bow and arrow. Come on. And then now you're fast forward your training with Georgia Southerns, head coach in lessons. Tell me about that journey. How did you go from please, I want this bow really bad, to training with a archery head coach at a you know major university?

SPEAKER_00 3:04

Yeah. So I told you I did the research and everything like that. And I really liked Olympic recurve, not so much on the compounds, which is like what you see a lot in Georgia, you know, but hunting's not really my thing.

SPEAKER_02 3:17

So but let me pause you right before that. What do you mean the Olympic recurve versus compound? What are those two things for people that have no idea what you're talking about? The Olympic recurve.

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yeah. Obviously. Yeah, you're interviewing me.

SPEAKER_02 3:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:31

This is an Olympic recurve. Okay. It's um it's got the stabilizers and a site and everything, and it is competition grade. So it has to be a certain standard. Okay. Whereas compound would be the ones with the little gears on it that you'd see people hunting deers and stuff with.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

I see. Yeah. Okay. So boom, pause aside. We know the difference between those two. Yeah. Go on.

SPEAKER_00 3:52

The style of Olympic recurve is really cool. And I just really enjoyed it. I thought it'd be a fun sport to do. And so I asked my dad if I could get a bear bow, which is a recurve, but without the sights, without the stabilizers, just plain old bow, you know, okay. Wooden bow. And I sent him TikToks every day, and I would send him articles. And it was the same year that the Olympics were going on. So I was sending him Instagram posts of the Olympic team, and look at how cool this girl is, you know.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

And I ended up getting a bow for Christmas. And which, you know, obviously.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

So you would say that your tactics worked. Yeah. Your dad caved.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

I'm very, you know, influential.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Very persuasive.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:37

And I got the bow and I loved it. I got uh shot in my backyard every day with COVID. Every day for hours.

SPEAKER_02 4:47

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

And my dad's the type of guy who goes, Oh, I know a guy.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Ah.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

And so he got me connected with the head coach to get me private lessons.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

Oh, cool. With with the Georgia Southern Southern coach. Very neat. So, like, how when did that transition or how did that go from like, this is fun, I really enjoy this. Uh, it's cool being Katniss, like dressing up. And, you know, we've seen videos in the backyard, you know, doing barrel rolls and then shooting. Like seeing it all, right? So, uh, how did it go from like this is really fun to like, man, I actually want to pursue this? Like, I want to get serious with this.

SPEAKER_00 5:30

So the big thing was being at the college's range. I saw a lot of the team members there. They would practice on their own time.

unknown 5:37

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 5:37

And I saw them with their bows and I thought they were really cool. And while I was making progress with the coach, she was hyping me up and saying how good I was and how I'm progressing really well and I take instruction well. And I think kind of getting the ego boost of it while also seeing the older kids, you know, I looked up to them and I was like, Yeah, I want to do that. I want to compete like them.

SPEAKER_02 6:01

Awesome. So you were actually at the Georgia Southern practice.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Yeah, at their range.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

Sometimes. Yeah. Cool. Very cool. So you see them, you're like, man, this is actually something pretty serious. You could like go to college, like get scholarships or something, right? Like for the school, do things like that. Very neat. And then the coach is like, Izzy, you're not terrible.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

You're pretty good, I guess. You know? And so she's like, Hey, you should you should do this. Very neat. So, what is something that you think, or you've heard, you've been around the archery world a little bit, I would imagine. What do you think is something that people just totally get wrong about archery that they're just like, it's not right.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

A lot of people just say it isn't the sport. A lot of people don't realize how you know, physically and mentally it takes to do. I mean, this is considered like a lighter bow, and it's about 28 pounds in draw length, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it is.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

That means like the 28 pounds is the pullback. That you pull back. Oh wow. So it's like it takes 28 pounds of like force.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Yeah, to get the arrow back.

SPEAKER_02 7:04

Yeah, I mean, that's hey, that's no small.

SPEAKER_00 7:08

And you know, you're also having to be consistent every single time. You're doing it hundreds of times, you know. Sure. It's a lot. And a lot of people kind of they see all the equipment, they see all the ads, and they think it's easy. But it's not.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

It's not easy.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

It's easy to pick up, but it's hard to perfect.

SPEAKER_02 7:27

I like that. I like that. Um, and so when people say that it's not a sport, what do you have to do to not like you know, basically s backhand them?

SPEAKER_00 7:41

It takes a lot.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

Bite your tongue, you know.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:44

Um tell me about your uh the first state level uh competition. So you've done uh two competitions, I think. Was one of them the state level and the other one wasn't? Were they both state level?

SPEAKER_00 8:01

Uh they were both state level. They were both for USA archery. Okay. Um one of them, however, was for a prize of a scholarship.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:10

Um, I did not get the scholarship because I was the youngest and there were older girls who got higher scores, which was ranked nationally.

SPEAKER_02 8:18

Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

But I got the highest in Georgia.

SPEAKER_02 8:21

Very cool. So that was your the first?

SPEAKER_00 8:24

That was the second one.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

That that was the second. Okay. So um you said you were the youngest in your division. Were you the youngest in your division for both of those competitions or just that first competition?

SPEAKER_00 8:35

For both of them, I think.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

So you placed first in the second contest. Yes. Um what was what was that like? Um going in because you've only done two competitions. And how did you go from and and I think you placed like last dead last in your in uh by like a hundred points, yeah. And you basically go from worst to first. How did you do that? How did you go from last place to then first place winning in Georgia? A lot of people. What made the difference? What was it? Was it nerves, you think? Like what do you think it was?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

It was for sure anxiety. My coach was the one who sent me the links to sign up for both competitions. She said I was ready. And so the first one I went to, I had no idea what I was doing. I had to walk around and ask the judges, like, oh, what papers do I sign? Where do I go? Where do I put my target? You know, I was so nervous. And then, you know, it's you're really close when you shoot with other people. And that was a big thing was I'm not used to shooting with other people. I've only ever done private lessons. And so I was with a bunch of people who in my head I was convinced that they were better than me.

SPEAKER_02 9:51

Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_00 9:52

And so I freaked myself out bad.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

Sure, you psyched yourself out. Okay, that's the first contest. But then the second contest, you walk in. What's the difference? Nerves of steel, where you kind of like, I just don't care. Like, I've kind of been here before. Like, what do you think? Like, what was your mindset in that second one?

SPEAKER_00 10:11

So I had a private lesson in between those competitions. I had two private lessons, I think, where I just talked to my coach about it and it talked about how nervous I was and everything. And she helped me. She gave me some pointers, she fixed my form, but it was a lot of mental. And that's where she started having me practice with the team because she started it as, you know, distraction training and shooting with other people.

SPEAKER_02 10:38

Oh, I see.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

And so when I went back for the second competition, I um was I knew what I was gonna do. I knew where to put my target, I knew where to go, I knew what the whistles meant, and I felt a lot better now that I was, you know, aware of where I was, you know.

SPEAKER_02 10:54

Nice, yeah. It sounds like your skill and your actual physical ability really didn't change. It was always there. It was really just your mindset, exactly. Your mind. And and so getting better, not being as stressed out. Very cool. Well, good for you. You went from like a train wreck.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Because I knew it wasn't that bad. I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:13

You're like, I can't be awful.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 11:16

Well, you're not. I mean, what did that first place moment feel like? I mean, did you feel like super validated? Like, what what what was that? What was it like in first place? Were you surprised? Like, what do you what happened?

SPEAKER_00 11:26

I was having so much fun. I um there were multiple times throughout the competition where you could see the scores on your phone. It's updated every round. And my dad was telling me, Don't look at your phone. Don't look. And I'm freaking out because I'm like, is it that bad? And he's like, No, no, no, just keep shooting, keep doing what you're doing. And I checked about halfway through the second part of the competition. Okay. And I saw that I was like 70 points ahead.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 11:52

And I was thrilled.

SPEAKER_02 11:53

Is that a lot of points?

SPEAKER_00 11:54

That's a lot. So it's depends on the competition. Okay. But it's either, you know, the middle of the target, that's 10 points.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

So it's either 30 points per round or 50 points per round is like the max.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Wow. So yeah. So that can what it what is the typical point spread that you usually see in these competitions between like first and second?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

It's usually it's best of 600. I see like the professional upper kids in the 550 to 590 range.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 12:24

You know, and I forgot what I had. I sent it to you.

SPEAKER_02 12:28

Sure, yeah, no, no, no. But I mean, hey, winning, winning by like upwards of 70 points, that's huge. So, Archery, you obviously physical sport, it's physically demanding. As you said, you got this 28-pound pull, you're doing multiple rounds in these competitions. You said, like you're shooting a lot, a best of 600 points. I mean, man, that's a lot of arrows, right? But we've talked about the mental aspect. Is it 50-50? Is it 50% mental, 50% physical? Like, if you had to say, Mr. T, it's boom. Like, what percentage would you give? Is it more physical? Is it more mental? What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 13:05

It's like 90% mental.

SPEAKER_02 13:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:07

Half of the sport is kind of gaslighting yourself. You know, if you shoot a bad shot, you blame the arrow and you keep going. You know, you have to you're the form matters, the practice matters, everything like that. But a lot of it is, you know, going through steps, making sure everything feels right, you know, and doing the same every single time. It's mental.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

Sure. And how do you prepare yourself for that? How do you get better at that?

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Practice.

SPEAKER_02 13:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

That's just it.

SPEAKER_02 13:33

Sounds like your coach putting you through that distraction stuff and training with the team helped you as well from the mindset. Um you're going to uh Georgia Southern uh in in the fall. You're joining the Georgia Southern team. What are you most excited about? About that, like this next step going to Georgia Southern.

SPEAKER_00 13:57

Um, committing to Georgia Southern is, you know, a big thing for me. I never really thought I would go to college for something, let alone for a sport. And so meeting all these people and you know, really just finding a place to be is the biggest part, is being a part of a team is really fun and I'm really excited to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_02 14:18

That's awesome. And tell me, did you have to try out for this team, or because you were uh your coach is your uh with associated with Georgia Southern, um did did they recruit you? Like how how did you how are you joining this team? How'd that work?

SPEAKER_00 14:36

So it's not really a tryout thing. You do have to be within a certain skill level, but it is pretty open to all who want to. Um, however, I did kind of get recruited by my coach telling me the practice times, and then the other kids, you know, inviting me to the group chats and inviting me to snow cones after practice and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Hmm.

SPEAKER_02 14:57

Very cool. So it sounds like you're kind of joining a community as well over there making making friends. And that's nice too. So you'll be going to Georgia Southern, you'll kind of already have like a community friendship group, you know, possibility to get plugged in without it just being like, Whoa, I'm going to this huge university and I don't know anybody or anything. Can you tell me a little bit about the transition that you were talking about between going from like this uh you said you had like a bear?

SPEAKER_00 15:25

A bear bow.

SPEAKER_02 15:26

A bear bow to this Olympic recurve. What was that transition like? And is that a big deal or is it easy?

SPEAKER_00 15:32

It's a huge deal. So um there's usually steps to it. There's usually you start with the wooden bow, and then you get a cheap recurve without all the weights and everything like that, but with the same carbon fiber, and then you start getting the fancier stuff. But I shot bare bow for about six months and I shot every day. And my coach would let me try out their equipment, like the stabilizers and the sights on my bow. And she was like, I think you're ready for it. Like, I think you're ready to just go straight to the big Olympic recurve. And that was exciting. I would not stop talking about it. Um, but it's a really big deal. I have a bow that, you know, it has parts that actual Olympians use, you know. The uh riser itself is something that Brady Ellison, he's a five-time Olympian. Um, I think he's placed medals every time in the Olympics.

SPEAKER_02 16:33

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 16:34

And he has the same parts that I do. Nice.

SPEAKER_02 16:38

So very cool. Big deal. Um, and this bow, was this another like dad? I gotta send you a bunch of TikToks to persuade to get this bow?

SPEAKER_00 16:51

Actually, it was my coach that did that. My coach was the one sending him the links and hyping up the pieces and telling him what to get.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Did it take you a long time to adjust to it or not really?

SPEAKER_00 17:01

I'm still adjusting to it.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:03

It's we didn't go for it all at once. We started with the bow itself and we put on pieces every other week or something, and we're practicing with those. Right now, I'm practicing with these side pieces. So those I added like a month ago.

SPEAKER_02 17:17

So those those things are on it while you're shooting it. Oh wow. Okay. Um, I thought it was just like a stand or something, but okay, so all that's all that all those pieces, wow, that's that's incredible. Um is this the bow that you shot at your competitions?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

Very cool, awesome. What is something that you've really appreciated about being a student at GCA? Uh, it could be specific to the archery sport or really just anything, but you uh uh I understand it, you're about to graduate, you know. So you got GCA fresh on the mind. What have you really appreciated about being a student at GCA?

SPEAKER_00 17:58

Having the time. I think this is a big thing where you said I shoot my backyard, I spend a lot of time practicing, and I think Georgia Cyber gives me a really good opportunity to be able to dedicate time. You know, I don't have any homework, there's no commute time, you know. I can go in between my lunch and go outside real quick and then come back in.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Sure. And shoot a couple squirrels. Just kidding. Not doing that.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

As far as we know. No, I would never.

SPEAKER_02 18:24

No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Um, but just the time to be able to do stuff like that. And I've really appreciated Georgia's Georgia Cyber because I don't have to, you know, worry about schoolwork as much. You know, the stuff's easy, the teachers are great, communication's great, and so I could get schoolwork done and then go play. You know?

SPEAKER_02 18:44

Nice, very cool. Yeah, work hard, play hard.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 18:47

Awesome. Well, before you get out of here, Izzy, and we super appreciate you coming. Who do you want to shout out?

SPEAKER_00 18:53

My parents. I, you know, wouldn't be here without them. They're the ones who bought me the bow, they're the ones who set me up with the coach, they give me rides everywhere. And I get to go to these competitions and meet these people because of them.

SPEAKER_02 19:08

Awesome. Love it. Well, again, Izzy, super proud of you. Stay hoot worthy, keep going at it. We can't wait to see you perhaps on the Olympics, throwing up some gold medals. Don't forget to shout out GCA when you're on the podium, you know, there when you're there. But again, keep going. Can't wait to see what the future holds for you and stay.

SPEAKER_00 19:27

Thank you, Scott.