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Nov 09, 2015

Meet the Hetletveds

 

Lee Hetletved: age 42,

Penny Hetletved: age 42,

Kinley Hetletved: age 12,

Hatley Hetletved: age 8.

Who has been shooting the longest?

Lee has technically been shooting the longest by a couple of months or so! A family friend, Bernell Pleinus, boards horses at our place and had his Jennings Buckmaster compound in our yard. Lee tried it and was hooked. That was late fall, and by Christmas time the whole family had bows. We are now finishing our fourth season. Hatley, of course, being younger has been going as long as us with some help, but she has been independently competing for the past two years. We started with local and state shoots, then stumbled upon the First Dakota Classic, and now compete on a national landscape.

[caption id="attachment_1364" align="alignright" width="217"] Lee and Penny discuss shooting during a tournament.[/caption]

Do you all practice together?

Yes, we practice together. Lee runs JOAD on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we practice as a family two additional times each week. Lee is currently a Level III USA Archery coach. When at practice, he is no longer dad or hubby but our coach. In addition, we try to respect that at least one of our practices each week should also be an uninterrupted practice for Lee as well.

How many tournaments have you all competed in as a family?

We compete as a family at all of them. There are a few times, especially at a large shoot, where Penny doesn't shoot to be available for the girls. Her mantra is "mama first, shooter second."

Do you have any rules when it comes to shooting as a family?

At practice, we believe that bad practice is worse than no practice. So, our goal is to set up our practices within a routine that fosters growth and success. At competition, we strive to teach our daughters that they are only as good as their competition. We must respect our competition, have fun, stay positive, and look for lessons and growth in each shooting experience. We try to stay very goal oriented-and thanks to our sponsors (Carbon Express and Runnings), we journal more to keep track of our experiences.

[caption id="attachment_1366" align="alignleft" width="280"] Hatley and Kinley pose with their medals after a tournament.[/caption]

It's important that they stay strong physically and mentally, so we work to do other things to maintain the resiliency archery takes. The best rewards as parents are when our girls meet a new friend and expand their networks. My favorite quote comes from Kinley a few summers ago when she said, "Mom, meet my new friend Brooke-she's from Australia!" We are thankful to have such an extended archery friend network that is becoming extended family.

What is your favorite archery memory as a family?

Each family member had a separate favorite archery memory.

Lee: My favorite archery memory was shooting at the Voyager Cup where we shot the different formats such as teach and individual shoot offs. In addition, I really enjoyed NFAA National Field. Field is my favorite archery event.

Kinley: My favorite archery memory was NFAA National Field followed by IFAA Field. I made a great new friend, Skylah, who is from South Africa. We still keep in touch. In addition, I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to participate in CJDT camp in Salt Lake City, Utah this summer.

Hatley: When I first started, I was happy to hit foam or paper, and now I am frustrated if my 3D shot is a'5' or my paper is an'8.' My best memory is shooting a state 3D tournament when we heard a rustling in the trees. We were at Target #12, and the rustling was a weaned bear cub! It was cool to see. My mom was worried though.

Penny: For me, I think the best memory was last year's Vegas shoot. It was just a lot of "firsts." It was the first time our girls had flown. First experience for our girls to "practice with the pro's." The atmosphere of that shoot, being able to see the world cup to boot, it was just an exceptional opportunity.

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