By: Edir Coronado
Archery is a unique sport that challenges its competitors to have extreme focus and precision when attempting to shoot an arrow. Timothy Chung from Berkeley Heights, 16, has a passion for archery, made evident when he competed in the U.S. National Target Championships, U.S. Open and Easton JOAD Nationals from July 13th through the 17th, taking home the Bronze medal.
This year Alabama had the pleasure of hosting the US Open for adults, and Easton JOAD Nationals for youth, which attracted thousands of archers from around the world, one of them being Timothy Chung. Chung draws his inspiration from his family, who have a heavy military background. His father, YI Chung, would often take his son to the shooting range to shoot rifles and from these trips he began making the connection to archery. Soon after Chung’s interest in archery began to grow, he initiated a search for a coach who could help him achieve Olympic style status in the world of archery. He found this with Coach John Nyberg.
Chung explains that every archer during practice has the ability to accomplish the perfect shot, but the true test of skills is established during competition. With the mental stress that is surrounding the athlete, from the droves of people watching their every move, to one’s own insecurities that they might possibly miss their mark, mental preparedness is essential in order to dominate in this sport. Personally, Chung practices every day, although he admits that his competitors have the edge and practice more hours than he does, but he finds his competitive edge investing time on his mental focus. He found guidance in the book, With Winning in Mind, by Lanny Bassham. Chung uses the technique and information found in this book to give him the kind of cerebral concentration that would allow him to dominate his competition.
This year Chung missed his opportunity to make the Olympics, something he regrets, but isn’t discouraged. He still has his eyes set on achieving his dreams of representing his country in the Olympics one day. Chung remains humble and focused stating, “While I am grateful for the success, the medal doesn’t change anything: I am still very passionate of the sport.”
