Welcoming Year 6

<-- Pic taken March 2004 at Beaches Rec Centre
In the fall of 2003, when Tessa was in Grade 4, the medieval era was part of the curriculum she studied. I agreed to come along with her class to a production here in TO called "Medieval Times". Well...this Disney version of medieval times was such a sad BS production. Coming from the german background of playing in the moats of ancient castles and growing up surrounded by towns and villages steeped in medieval history, I felt it my duty to somehow enhance Tessa's learning of that interesting period...soooo...I dragged her to the ROM, showing her medieval attire and trinkets and then...what else could I do to give her a feeling of those times long ago? I registered her for archery classes at our local rec centre beginning first week of January 2004.

So here we are, going into the 6th year of recurve archery and Tessa loves it as much now as in the beginning. Who would have thought the Ontario curriculum would lead us down this path?! The rules at home are simple: family & friends first, education second, archery third! Works most of the time :) Tessa has begun high school and chosen a difficult program, meaning TONS of homework. For example, she'll finish Grade 9 Science by end of January, Grade 10 Science will be completed by June. But somehow she still manages to exercise and practice her shooting, although I've put my foot down during these holidays about getting enough rest and reconnecting with family and friends sorely neglected this fall...

Now the indoor season is seriously upon us and my job will be to find balance for our archer and our family. The Ontario and Canadian Indoor Championships are first on the list. Ready or not, here it comes - another year of flying arrows has begun...