A lesson in overcoming limitiations

It cannot be argued that children who are involved in extracurricular activities do better in school. Perhaps that is due to them being ineligible to participate if their grades fall beneath a certain level. Or perhaps those activities train those students to focus more on what is important.

Whatever the reason, it also cannot be argued that the archery program in the Harrison County School District includes more students, grades 4-12, than any other program that is offered. Well over 150 children participate in archery, either on the elementary, middle school or high school levels, in Harrison County.

And that inclusion is not limited to just your ordinary student. At least three of those who are participating have overcome physical challenges that make the rest of us sit up and take notice.

Khloe Fryman is 15 years old and has been participating in archery since she was in the 4th grade. The daughter of Ella and Eric Fryman is a sophomore at Harrison County High School.

Addlee Miles is the daughter of Chris Miles and Melissa Miles. She has also been participating since the 5th grade and is now a 13 year old 7th grader at Harrison County Middle School. Addlee, born in China, was adopted when she was three years old.

Finally, Luke Peak is the son of Robert and Ashley Peak. Like Khloe and Addlee, Luke has been involved in archery since the 4th grade. He is 13 years old and is in the 6th grade at HCMS. Like Addlee, Luke was born in China

All three of these youngsters have overcome physical challenges and all three are well-liked, even admired, by their teammates and coaches. They are all outstanding archers, to boot.

Khloe has been bound to a wheel chair her entire life, Addlee was born without a right hand, and Luke was born with a form of cerebral palsy that impacts his lower extremities.

The amazing thing about these three archers is that they seem to never espouse any notion of “why me?” Oh, and on top of that, all three are exceptional archers.

Addlee was one of the 24 HCMS archers who won the Kentucky National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) two weeks ago, in Louisville.

She was the best middle school shooter in the state, for the bullseye portion of the competition, with a stellar score of 292, nearly equalling her personal best of 296.

Keep in mind that a perfect score in archery is 300. Each competitor shoots 30 times, 15 times at 10 meters and 15 times at 15 meters. A center-cut bullseye is worth 10 points.

Not only is Addlee the top middle school shooter in the state of Kentucky, she is also 2nd in the nation with that maximum score of 296, accomplished earlier this season during a regular season competition at Robertson County. She is 6th in the nation with an average score of 288.

She has accomplished all of this by shooting with her teeth. You heard that correctly. Addlee Miles shoots with her teeth. She holds the bow with her normal left hand, pulls the bow back with her teeth, using a special tab, and lets it fly.

“Brad Yearsley got me involved in archery when I was in the 4th grade,” Addlee said. “I didn’t think I would be able to shoot a bow, but he got me in touch with Tim Shepperd, who also used a tab. He showed me that it can be done, and I just never thought any more about it.”

Her first tournament score was a 181, but she quickly showed improvement and is now the top middle school archer in the state.

Khloe was diagnosed with Neuro Blastoma when she was 6 months old and has been confined to a wheel chair ever since. She will be confined to that wheel chair for the rest of her life, but she hasn’t let that stop her from becoming an outstanding archer and outstanding human being.

“I’m kind of limited in the things I am able to do, because there are so many places that are not wheelchair accessible,” Khloe said, without a hint of self-pity. “It’s just the way it is, I guess.”

She was first introduced to archery when she was in P.E., in elementary school and it was an almost immediate affinity that she developed for the sport.

By the time she got to the middle school, she was proficient at shooting. She was on the very first HCMS team that placed at the NASP State Tournament, taking third place overall.

Archery has taught Khloe to set goals and do her best to achieve them. She intends to drive a car when she is old enough and already knows what she wants to do with her life.

“Cardinal Hill has a program that allows wheelchair bound patients to learn to drive and they have the ability to find a car that is suitable for me to drive,” she said. “I’d love to be a sports photographer one day.”

Using her arms to wheel herself around on a daily basis has helped her develop strength that others her age just don’t have.

“I am able to tighten the bow, which gives the bow more power and the arrow flies faster,” she said.

Khloe’s personal best in the bullseye competition is a 288. She and her teammates are currently practicing for the upcoming KHSAA State Championships, to be held in Lexington on April 16.

Luke has been shooting archery since the 4th grade and is improving his skill set, day-by-day.

His top score is a 261, which is a far cry from where he started two years ago.

A kind soul, Luke was held back during his first grade year, as his parents knew the importance of him learning to speak English.

“When we first got Luke, he knew maybe five words of English,” his mother, Ashley said.

You could never tell that now, however. Luke has an astounding command of the English language and is well-liked by his coaches and peers alike.

“My friends and coaches on the archery team push me to improve,” he said. “Archery is fun and challenging for me and my goal is to average in the 270s consistently so I can help the team.”

With his physical challenges, Luke has learned to shoot while sitting in a chair., but it didn’t start that way.

“When Luke first started shooting, like everyone else, he stood and shot,” said his father, Robert. “But he got so fatigued, it was decided it was best for him to learn to shoot while sitting down.”

These three Harrison County archers have a couple of other things in common.

First, all three are well-adjusted and innately happy people. None of them seem to have adopted the “woe is me” attitude that many of us with no physical limitations might have.

They have not accepted their limitations as much as they have adjusted and recalibrated to overcome them.

Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in what these three fine young people have overcome and accomplished.