At Home on the Range: An Archer Who Inspires, Encourages

By Terri McLean

At first, when John Henson asked his parents, Mary and Stuart, if he could join his middle school archery team, they were not inclined to say yes. But when John, who has Down syndrome, planted a kiss on his mother’s cheek and said, “I really want to do this,” they decided to at least check it out.

“That was very persuasive,” Mary said, with a smile. “I called the coach and we talked about it. We talked about the fact that he hadn’t really done archery before, that it is a competitive team … and then with some of the challenges with having Down syndrome in terms of low muscle tone and issues like that. But she was very interested in having him be part of the team ”

That was four years ago. Today. John, 15, and a freshman at Richmond Model Laboratory School, is not only part of his school’s highly successful archery team, he is a respected and valued member. “I had the privilege of teaching John how to shoot a bow on his very first day of practice,” said former teammate Leah Smith. “It has been beyond inspiring to watch John fall in love with archery and defy all odds stacked against him.”

“His joy of shooting is super uplifting and contagious,” said Coach Michelle Smith. “It is very difficult for an archer to be upset with their score of 47 when they see John ecstatic with a score of 14 points. His spirit reminds me that the main goal as a coach is to ensure that the archers are having fun.”

John first became interested in archery after trying it at a summer 4-H camp He joined the middle school team as a sixth-grader and, with approval from schoolbased archery’s governing body, participated with the assistance of a coach. As a seventh-grader, he was able to compete in five tournaments, again with the assistance of a coach.

He also began taking private lessons during his seventhgrade year to receive more individual attention When he returned to the team in eighth grade, he was able to shoot all his arrows without assistance in the two-minute timespan allowed at tournaments

“The coaches were shocked by his improvement,” read a Courage Award nomination letter sent to the National Archery in the Schools Program. “John has overcome the disabilities due to Down syndrome, which include low muscle tone, lack of hand coordination, poor eyesight, lack of focus, and obsessiveness in arranging arrows that are contrary to the characteristics needed to be successful in archery,” the nomination letter continued

Mom Mary said it has been especially amazing to watch his progress in a sport that is so physically challenging. “A lot of effort goes into the upper body, shooting 40 arrows in a tournament.”

“We love so many things about archery, to tell you the truth,” she added. “I do think it’s helped with focus and discipline But one of the things I’ve loved most about it is the ability to be part of a school team. … The positive energy of people with good character who see individuals for who they are and celebrate what anybody can do is fantastic.”

“Even the coaches on the other teams respond to John,” Dad Stuart said. “Last year, the other coaches gave him an award because they saw how much he was enjoying the sport.”

The Hensons give a lot of credit for John’s success to his coaches. “We have so much admiration for those coaches as individuals because we know how hard they’re working to support every student on the team. So that spirit of inclusiveness is not just for John ”

John, himself, loves everything about being on his school’s archery team, but especially “I love being with my friends and the coaches,” he said.

According to the National Archery in the Schools Program, archery teaches students more than how to hit a target. Students learn “focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.”