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From Stroke to Worldchampionship Gold — Support Jo's Journey

  • Small Fix, Real Progress

      7 June 2026

    Good progress this week. After some arrow handling issues at the range, a visit to Auckland Archery Supplies with Richard and the team produced a simple but effective fix small tactile glue reference points on the arrow and knock point to help Jo load faster within the 40-second window VI archers have to shoot.

    We tested both changes at the range this weekend without a coaching session, and they worked immediately. Loading time dropped, which means more arrows per session and more time building the consistency that competition requires.

    Thank you to everyone supporting Jo's journey — every step forward counts.

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  • Training Update — Arrow Fix, and Official Membership

      30 May 2026
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    Another training session with Coach Caroline at Auckland Archery Club. The main focus today was solving the arrow problem from last week arrows were dropping off the rest before I could shoot. We identified the cause: my finger tab was catching the arrow on the draw. A tab swap fixed it.

    Still developing stance, posture, and release, but more arrows are making it downrange now, and that's the direction we need to go.

    The bigger news: I'm now an official member of Auckland Archery Club and registered with Archery New Zealand. It's a real step forward.

    Coming up next is a Full Field 120-point visual screening, followed by the VI medical diagnostic form sign-off. That completes the classification process and moves me closer to formal competition eligibility.

    Your support is funding the equipment, coaching time, and everything that makes these training days possible. Thank you.

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  • A thing of beauty

      24 May 2026

    A real milestone to share with you all today my bow is now complete.

    We picked up the final component, the riser, a Samick Ultra-R Gold, and went straight from collection to the range. After borrowing a loan riser last week, having my own in hand felt completely different. It took some adjusting, but as the session went on the balance started to come, my stance settled, and my arrows began staying on the rest the way they should.

    For visually impaired archery, that consistent stance is everything. I shoot with a tactile sight and a tripod stand, so getting my body into exactly the same position every time is what makes the rest of it work. There’s still one piece of equipment to come my foot locators, the floor markers that help me find that same stance every single shot and sourcing those is the next job ahead.

    I’ve still got plenty to work on, especially getting used to the draw on my own bow. But today was real progress: another step on the road to representing New Zealand in visually impaired archery.

    Thank you for being part of this journey. Every bit of support has helped get the equipment that made today possible, and I’m grateful to have you alongside me.

    https://www.facebook.com/reel/1697925831209031

    Jo

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  • First Session with the New Gear

      17 May 2026
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    The new equipment has started to arrive, and I had my first proper session with it this week. My own riser is still stuck in customs, so we worked with a loaner but the new limbs, carbon fibre arrows, string, and tripod sight were all in my hands for the first time.

    It felt like meeting a different bow entirely.

    So much of this session was about touch. As a visually impaired archer, the small tactile markers the nocking points on the string, the weight of an arrow between my fingers, the pressure of the bow in my hand are how I find my way back to the same shot, over and over. Today my hands were learning a brand new map.

    The new poundage is heavier, the carbon arrows are lighter, and the whole chain of stance, grip, draw and release is being recalibrated around it. The arrows even kept slipping off the rest at first, until we worked out the heavier draw was pulling me into a slight tilt to the left. A real learning curve ahead and exactly what this stage is meant to be.

    A huge thank you to Richard and the team at Auckland Archery Supplies for setting everything up and walking us through it in such detail. And to everyone who has donated so far this gear is in my hands because of you.

    Once my riser clears customs, the full setup will be mine, and the real training toward the World Archery Para Championships properly begins.

    Thank you for being part of this 🎯

    Jo

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  • Technique - Position - Breathe - Hold - Release - Repeat

      9 May 2026

    Today's training at Auckland Archery Club was all about mastering the fundamentals. We focused deeply on stance, breathing, and precise positioning of the feet, hips, and knees the technical building blocks that separate consistency from inconsistency. Jo achieved several tens today, proof that repetition and smart practice create excellence. We also streamlined our tripod setup using tactile sighting, getting quicker and sharper with every session.

    In other news, we visited Auckland Archery Supplies today to check on Jo's custom recurve bow build. It's coming along beautifully and will be ready for pickup next Saturday. Once it arrives, there's an exciting new learning curve ahead building and stringing the bow, tensioning the limbs, and learning the waxing process. Every step forward counts toward Jo's dream of Gold at the World Archery Para Championships. Your support makes this journey possible.

    Thank you.

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  • Final intro session done — eligible to join the club!

      2 May 2026

    Quick progress update! Today was my last introductory training session at Auckland Archery Club, which means I'm now eligible to officially join the club — and that membership also registers me with Archery NZ, one of the requirements for competitive archery. We also kicked off the para classification process today, which is the next essential step toward sanctioned competition. Today's session focused on technique, specifically loading arrows — and I had them facing the wrong way more times than I'd like to admit! Setting up takes a lot longer as a visually impaired archer, but practice will make perfect. Thank you so much for being part of this journey — exciting times ahead. 🏹

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  • A blind archer chasing gold at the World Championships — and the honest cost of getting there.

      28 April 2026
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    I'm Jo. I'm a visually impaired archer, and I've set myself a goal that sounds slightly unhinged when I say it out loud — to represent New Zealand at the World Archery Championships, and to win gold.

    This week, the first big step happened. We ordered my competition recurve setup from Auckland Archery Supplies: a Samick Ultra-R riser, Bosen limbs, a Beiter plunger, a tactile sight, arrows, and all the small expensive bits in between. Total cost: $1,978 NZD. Nothing fancy — just the minimum honest kit needed to actually train and enter competitions.

    People often ask how a blind archer shoots. Short answer: with her hands. A tactile sight sits against the back of my hand, my anchor point is a spot on my face, and the rest is consistency, rhythm, and trusting the equipment to be reliable when my eyes can't correct for me. That's why every component matters. The $215 plunger isn't vanity — it's repeatability.

    The bow is just the start. From here come the costs that decide whether I make it to a world stage: weekly coaching, range fees, competition entries, registered spotters, flights to nationals, and eventually flights and freight to Worlds. None of it is cheap, and none of it is one-off.

    Blind Low Vision NZ opened this door for me. Every dollar from here gets me closer to the line.

    Thank you for being part of it.

    — Jo

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  • The dream: gold at the World Archery Championships. The reality: I just ordered my first bow.

      27 April 2026
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    I'm Jo. I'm a visually impaired archer, and I've set myself a goal that sounds slightly unhinged when I say it out loud — to represent New Zealand at the World Archery Championships, and to win gold.

    Today the order went in for my first competition recurve setup: a Samick Ultra-R Gold riser, Bosen ILF limbs, a Beiter plunger, a Shibuya rest, a tactile sight, arrows, and all the small expensive bits in between. My husband Wayne hit "confirm order" with the brave face of a man who has just learned what archery gear costs.

    People often ask how a blind archer actually shoots. Short answer: with her hands. A tactile sight sits against the back of my hand, my anchor point is a spot on my face, and the rest is consistency, rhythm, and trusting that if everything is set up exactly the same way every time, the arrow will go roughly where it should. Eyes are optional. Stubbornness is not.

    Blind Low Vision NZ opened this door for me. Now the equipment, the coaching, the travel, and the entry fees stretch out ahead — and that's where I'm asking for help.

    Every dollar gets me closer to the line. Thank you for being part of it.

    — Jo

    That comes in around 1,420 characters with spaces. Want me to trim further, push harder on the ask, or soften it?

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