Soha Ali is a senior, she is apart of the Distributive Educational Clubs of America (DECA), and is a member of the Prosper ISD Archery team. Outside of school she enjoys to work on personal fashion projects, spend time with friends, and play pool.

1. How did you get started with archery?

I saw it at one of the fish camps, and I had wanted to do archery ever since I moved to the prosper district, but I wasn’t able to join sophomore year, then finally during junior year, I was able to join the team and get started.

2. Why did you choose archery, instead of any other hobby?

I chose archery because it’s a really traditional sport and I think that it’s historically important, although I’m practicing it in a modern sense, I just think it’s really niche.

3. Do you do any competitions, or archery events?

Yes, so right now we’re in season and we have tournaments almost every Saturday, and they are an hour long. For the tournaments we shoot three sets at 10 meters and then three sets at 15 and five arrows per set.

4. Do you have a favorite archery memory or achievement that stands out?

I think my favorite memory is when we went to nationals last year, we flew all the way to Utah, and I think it was just really fun, like getting to shoot up there and enjoy the weather.

5. What kind of challenges have you faced doing archery? (mentally, physically)

I think it’s really hard to stay consistent in my shooting scores. I may be doing really well during practice and then not come up as well on tournament day or vice versa. So it’s just kind of off putting sometimes, so its really important to think, mentally that your next arrow is going to hit the bullseye.

6. Do you have any specific goals or milestones you’re working towards in archery?

We’re scored at 300 and I’m working towards achieving, like a 270 average or 280 average, so I can stay consistent.

7. How often do you practice?

We practice twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays for an hour and a half.

8. Do you listen to music, podcasts, or anything while practicing, or do you prefer quiet focus? 

Sometimes our coaches play music out loud, and I think it helps to relax a little bit because you’re not stressed about where the arrow is going next. But obviously, if the music is something that’s catchy or distracting, then I can’t exactly focus. So I’m good either way.

9. Are there any fun archery-related challenges you like to try, like shooting at moving targets or unusual distances?

We actually shoot at fake animals. We call them 3D objects, and I think it is really fun. They have them in, like, turkey, deer and bear form, and it’s kind of fun to think that if I wanted to, I could actually go and hunt with the bow and I would know how.