One shot at a time: Haleemah Stevens’ NYAC journey

This year, Haleemah Stevens competed in her 6th National Youth Archery Championships, representing our Level 4 Development Squad in the highly competitive Under 18 Women’s Recurve division.

After a slightly disappointing season last year, Haleemah came into this year’s NYAC determined to rebuild her confidence and trust in her shooting. Reflecting on the event, she said one of her biggest challenges was getting too caught up in small mistakes, which led to overthinking and pulled her away from confident execution.

To reset, Haleemah used the phrase “one shot at a time” to bring her focus back to the present. She had also prepared notes before the competition to remind herself to trust her process and all the hard work she had put into training. Looking back at those notes during the event helped her refocus on what mattered most — her shot process.

One of Haleemah’s biggest takeaways from the event was learning to trust herself. By staying present and focusing on the process, she was able to regain confidence in her shot and prove to herself that the effort she had put in was paying off.

Her main highlight from the NYAC was her overall performance. She was pleased with how she shot and proud to show herself that she could do it — she just needed to believe in herself.

Now, Haleemah is working towards selection for the 2027 Youth World Championships, and things are already looking promising. She has been posting consistently strong scores and continues to improve each time she steps onto the shooting line.

Haleemah’s journey is a great reminder of the power of self-reflection, journaling, and trusting your process — especially when confidence is tested.