Category Archives: Central Florida Archery

Archery Fitness Champions Review Their Competition and Program Under the Direction of Alicia Weber

Central Florida Archery, Champion Clients Corner!, Lake County Florida Outdoor Activities, , , , , , , , , ,

By: Weber Way to Wellness Reporter

Six Varsity Archery Fitness Teams converged in Clermont, Florida, on November 15, 2015, for the Inaugural Ready Aim Go Championship. Competitors were between the ages of 7 and 14. There were two competitions based on age groups. First, ages (7-9) competed followed by ages (10-14). Sixty-Three percent of the competitors called this their first-ever athletic competition. Twenty-five percent of the competitors have competed at least once before in a previous competition held by Alicia Weber’s Archery Fitness League.

The first competition (ages 7-9) took place at 8:30am and it was a scaled down version of the competition for ages 10-14, which took place immediately after the first one. In both competitions, competitors began with a complicated bean bag toss cross country relay. Then, they followed with a barebow category archery competition where competitors used the same bows without sighting devices. The winning teams were decided upon the highest combined score achieved in archery + fitness (the highest possible score in the first team competition was 400pts and in the second competition (ages 10-14) the highest possible team score was 800pts).

Review from Championship Team (for ages 7-9):

The first championship competition (ages 7-9) was won by a group of boys from Winter Garden on the team called “Shadow Arrows.” They won with a 12 point lead with a total of 178 points out of 400 possible points. Colin, the oldest and team captain, was their leading archer.

“I love both the fitness and archery components of the championship. I expected our team to do well. It was not too much to expect us to achieve so much in just 8 hours of training,” said Colin who plans to continue in the semester-based archery fitness developmental program, which provides the free competition.

“I took this developmental program just to learn archery and it was a nice surprise to be good enough to make the varsity team and compete in this championship. Only three students in each class will be invited to make the varsity team. Those that do not make it, get to compete in a junior varsity competition,” said the enthused Hudson, Colin’s teammate.

All three on the Shadow Arrows exclaimed,”This is fun and I love archery.”

Review from Championship Team (for ages 10-14):

The Rubies traveled more than one hour away to compete in the (age 10-14) Championship where they won by achieving two “Xs” in archery. The over-achiever, Matteo, (only 8 years old) wanted to compete in the older competition to be more challenged and he was given permission. He earned a “Rising Star Archer” award for his commitment to excellence and challenging himself to harder activities against older kids. His teammates, Sebastian and Morgan, never competed in archery before and they have only begun training once a week this semester. The Rubies beat a team with much more experience than them. The Rubies won the team Championship with 504xx, while the Secret Service took second with 504 points.

The Rubies Show Triumph in Their Big Win in the Ready Aim Go Championship. They broke the tie with the Secret Service by having two "Xs" in archery. Sebastian and Matteo each hit a 10x - the highest score in archery enroute to break the tie and sin the championship.
The Rubies Show Triumph in Their Big Win in the Ready Aim Go Championship. They broke the tie with the Secret Service by having two “Xs” in archery. Sebastian and Matteo each hit a 10x – the highest score in archery enroute to break the tie and win the championship.

“It’s fun and good to know that I am doing better than people who have been doing archery a lot longer than me,” said Morgan.

“Archery makes kids challenge themselves. It brings out the best in them and the results will surprise parents,” said Ana, Matteo’s mom.

“The archery fitness developmental program is a lot of fun. It does not require too much physical activity and running. I would encourage others to give it a try to experience a lot of excitement and fun challenges. It’s fun to do, but it can be quite challenging to do archery in the wind,” added Morgan who was the second overall female in the windy archery competition on the 15th.

Sebastian and Matteo Draw a "V" for VICTORY after winning the Inaugural Championship for the Development Program.
Sebastian and Matteo Draw a “V” for VICTORY after winning the Inaugural Championship for the Development Program.

Parents enjoy coming to watch their kids train in the developmental program and compete in the free competition.

“The kids can increase focus and awareness, which carries over into everything they do. They are taught safety first and foremost and they have to follow strict rules. The kids rise to the occasion and follow the rules. They are very good at taking responsibility and they enjoy the leadership roles the sport of archery gives them,” added the very observant Ana.

The developmental program provides all students an equal opportunity to build skills and then depending on how quickly they develop, they will get to compete for free in either the varsity or junior varsity competition (or they do not have to compete at all).

Review from Junior Varsity Champions (for ages 5-9):

Ten students throughout Central Florida competed in the 10 Arrow 10yd Junior Varsity contest. The top male and overall winner was Manny from Winter Garden with 54 points out of a possible 100 points. The top female and second overall was Sofia from Clermont with 46 points.

“I am happy that everyone gets an opportunity to compete in this developmental program. It is a good motivator. It makes me feel proud to win this junior varsity competition,” said Manny, the Junior Varsity Fall 2015 Champion.

“I was nervous to train under Alicia at first and do archery. I did not think I would be able to hit the target. To my surprise, Alicia was very nice and fun and I hit the target right away on my first day of practice,” said Sofia, a well-rounded athlete who now calls archery her number one favorite sport.

“I look forward to archery each week. Everything is exciting about Alicia’s developmental program. We do a lot of physical challenges mixed in with archery and each day is different,” said Sofia, the Fall 2015 Female Junior Varsity Champion.

After Manny and Sofia won their competition, their self-esteem sky rocketed. They became more eager to to do archery, they became more responsible, they became more motivated, and they became even better in practice.

“Self esteem comes from doing something and accomplishing something.” – Shari Lewis

Sofia wanted to work on the longer distances. She began hitting the target at 20 meters a week after she won at 10 yards.

Manny and Sofia take Victory in Fall 2015 Junior Varsity Competition

Sofia trains in Clermont at the largest archery range available to the Central Florida students in the developmental program. “I really like working at this very large archery range with my instructor, Alicia, as I know many students in other areas don’t get this opportunity,” reflected Sofia.

Keep your eye on Manny and Sofia as they are on pace to make a future varsity team!

Contact Awinningway@gmail.com to join a Youth or Adult Archery Developmental Program.

END OF REPORT

Archery Star Shines Bright in New Challenge

Central Florida Archery, Champion Clients Corner!, Lake County Florida Outdoor Activities, , , , , , , , , ,

By: The Weber Way to Wellness Reporter

In just one year, an archer in Alicia Weber’s Coed Archery Fitness League won her first archery competition, qualified for two varsity archery teams, set a world record in a 3-D archery relay, became the only archer out of 25 to hit a bullseye the size of a nickel from 15 yds away, and she competed against competitors twice her age as she made major news as a 10 year old phenom in barebow category archery.

The 10 year old, dynamic archer has taken flight to barebow category archery (the hardest type of archery) where sighting devices and other devices to assist are not allowed to be used. She is a varsity team member in an archery fitness league, which focuses on excelling in barebow category archery and fitness.

Age is just a number here and boys and girls compete together and push each other to become better archers and better people. This is a serious program that is packed with fun, challenges, and the opportunity to build lasting friendships.

The 10 year old phenom archer’s qualities of maturity, determination, and drive send her places where few have gone. She is highly motivated, enthusiastic, and ready to inspire others to succeed too, which makes her a great team player on her varsity team.

She wants to dare you to think bigger and challenge yourself to shoot for the moon. Maybe you can become a star in the archery fitness league too!

You can watch this Phenomenal 10 Year Old Archer shoot without sighting devices at a standard target for score in 15 mph winds with 21 mph Wind Gusts in a Fastest 300 point Challenge!

Join Alicia Weber’s Coed Archery Fitness League at Awinningway@gmail.com

Byer Takes Record in Alicia Weber’s Archery Fitness League

Central Florida Archery, Champion Clients Corner!, Lake County Florida Outdoor Activities, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By: Weber Way To Wellness Reporter Photos copyrighted © AliciaWeber.com

Byer sets the record with 214x as she finishes strong with 4 bullseyes in Round 3 at 10 meters.
Byer sets the record with 214x as she finishes strong with 4 bullseyes in Round 3 at 10 meters.

Determined Indaya Byer may not have set the record in her first attempts in an archery challenge, but after a victory and 2nd place finish in summer competitions, she was ready.

Indaya Byer’s time came to set the sought after record on the morning of September 26, 2015. On a cooler, sunny day without wind, Byer broke the youth girls record by 2 points.

The challenge is a common one among youth archers, especially those in Alicia Weber’s Archery Fitness League. The archers shoot 15 arrows at 15 meters and 15 arrows at 10 meters for a total of 300 possible points.

Danielle held the record at 212xx. She was on two varsity teams and part of two world record archery relay teams.

Byer knows of Danielle and how talented she is in archery. Byer is inspired and wants to be great too. Byer has now moved up the ranks and taken the top score with 214x points.

No sighting devices are allowed on bows and all competitors use the same brand of bows – Genesis compound bows.

Byer began with 5 arrows at 15 meters followed by 5 arrows at 10 meters and repeated for 3 rounds total.

Byer in Round 3 at 15 meters. She regains her focus to pull off the record with the last 5 arrows.
Byer in Round 3 at 15 meters. She regains her focus to pull off the record with the last 5 arrows.

She was smooth sailing in round one as she finished with 70 points. Beginning in round 2, she was even more focused and she felt the “sweet spot” for aiming. She was aware of her body alignment and mastered good muscle control of holding the bow stable and pulling the string with higher resistance. She ended round 2 with 79x (149x so far).

In her final round she became shaky as finger fatigued set in at the 15 meter target. Her scores dropped off. She lowered her resistance and still felt she could muster enough points with her remaining 5 arrows at 10 meters to take this record.

She did her best ever with the remaining 5 arrows at 10 meters, scoring four bullseyes in the process. Her last round came to 65 points. The scores were tallied and they came to 214x – A NEW RECORD!!

Byer was thrilled to get this record. It made her day as she continues to focus on goals and attack many new, exciting challenges in the future.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving you goals.” -Zig Ziglar

Contact Awinningway@gmail.com to join an archery program.

END OF REPORT

Vaccaro, Miller, Byer, and Warner Take Top Spots in Alicia Weber’s Final Summer 2015 Archery Competitions

Central Florida Archery, Lake County Florida Outdoor Activities, , , , , , , , , , ,

By Alicia Weber

The final Bullseye Scavenger Hunt of the summer proved to be the most exciting and challenging for youth and adult archers. They agreed it was everything they had hoped and they felt great with their results on August 23.

“The archery scavenger hunt gives something more to look forward to as kids use a combination of their focus and parent involvement in a family friendly activity,” said Ingrid Byer.

“The scavenger hunt is a great way to end the day because competitors are done with archery and now building teamwork with families and new friends,” added Ana Vaccaro.

Ninety-nine percent of the competition consisted of the archery, which took place on the Sundance Archery Range where it is sponsored. Youths and adults began the day by shooting 10 arrows at 10yds within four minutes for best score using bows without any sighting devices. All participants received prizes, but the top two males and females received additional prizes. The remaining one percent of the competition consisted of a photographic scavenger hunt, which gave points for fast walking and finding items in quick fashion at Downtown Clermont Famer’s Market. The participants worked as a team. All participants found 12 items in less than 15 minutes.

Carey Miller, Sundance Manager and Archery Sponsor, wins competition and gives high five to runner-up Indaya Byer who enjoyed competing with Miller.
Carey Miller, Sundance Manager and Archery Sponsor, wins competition and gives high five to runner-up Indaya Byer who enjoyed competing with Miller.

The top male archer was Matteo Vaccaro, 8, with his score of 64 points. Runner-Up was Cody Warner who is 6. Warner improved by 18 points from his previous competition of this same distance.The only adult in the competition was Carey Miller who won first for females with her score of 87xx and this was her first archery competition. The former Champ, Indaya Byer, took second with her score of 84x. This was the first time Byer got an “x” in competition, which is the center of the bullseye and the tiebreaker in archery. Back on August 4, Byer won an “archery fitness” challenge, which took place at National Night Out where she won a head band (which turns into an archery arm guard and finger guard).

Five competitors won various head bands during the 2015 "Archery Fitness" Challenge at National Night Out
Five competitors won various head bands during the 2015 “Archery Fitness” Challenge at National Night Out

“I felt amazing. The competition was more interesting with Carey Miller. I am glad she competed,” said Byer.

Some of the kids were longing for this competition. The competitive Matteo Vaccarro is one archer who has been waiting for this day. When he first began training seriously for archery in the spring, he would achieve 64 points after shooting nearly 100 arrows in one hour. Now, he shoots 64 points in less than 4 minutes with just 10 arrows.

“There was no pressure to win because I knew that if I lost, then my friends would win instead and I would be happy for them,” said Vaccaro who showed great sportsmanship.

“This is one sport my son enjoys the most. It’s challenging and helps him focus. The layout of this event is great because participants learn about safety and proper form in archery prior to competing, which helps them to do their best,” said Vaccaro’s mom, Ana.

One beginner, Zeke Archer, really improved after taking the free archery prep session. He really grasped the skills and brought his A game and performed very well when it really counted. Izzy Shea was the only archer shooting with a left bow, while being right-handed and left eye dominant, which is challenging for coordination. She did very well for her first-ever archery competition.

Weber reviewing Carey Miller's top score of 87xx. Miller is active in the Sundance Apt. Community as the manager where archery is sponsored. She believes everyone should take advantage of opportunities and she certainly has taken a Top Shot at this one!
Weber reviewing Carey Miller’s top score of 87xx. Miller is active in the Sundance Apt. Community as the manager where archery is sponsored. She believes everyone should take advantage of opportunities and she certainly has taken a Top Shot at this one!

Participants enjoyed the farmer’s market scavenger hunt and met new vendors including but not limited to Rent-A-Hen, Encore, Let’s Tie One On, Donna’s Doodads, and Hip Klip Cell Pocket Accessory.

“The scavenger hunt stretches your mind to look for more things. It is similar to archery. I liked going into the Encore shop where I found oversized scramble,” said Byer.

Let's Tie One On provided the prizes to the Top 2 Male and Female Archers. Left to right: Indaya Byer, Coach Alicia Weber, Matteo Vaccaro, Carey Miller (and not shown Cody Warner). Copyright @ AliciaWeber.com
Let’s Tie One On provided the prizes to the Top 2 Male and Female Archers. Left to right: Indaya Byer, Coach Alicia Weber, Matteo Vaccaro, Carey Miller (and not shown Cody Warner). Copyright @ AliciaWeber.com

“Leave your comfort zone and challenge yourself to try something new and fun. It feels awkward at first. Once you get the hang of it, then it’s a lot of fun,” said Miller who encourages adults to compete in future events, especially at the Sundance Archery Range where archery is sponsored.

Alicia Weber has year-round innovative archery and fitness programming and can be reached at Awinningway@gmail.com

Alicia Weber holds Bullseye Scavenger Hunt and Ultimate 3-D Archery Competition

Central Florida Archery, Central Florida Personal Training, Champion Clients Corner!, World Record Weber's Fitness Trainees WORLD RECORDS!, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Alicia Weber

Kincaid and Indaya are the male and female winners in the Inaugural Bullseye Scavenger Hunt Competition held on July 26, 2015.
Kincaid and Indaya are the male and female winners in the Inaugural Bullseye Scavenger Hunt Competition held on July 26, 2015.
Dedicated archers and well-rounded athletes, Indaya Byer and Kincaid Kobel, were longing for the Inaugural Bullseye Scavenger Hunt competition. They both won with overall most points in Clermont’s first event of its kind on July 26, 2015. It began with a 10 yard archery contest at the Sundance Archery Range. Then, participants and their families drove to Historic Downtown Clermont to meet and conclude the competition with a scavenger hunt during Downtown Clermont Farmer’s Market.

The archers were not allowed to use bows with sighting devices and the highest possible score was 100 points. Byer, 12, was the winning female with her score of 86 points. Kobel, 6, was the winning male with his score of 63 points. They have been training for several months and this was their first archery competition.

“It’s exciting,” said the uber competitive Kobel who has competed in soccer, football, and karate.

“Archery helps Kincaid focus. It is a good sport for him,” said Beth, Kobel’s mom.

“It feels amazing to compete in archery for the first time,” said Byer who has competed in swimming.

“Alicia has been a great teacher. Indaya keeps improving. She has become more focused in school due to the archery and I enjoy that,” said Ingrid, Byer’s mom.

The photographic scavenger hunt was a great opportunity to bring new people to the farmer’s market since all participants have never been there before. The eager participants searched for 11 items along Montrose Street and took pictures of their finds. Byer and Kobel finished at the same time to win.

“The scavenger hunt was athletic because you are in a rush to take pictures and look for the items,” said Byer who averaged finding an item every minute and 47 seconds.

The winners received prizes from Sweets for You and Let’s Tie 1 On. The items in the scavenger hunt peaked interest in the participants to continue shopping at the farmer’s market after the competition ended.

Sweets For You is an outdoor vendor located on the intersection of Montrose and 8th Street. They have lemonade, iced tea, cinnamon roasted nuts, boiled peanuts, and other goodies. Let’s Tie 1 On has a variety of bracelets, necklaces, pendants, straps, and wraps.

“It’s a lot of different choices especially the fresh fruit and vegetables. All the vendors are so nice and some have free tastings. It’s a wonderful summer morning outing to get to know Clermont,” said Ingrid Byer who experienced the farmer’s market for the first time and looks forward to returning.

I was very happy to introduce new people to farmer’s market and see them enjoy the vendors. I want to thank Ron Smart the Executive Director of Downtown Clermont Partnerships, members of CDP, Let’s Tie 1 On, Sweets For You, and all the other vendors for their participation in this creative event.

My next Bullseye Scavenger Hunt will take place Sunday, August 23. Space is limited, but some space is still available. Children and adults are scheduled to compete. I will be offering a special prize to all participants. In addition, vendors will be giving prizes to the top male and female winners. Contact Alicia for info or to sign up for the August 23 Bullseye Scavenger Hunt at Awinningway@gmail.com.

Back on May 20, 2015, my team of archers trained five months to set the world’s first ever 7-archer Ultimate 3-D Relay for fastest time. The 7 athletes completed 6 stations of strict form exercises followed by barebow 3-D archery shooting at a 3-D deer target 10-30 yds away. Their combined archery score took time off their relay race to give a final score of completion in 4:38 for a new Recordsetter World Record.

Watch 7-Archer Ultimate 3-D Relay World Record

Join Alicia Weber’s Archery-Fitness Program or sign up for an upcoming event by contacting Awinningway@gmail.com

Varsity Archers Set Obstacle Relay World Record

Alicia and Record Setter World Records, Central Florida Archery, Champion Clients Corner!, Lake County Florida Outdoor Activities, World Record Weber's Fitness Trainees WORLD RECORDS!, , , , , , , , , , , ,

By: Weber Way To Wellness Reporter

Three young ladies took on the challenge of training in a varsity dual archery-fitness advanced program and landed a world’s first ever obstacle archery relay record on November 11.

Danielle Siracusano, 13, Alexis Taylor, 16, and Morgan Hassell, 16, opted for archery and archercise (archery and exercise) for their fall archery program.

Alicia Weber created “archercise” and holds 17 official Record Setter World Records in various archercise events. Alicia Weber is the World’s Most Prolific Record Setter in Physical Fitness with over 500 records set since 2008.

The girls trained in a progressive six week program, which focused on cooperative learning, mental and physical conditioning, and advanced archery skills. All the archers had the opportunity to see how far they could grow in the program. They could strive for a level five varsity archery status. Siracusano, Taylor, Hassell, and Nick Linkiewicz were the only four archers to achieve level 5 status.

Determined Hassell picked up a bow and arrow for the first time and jumped from level one to the highest scorer in level 5 in a competition on November 8. She anchored the first ever obstacle archery relay and finished in 10 minutes flat. Their official record is published at Record Setter World Records.

The dynamic Taylor took her gun-shooting background and fast footwork from track and became an instant success in archery and archercise. She had the fastest leg in the relay with her time of 3:16.

Focused Siracusano has shown great leadership qualities ever since she blossomed as the number one female archer in a five day advancement camp this past summer. She led the relay and established the top archery score with her 36 points. The girls garnered a total of 84 points in archery, which are converted to 84 seconds taken off the final time bringing the final time to 8:36.

All the girls began the relay with a 200 yard dash. Then, without wasting anytime they whipped out 15 consecutive pushups. Immediately after that they each performed a different 10 yard multi-dimensional aerobic exercise. Finally, they grabbed a bow without any sighting devices. They had to shoot a quick descending ladder of distances from 50 yards to 10 yards (2 arrows per target).

“I want to do this again and work on improving my time,” said the motivated Hassell.

Emily Woodhouse, a spectator watching in amazement, commented, “It was fun to watch. As a runner, this sounds like so much fun. I hope to join the program this spring.”

“It was very interesting. A lot of young people will want to do this event,” said Meredith Johnson.

For more information in joining the varsity archery program and Central Florida archery contact Awinningway@gmail.com.

End of Report

Excited Archers Excell in an Advanced Archery Program with Alicia Weber

Central Florida Archery, Champion Clients Corner!, , , , , , , , , , , ,

BY: Weber Way to Wellness Reporter

Picking up a bow and arrow for the first time and accurately shooting time and time again at long distance targets (without any sighting devices) is a reality for archers training under Alicia Weber.

From age 5-16, archers are excelling in their own ability levels. The past three weeks, varsity archers have been developing at an advanced pace to prepare for a challenging barebow archery competition. The archers need to be able to be focused and follow-through with proper form and bow-handling habits to have successful shots.

The young, determined archers keep rising to the challenges with fervor and zest.
A look at the recent Archery Champions from November 5 and October 29.

On November 5, the Purple Cookie Monsters (seen on the left of the picture) won a team contest against the Fiery Beasts. They shot various distances for speed and accuracy. The final score was 78-71.

On October 29, Nick Linkewicz, (seen on the right of the picture) captured the individual title in the “20yd-25yd Recurve-Compound Shoot” Contest. He won for most bullseyes.

The archers enthusiasm in training carries over into excelling in advanced archery skills.

“There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.” – Norman Vincent Peale

END OF REPORT

Alicia Weber Archers Compete in Archery Contest

Central Florida Archery, , , , , , , , , ,

By: Weber Way to Wellness Reporter

Eight advanced archers from middle school to high school were excited for a challenge with newly learned archery skills. Just three weeks ago, some youth picked up a bow and arrow for the very first time. Others did archery before and were excited about the contest.

With three weeks of compound archery training and only one week of recurve bow training, the youth were psyched up for their first contest of many…”Weber Compound Recurve 15yd Contest.”

The Top three finishers in the alternative 15yd archery contest.

The goal was set to try and beat Alicia Weber’s recent high score of 36x for compound bow and 31 for recurve bow (67x total) or earn the highest score of the day among peers. They would shoot a total of 8 arrows at a 15yd target.

It was clear after round one that veteran archer and the overall female champion from summer 2014 advancement program, Danielle, was in the lead with her score of 32 for compound bow.

A cross country runner turned archer, Morgan, tied with a gun shooter turned archer, Parker, in the recurve competition. Morgan and Parker faced off for a tie breaker round only to tie again in the recurve competition. Morgan also tied Danielle’s compound bow score bringing a three-way face off round 3 to determine the winner.

The younger kids still learning the archery basics were inspired to watch the older kids face off in this contest testing barebow archery skills with two kinds of bows.

The competition heated up with round 3. The final overall score of the 8 arrows would determine the overall winner of the contest. The three archers were not fazed by the pressure and intensity of the round. They were focused and showed great follow-through and sportsmanship.

Danielle took 1st place with 30pts. Parker was in 2nd place with 27 pts. Morgan finished in 3rd place with 14pts.

END OF REPORT

Alicia Weber’s Tribute to Jack LaLanne on his 100th Birthday

Alicia and Record Setter World Records, Alicia on Videoteasing, Alicia's Athletic Competitions, Alicia's Live Performances, Central Florida Archery, Central Florida Personal Training, Extreme Strength Feats and Comedy Shows, Physical Fitness Testing and Records, Preventative Health, Strength and Endurance, The 5 Areas of Physical Fitness, World Record Weber WORLD RECORDS!, World Record Weber's Fitness Trainees WORLD RECORDS!, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By: Alicia Weber
Photos are copyrighted © Alicia Weber

Alicia Weber in September 2014 after setting 500 world records.
I have been setting physical fitness world records since 2008. Sports historians have referred to me as the Modern Day Jack LaLanne as a woman. This September 26, 2014, would be Jack LaLanne’s 100th birthday if he were alive.
He died in 2011 and will be remembered as “The Godfather of Fitness” after revolutionizing the health and fitness field. Just in time for his 100th birthday, I have now reached setting 500 world records, capturing 100 sport victories, and I completed what LaLanne considered to be his hardest strength feat of his career.

On August 13, I completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in just over two hours as a tribute to LaLanne, one of my personal heroes. It was his hardest feat because his skin peeled off his hands.

I prepared for two years and I had no issues. In 107 days I set 100 exercise records up to one hour in duration, which is the world record.

LaLanne and I had different upbringings, but our careers run parallel. We were nonconformists who set our own standards. We were going to achieve our goals despite obstacles.

I grew up in Southwestern, PA, in a family of healthcare professionals where exercise and proper eating were instilled regularly, while LaLanne grew up weak and sickly from a junk food diet. His life changed at 15 when he heard a health lecture from pioneer Paul Bragg where he was “born again.”

I blossomed in middle school, while LaLanne blossomed in high school. I captured a dozen physical fitness records during middle school. I was off the charts in physical fitness and I competed with the boys for titles. These dozen middle school victories with my 88 overall career athletic wins covering 17 sports is where I get my 100 total victories to date.

“We have been friends since fifth grade,” said Karly Sammel, my classmate and long-time friend. “My first wow moment of Alicia was when I saw her do the flexed bar hang for a couple minutes in gym class. No one could do that. Then, people were making excuses so they would not need to compete against her.”

We had to go to stations and complete exercises in gym class. The boys would not let me on the pull-up bar so I pushed one off and did 35 consecutive pull-ups.
“I heard guys saying over and over ‘Oh my God’. The gym teachers’ eyes were popping out of their heads. The boy’s gym teacher grabbed her muscle and became more shocked,” continued Sammel.

It was like a dream. Nearly 100 students and faculty gathered to watch me compete against the boys in different events.

“Alicia surprised everybody. We watched her showdown the boys in a 600 yard dash. I just remember her blowing everybody away at everything,” recalled Sammel.

Everybody was talking about my athletics and my public speaking too. LaLanne developed into a motivational force and was a top public speaker and personality.

“Alicia demonstrated skills and competencies in writing and public speaking well beyond her chronological age. She presented an 8th grade career speech on marine biology that has been the most original, well-organized, and informative presentation I have encountered,” mentioned 8th grade English teacher, Karen Bucy.

By high school, LaLanne became a star football player and wrestler. He hid his bagged lunch of veggies and nuts, so no one would make fun of him.

I self-coached myself in track, triathlon, and cross country to a total of eight medals at National Championships.

“We were on swim team together our senior year. We had a losing streak and had a meeting to figure out what to do,” recalled Sammel. “Alicia just jumped up and started giving a motivational talk.”

The girl’s team began winning and kept winning. Five girls took top places at the State Championships.

“I think people needed her to inspire them to do their best,” expressed Sammel.
LaLanne went to college in San Francisco and earned a Chiropractic degree. He opened the nation’s first health and fitness club in Oakland, CA, in 1936, where he put fitness on the map.

I went to Duquesne University, then transferred to Florida. I earned a degree in Telecommunication, then pursued Biology, a doctorate in physical therapy, and became a licensed massage therapist. I held the first ever world record physical fitness day in Clermont on April 28, 2012.

I have guided seven athletes to world records in fitness and archery and all of us combined have set more than 400 records in Clermont giving the area international acclaim.

LaLanne set many “firsts.” Most notably, he had the first and longest running exercise show called “The Jack LaLanne Show.” He was the first person to perform strength and endurance feats. He was the first trainer to have both genders and all ages working with weights.

“Alicia breaks barriers,” mentioned Sammel.

I was the first woman to set and hold many strict form military exercises. Currently, I compete against men for titles at Recordsetter. I am the only woman inducted into the Official Pushup Hall of Fame. In May, all the branches of the US Military sought me out to provide guidance in preparing women to pass their pull-up test.

We inspire fitness in a fun way. LaLanne would sing, dance, and perform tricks with his dog. I perform fitness comedy. I have reached one million views on my 145 YouTube videos with this genre.

“The world needs more of Alicia to inspire them,” added Sammel.

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Health Benefits of Archery and Central Florida Archery

Central Florida Archery, Champion Clients Corner!, Fitness Challenges, Lake County Florida Outdoor Activities, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By: Weber Way to Wellness Reporter

WINTER GARDEN, FL—- Ten year old Hannah picked up a bow and arrow for the first time and began archery under the tutelage of Alicia Weber. Like many youth, it’s the thrill of feeling like Robin Hood and the excitement of hitting the bullseye that draws them to archery. All ability and fitness levels can take a shot and find success even people with serious disabilities find great success.

Most sports are driven by adrenaline, high energy, sweat, and peak performance. Archery is a more settled sport where calmness, focus, controlled-energy, and stillness are keys to success as the goal is repeatedly hitting the bullseye. It offers a new refreshing spin to sport.

After Hannah’s first session, she exclaimed, “This is really exciting.”

She attentively listened to ways to improve and followed through. The result was achieving a high score for a 10 and under archer in just 3 sessions.

Hannah Competes at 10m and 15m for highest score. She achieves 131 pts out of a possible 300.

Like all sports, archery builds self-confidence, social skills, teamwork, and physical development. However, people unfamiliar with archery underestimate the health benefits.

Archery can develop upper-body strength, flexibility, balance/posture, core strength, hand-eye coordination, cardiovascular fitness, and mental focus.

Upper-Body
The upper-body strength is increased depending on the draw strength of the bow and the amount of time spent shooting. Serious archery competitors may have 40lbs resistance bows or more. Recreational archers may only use 10-20lbs resistance. Most upper-body muscles are involved in the shot process including the shoulder, chest, and the back. The arm must activate muscle stabilizers to hold the bow up and out till the arrow hits the target.

Flexibility
Flexibility is increased in the fingers, hands, and the arm to hold the bow and pull the string over and over again.

Balance/Posture
Learning the proper stance in archery and repeating it to perfection is an art. The archery stance varies if one is using a compound or recurve bow, but it is necessary for accuracy and precision. Archery can certainly help one’s posture and finding one’s center of balance. The slightest moves or wrong weight shifts will throw an arrow off the target.

Core Strength
The core muscles help balance the body shot after shot. The obliques and tight torso are key to a successful shot process.

Hand-Eye Coordination
Hand-Eye coordination is an essential skill for mastery in archery. This skill is developed through a lot of regular practice.

Cardiovascular Fitness
A recreational archer practicing at 7-10 yds may not notice these benefits as much as a competitive archer who may shoot anywhere from 40yds to 70 meters. The walking distance after shooting arrows and then collecting them adds up. In competitive archery, an archer may walk 5 miles in a competition. The competitions may last 3-4 hours or longer. Archery is a unique type of endurance especially adding in the factor that you are out in the heat for hours and trying to stay focused on top shots.

Mental Focus
Mental focus is imperative to success. This is the one element that makes archery really stand out from other sports. Archery is a mind exercise where distractions need to be eliminated to be successful. A keen eye, clear concentration, and mental stability are keys to top shots, shot after shot. Of course, calculating in your mind and keeping tabs on scores requires clear thinking as well.

Archery is a great sport to make a top student-athlete. The mental training from archery can be carried over into the classroom.

Are you in Central Florida and interested in archery? Are you looking for private lessons or would you like to join a club? If so, you came to the right place. You can get private training, attend camps, and join a club. Contact Alicia at Awinningway@gmail.com for more info.

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