Faith Oakley is a world class archer; she is ranked in the top 10 High School archers in the world.
Faith started archery as a young child at a summer camp where her teacher suggested she join in the sport. Faith thought she could not take part because she is unable to use her right arm, "I told her she was crazy; I didn't have enough hands."
But her teacher held the bow and Faith pulled back the string with her other arm. Faith loved the sport and then started using her teeth to pull back the string instead of her arm.
Faith says, "What I love about archery is that you don't have to be the tallest or the strongest or the fastest runner. You just have to have a strong mind and be willing to put a lot of work in to it."
Faith explains how she fires an arrow: "I out the arrow on my string and hold it in my teeth, then I take a deep breath. I inhale and exhale a couple of times, then pull the string back and hold it at my aim point for two seconds and then I let go with my mouth."
A coach at Faith's team says; "She doesn't use her back muscles to pull like the rest of the kids. She sued the strength in her jaw and she aims differently, stands differently. Everything is different. But she never wants to be treated differently and she's extremely determined and dedicated."
Faith says, "Instead of tearing myself down, I'm working hard on making myself learn from my mistakes. I don't get down on myself, I think about how I'm going to fix this and reapply myself and do it better next time."
What do you see in the picture?
What do you notice about the arrow and where it has come from?
Explain the story
How do archers usually use their equipment?
What is different about Faith?
Why do you think at summer camp Faith's teacher suggested she have a go at archery when she knew Faith's arm worked differently?
What was the impact of the teacher finding a way to get Faith involved?
What does this demonstrate about attitudes towards differences in people and disabilities?
Faith's coach says "Everything is different" about the way Faith takes part in the sport. What does this demonstrate about her team?
Faith says, "I think about how I'm going to fix this and reapply myself." Can she 'fix' her arm? What does she mean by this?
What can we learn from Faith?
Why is this story about No Outsiders?
(note: there is an excellent short film of Faith using her archery skills on the link above)
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