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Class of 1982
Coach, Influence on the Sport
"Coach"
Al Henderson was born in Sedalia, Mo. in 1907. He became
interested in archery in 1937 after taking up the sport for
exercise.
By the time he moved to Arizona in 1946 he had mastered target
and field archery and his main interest became coaching.
By
1975 he had trained seven national champions, five western
states regional champions, 34 state champions and 12
All-American champions.
In 1975 Al was selected to coach the team for the Montreal
Olympics. Two members of his team, Darrell Pace and Luann Ryon
earned gold medals.
Moments
A Tribute to Al Henderson
By Judi Adams
Written March 13, 1989
….He
is the teacher.
He
knows everything about us
and accepts us. He knows the
good and bad, the secrets, and even some things we don't
know about ourselves.
….He hugs our potential
 There is deep admiration in his eyes as he speaks the virtues of
the most beautiful woman in
the world; the woman
he
married,
….He
hugs our emotion.
In fireside chats at Camp
Henderzona,
he gives himself to
his students. It now remains
that we do him proud by following his example.
…He hugs our achievement.
.
After a long day, he sits
patiently with me, watching the
moon rise over the water,
waiting to capture the perfect picture;
knowing that's what I
need.
….He
hugs away our loneliness.
Coaching is his way of teaching
life, he always knows what we
next need to learn. "You don't
let go of the string you just
let it happen"
...He
hugs our success,
At tournaments, he slips us a
note,
a smile a thought, a wink,
a gesture.
...He
hugs away our fear,
He challenges us, makes us
angry, makes us cry. He is here
when we need him. Most of
all.
…He
hugs our Joy.
Tomorrow, a new day will dawn and
we await our next lesson, for even
now, his teaching continues.
"Uncle AL", Karl Palmatier, Diane Miller and
Dave Staples at PAA Tournament Event in 1968
Notes of Interest
-
Administrator,
coach, author
-
United States Olympic Archery Coach, 1976
-
Recipient,
National Field Archery Association
Compton Medal of
Honor, 1979
-
Professional
Archers Association, Life Member
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Board of Directors, Professional Archers Association,
1964-78
-
Advanced Coaching Editor, Archery World Magazine, 1972-82
-
Developed program for blind archers, 1975
-
Author, Understanding Winning Archery and Peak Performance
Archery
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