WESTPORT — At 70 meters — better than three-quarters the length of a football field — the target seems too tiny, too distant to possibly strike with an arrow. But for Hana Tabit, merely hitting the target isn’t enough — she aims to hit the innermost circles as she shoots arrow after arrow in Westport farm fields in the hours after school lets out. It’s a long distance and for Hana it’s the favorite distance — it’s what the Olympians shoot. “My greatest hope in my pursuit of this sport is to become a member of the US Olympic Team and compete for our country in the Olympic Games,” she said. To that end, she’s signed up to compete in a series of  events that will take her around the region and country in the coming months. It’s a lofty goal for a 15-year-old girl who only took up archery in 2011. A Bishop Stang sophomore and daughter of Lucy and Rick Tabit (she’s already famous as the name behind her mother’s honey brand — Hana’s Honey), she’d gone to watch a local tournament, liked what she saw and signed up for beginners’ archery at a club in Middletown. She learned quickly and a year later went to Indoor Nationals in Andover. “That’s when I knew I wanted to stick with it.” Since then she’s had regular podium finishes in competitions throughout the northeast. In her first regional competition she placed 2nd in the Eastern Regional Championship; she followed that up with 1st place finishes in the Eastern Regionals two years in a row. In 2014 she ranked 6th in the nation in her age group. Sticking with it has meant long, often lonely hours out in her back yard or a nearby farm whose owner lets her set up targets on a back field — at that precise 70 meter distance. “At my age level, I compete at the distances of 60, 50, 40 and 30 meters.  My favorite distance is 70 meters, as it presents much more of a challenge, and offers a better opportunity to prepare for the Olympics.” In a typical day’s practice she tries to get off 150 or more good shots which can take a full two or three hours. The work is paying off. “On a good day, I am able to hit the inner rings a consistent 90 to 95 percent of the time.” But some days — and shots — are better than others. Not so much any more, but for all the many shots that go right, there are a few that go haywire. An arrow that misses the target keeps going — into woods and thickets. “The dreaded game of archery ‘I Spy.’” Hana said. “It’s $40 down the drain if I can’t find the arrow but thankfully I don’t miss much” these days. “In the past two months I’ve only missed about a handful of arrows and we have been able to find all but one.” It can be a solitary sport, she says, but there is camaraderie to be found on teams. She’s now a  member of Hall’s Arrow Allstars in Manchester, Conn., where she is coached by Roxanne Reimann-Ryea. They have team practices together but live too far apart to practice daily.  She also receives instruction from five-time Olympian Butch Johnson. Progress involves endless practice and repetition, and much of the challenge is mental, Hana says. “In archery, it’s easy to psyche yourself out. You will often hear the phrase, ‘It’s all in the mind’ — If you let even a sliver of doubt break into your mind it will affect your shot and your form for the duration  of the shoot … When it goes wrong it can get complicated real fast.” Sticking to routine is the best way to keep the bad thoughts at bay. “My routine is a series of affirmations to myself. Before every shot, I picture how I want it to be, how I want it to feel, and how to get there. This is called visualization” and it is essential. So too is staying positive — “I tell myself that I can do things rather than put down an idea that seems to difficult.” At a tournament, Hana said she tries to relax — “I focus on my strengths and concentrate on having fun. During a single shot, I take a deep breath and remind myself what it feels like to shoot a good arrow.” Asked her strengths as an archer, she replies “I learn quickly …. I know my form and can isolate a problem.” But “I am a bit of a perfectionist. Well, a lot of a perfectionist,” which can also lead to exasperation “due to the fact that nothing in archery can ever reach the level of perfection we expect.” And even perfectionists get painful reminders when their routine goes awry. For instance the nasty bow string inner arm burn suffered by all summer camp rookie archers. It still happens happens to the best of them.

Depending on the way you position your arm during a shot, you either can hit or not hit your arm,” Hana said. “It usually makes your arrow do something crazy, but there isn't a single archer who hasn't felt the stinging lash of a rippling bowstring.”

For all those moments though, there is plenty of satisfaction. That comes, she said, from the feel of the shot that goes just right — despite wind, distractions. It’s a feeling that makes everything worthwhile. The bow Hana uses is a far cry from what most remember trying as youngsters. “A bow is comprised of thee parts: the middle section is called the riser, and the two curvy ends are called the limbs. I use a Hoyt GMX riser made of anodized aluminum and INNO EX Power W&W carbon foam limbs. It may sound like a lot of mumbo-jumbo but it’s high quality equipment.” It ’s the sort of equipment used at the sport’s top levels. “There is a lot of investment in the equipment if you want to stay competitive,” and there are also travel costs to consider. To help with all that, Hana and her parents have set up a RallyMe fundraising page — www.facebook.com/HanaTabitArchery