Vi Smith Hatefi Shares the Many Benefits of Participating in Sports

Vi Smith Hatefi, Quality Systems Auditor at Charles River Laboratories, shares the many benefits of participating in sports. 

Participating in sports, like archery, can have many great benefits, including improvement of an individuals’ mental health. In addition to the exercise, sports participation brings along with it community, goals, and structure that can help give people meaning outside of their work and family lives.

I personally participate and compete in the sport of archery. Archery, though it is standardly an individual sport, still has a very strong community. I regularly see friends and family members at the archery range and at competitions. We get to cheer each other on, celebrate our victories, and commiserate at our bad shots. There are also chances to participate in archery club events and compete in team competitions.

Archery allows me to set achievable and measurable goals for myself. Through coaching and practice, I can improve my form.  This leads to more consistent and accurate shots, which leads to better scores. When I am on the shooting line, I get to clear my head of the worries of the day and focus on my shot process to make my best shots. It is also something I get to look forward to throughout the week. Between classes, league nights, practice days, and competitions, I always have something to strive for.

Archery is also a very inclusive sport. I am a part of USA archery, a division of World Archery. World archery includes both the Olympic and Paralympic teams for counties across the world. This year, USA Archery created “The Inclusion Playbook”, a program for increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the sport of archery. They are hosting seminar series with specific topics such as Racial Equality, LGBTQ+ Inclusion, and All Bodies in Sports.

There are still complexities that need to be fully worked out in archery, as well as other competitive sports, within the LGBTQ+ community surrounding fairness in competition while still being inclusive and sensitive to all people.  Some competition, and governing bodies, only include male/female, men/women divisions, while other also offer an “open” category, where all sex and genders compete against each other. Navigating competition rules across governing bodies is always something that competitors need to be aware of, especially in the LGBTQ+ community.

Overall, I would recommend that LGBTQ+ individuals should find a sport where they feel safe and have fun. Being out in the sports world benefits us personally, as well as to others who don’t feel like they can participate. We can show others our pride and accomplishments, and most importantly our shared humanity.