Creativity versus Technique

"Next competitor: Max!" The narrator announced, and the eyes of the crowd turned to him.

Max had done very well in the first two challenges, surprising the audience with his amazing improvisational skills and his ability to shoot more than one arrow at the same time. However, this time he couldn't do that, because every arrow was important.

So Max took a deep breath, visualizing the targets on the pillars. He remembered Emma's words and used them to focus. Concentrating on Emma's words, he adjusted his posture and breathing. His hands weren't shaking, they were steady and so he felt confident to release the first arrow, feeling the vibration of the string passing through his fingers. The arrow sliced through the air, flying high into the air, and as it began to fall, it was clear that it wouldn't hit, and indeed it didn't. The arrow fell a meter away from him. The arrow fell a meter away from the first target.