As she returned from fetching her arrows the girl caught eyes with her mother and smiled. She had just successfully completed a round in her first archery competition.

Nena Vazquez, 11, of Iowa City, Iowa, has been shooting archery for nearly one year now. About a year ago, she sold her swing set to buy a bow.

“She sold her swing set because she wanted to shoot,” said Jesus Vazuez, Nena’s father. “Everything she’s done she’s pretty much bought on her own, so that’s been so great.”

For Nena, doing archery provides some relief and gives her something to set herself aside from those she knows.

“It just gets me in a calm mood and helps me get in a happy place,” Nena said. “It’s the one thing my family doesn’t do that I can do by myself.”

But even though other members of Nena’s family do not take part in archery, her involvement has offered them an opportunity to support her and help guide her in a sport she is now building a passion for.

“It’s my opportunity to spend a lot of time with her because I get to help her with coaching and stuff,” Jesus said. “I’m a coach by trade, so it’s a lot of fun; it’s our time to spend family time together.”

Soon after Nena sold her swing set to take up the sport, she started training at Fin and Feather in her hometown of Iowa City. Her father said her coaches there have helped Nena improve.

This year’s archery competition at the Iowa Games was her first. In all, about 90 people took part in Saturday’s competition in Ames, up from about 78 last summer.

Nena’s mother Shari said archery and the competition that is now coming with it, is helping her daughter grow.

“It’s good for her, a good experience. This is her first time out here,” Shari said. “I think it’s just helping her to learn and grow and have some neat things happen for her.”

Her father agreed, adding that the competition is simply between Nena and the target she aims for.

“What’s so great about archery is it teaches you about focus; it teaches you about confidence and building your self-esteem,” Jesus said. “It’s you and the target, it’s not really you against other people, but you and the target and trying to be the best possible that you can be.”

On Saturday, Nena and her parents departed from Iowa City at 5:30 a.m. for a long day of archery.

As the archers lined up facing their targets in a field just east of Jack Trice Stadium later in the morning, Nena lifted her bow and shot. With each round, Nena said she saw improvement.

“I think I’m doing pretty good,” Nena said with a smile.

But for her, competing in archery at the Iowa Games is not about taking home a medal.

“I’m just having fun, I don’t care if I don’t get into third place or second or first,” Nena said. “I just want to have fun.”

With the guidance of her family, Nena will keep giving archery her best shot.