A Girl With Grit

from Eagle Magazine May/June 2022

Face To Face

“Archery is a magical sport, and made a positive impact on my life. It teaches careful discipline, quiet strength, and resolute determination.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN SHAFER BY PAMELA KLEIBRINK THOMPSON

FROM MOUNTED HORSE ARCHER TO MECHANIC

Kalena Daley has an indomitable spirit and is unconventional in her approach to life. Born and raised in Eagle, her favorite aspect of her hometown is the Greenbelt. “I love seeing nature incorporated with my neighborhood. My family would always go biking. I rode along on a tagalong.”

After attending TVMSC (Treasure Valley Math and Science Center), where she learned about science and research from Ms. Eckoff, “who was always awesome,” and physics from Mr. Daniels, “another great teacher,” Kalena attended Capital High. “The teachers were all amazing. Special shout-out to Skye Hetherington, Doug Stan, and my DTECH (Dennis Technical Education Center) teacher Scott Weathers for always looking out for me. My favorite sport was wrestling. The sport is all about pushing past the mental limits you put on yourself. It’s taught me so much that I carry into my life.”

Karen Danley, Kalena’s mom, is an avid horsewoman. Kalena was raised with horses in her backyard and learned not just to ride but to trust her horse enough to learn the sport of mounted archery.

“I’ve been riding horses with my mom since I was pretty young. I have broken and trained two of my own horses.” Kalena and her mom trained with the Volcano Ridge Mounted Archers led by Gabrielle, Joseph, Trinity and Nadia Massie. “They welcomed us with open arms and shared their craft. They were a huge influence and great teachers. Archery is a magical sport and made a positive impact on my life. It teaches careful discipline, quiet strength, and resolute determination.”

Karen Danley founded the Ricochet Mounted Archers in 2020. It was the perfect antidote to the constraints of the Covid lockdown.

“Combine the power of a horse with the martial art of archery and you enter the realm of mounted archery,” states Danley. “Mounted horse archery was used for hunting, protection of herds, and war. Since using a bow requires the rider to let go of the reins with both hands, mounted horse archers need superb equestrian skills to shoot on the move.”

Ricochet Mounted Archers has had several public performances, including the Idaho Horse Expo.

Kalena is taking a gap year after graduating in 2021 and diving into the world of work. You can find her under the chassis of a car at Big O Tires in Boise on State Street. She started out as a tire tech, trained as an oil tech and is working her way up to mechanic. “If you are doing well you get projects. Every problem is just another puzzle to solve and each is a little

bit different. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you but things keep getting in your way and you’ve got to get creative. There are a lot of things that you can’t learn from books that you have to learn from experience.”

“I always loved cars. Their design, shape, size, and sheer power always amazed me. How air, fuel and spark create movement. I watched my dad restore cars, breathing life back into old forgotten automobiles. He fostered my love of cars. In high school we had a program called DTECH. I got to tour the facility my last year of junior high. Walking into bays with six foot lifts, tools lining the walls, seeing engine displays and demos lit my mind on fire. I took the class throughout high school. It was a great opportunity. When I first went to the mechanics class there were three girls. The second semester there was one other girl. My advice to other women wanting to learn mechanics is know your worth, realize you are valid. People are always going to doubt you. Find those who don’t.”

“Through junior high I was super socially awkward - a lone wolf. I went home early to work with horses.” Today, she does not own any horses, but she has two cats, nine-month-old Zeus, “a huge, fluffy cuddle monster,” and Zazzy, who is part Russian Blue, both adopted from the Idaho Humane Society.

Kalena turned 18 last July 31 and describes herself as “pretty bad ass, driven, intelligent, and confident. I can change and adapt to make myself successful in whatever circumstances might come up. I have my own back in whatever situation might occur. I’m capable.”

She is currently studying The Art of War, an “old Japanese philosophy book” to absorb the relevant tactics and strategies which she can apply to her life. She’s taking acting classes from local producer and casting director Catrine McGregor. Although there are no other actors in the family, her parents “are supportive and awesome.”

Kalena’s future plans are diverse. She is saving up to move to Salt Lake City to pursue her acting career. Another option would be to study at the University of Hawaii.

“I never had celebrity crushes or role models. I inspired myself. Really everything I’ve done was something I didn’t think I could do. I still did it anyway.”

“If I had to pick a celebrity role model it would be Rihanna. I aspire to be like her. Everything she embodies is perfection.”

One person Kalena admires is James Cameron known for his perfectionism in directing. One of her favorite films is Avatar. “It’s a soul film for me with so many different messages. The native people are regarded as savages but there’s much more to the natives; they can connect with the wildlife and animals. It guides my outlook on the world.”

“You have just as much a right to success as anybody else. You can be just as good as anybody else. There are going to be people who doubt you. There are going to be haters. You have to gravitate towards people who are proud of you and who support you and want to see you do better. I want to have people around me who I find inspiring, who bring out different sides of me, like my best friend Kenzie, she’s amazing.”

Kalena loves traveling and recounts her “magical experience” at a place that has no speed limit–the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. She arrived at nine at night and promptly got stuck at water’s edge, her wheels spinning. She ended up sleeping in the car. “The sky reflected on the flats and the stars were just gorgeous.” In the morning some nice people in a camper van came to her rescue. She was able to race and did donuts during the day. “I really appreciate random human interactions like that. People are amazing and awesome. It was a special experience.”

One thing Kalena learned while working with the public that she will carry throughout her life is that “You might be the one person who can be the light in someone’s day. Be the good. Bringing light into every day is important whether for myself or somebody else.”

Kalena is someone who can inspire all of us to be both a little bit more bad ass and be the light.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY KIMBERLEE MILLER