The Long Game: Why 4x Olympian Crispin Dueñas Believes in "Leaving Them Alone"

The Long Game:

Why 4x Olympian Crispin Dueñas Believes in "Leaving Them Alone"

In the world of competitive youth sports, there is mounting pressure to specialize early. We see it in hockey, gymnastics, and increasingly in Archery. But is narrowing your Archer’s focus to a single bow style or a single sport at age 10, actually the path to the podium?

In our latest episode of the Archery Parent Podcast, we sat down with one of Canada’s most decorated athletes, Crispin Dueñas. With four Olympic Games under his belt and decades of experience in the high-performance Recurve circuit, Crispin offers a perspective that might surprise the most driven Archery Parents.

Here is a comprehensive look at our conversation on specialization, the "Norway Model," the importance of hobbies, and life outside the range.

The Viral Advice: "Leave Them Alone”

We opened the episode by revisiting a moment that went viral on our Instagram. (Click here to watch the reel.) When asked what advice he had for parents, Crispin’s answer was simple: “Leave your kids alone.” 

While it sounds provocative, Crispin elaborates on the philosophy of letting an Archer’s interest grow at its own pace. He reflects on his own start with an accidental discovery in Grade 8, and how the lack of early pressure allowed him to develop a genuine, self-sustaining passion for the sport.

Recurve: The Great Equalizer

A significant portion of our discussion explores why Crispin chose the Olympic Recurve path. He provides a fascinating breakdown of the sport's technical nature, describing it as an "equalizer." In Archery, success isn't dictated by being the tallest or strongest person on the field. Instead, it rewards consistency, mental fortitude, and a specific type of "calm" that Crispin found unique to the recurve bow.

The Danger of Living in a "Single Room"

One of the most profound segments of the episode touches on the "Multiple Rooms" metaphor. Crispin discusses the psychological danger of an athlete living in only one “room”: the sport room.

When an Archer’s entire identity is tied to their performance, a bad tournament can feel like a total personal failure. Crispin shares how he navigated this by maintaining a "house" full of other rooms:

• The Academic Room: His background in Physics and his career as a teacher.
• The Musical Room: His life as a musician (which led to some incredible encounters we discuss in the show). He is fluent in five instruments.
• The Social Room: Maintaining a life with friends who don’t care about his arrow counts. 

The Norway Model and Late Specialization

We dive deep into Norway’s “Children’s Rights in Sports” of athletic development, which discourages ranking children and emphasizes multi-sport participation until later in adolescence. Crispin explains why different activities creates a more robust athlete with better transferable skills, like time management.

Mystery, Royalty, and High Stakes

Beyond the technical advice, Crispin shares several stories of the unexpected places Archery has taken him. Without giving too much away:

• An encounter at the Invictus Games where he was so locked into his role as an announcer that he didn’t notice a member of the Royal Family walking right next by him.
• A surprising story about King Charles and his natural skill with a Recurve bow.
• How saying “YES” led to a musical performance with a legendary Canadian astronaut (kitchen practice sessions included).

Final Thoughts

Crispin’s journey proves that you don't have to sacrifice a "normal" life and why a diverse range of hobbies can still let you reach the Olympics. In fact, those very distractions might be the secret to his longevity in the sport.

As the discussion closes, Crispin offer travel tips that will help both aspiring Archers and their parents. For those interested in contacting Crispin, he is reachable via Instagram at @crispin_duenas, where he welcomes questions and interactions.

This episode is a reminder that the journey in Archery, like any sport, is not just about the medals and accolades, but also about the experiences, growth, and life lessons garnered along the way. We hope you find inspiration in Crispin’s story, encouraging you to explore and enjoy Archery at your pace.

Thank you for joining us as we continue to do this, one arrow at a time.

To hear the full conversation and learn more about finding the balance between support and pressure, listen to the latest episode on your favourite podcast platform or at the link below.

Are you a proponent of early specialization, or are you embracing the "sampling" phase? Let us know in the comments.

REFERENCES

Throughout this epsiode of the Archery Parent Podcast featuring Crispin Dueñas, several notable individuals, organizations, and works are referenced:

Notable People

• Joan McDonald: Legend of the Canadian and global Archery communities. Contributor to the world-wide Archery community for 60+ years. The Who’s Who of Archery. Crispin’s long-time coach who guided him from his early days through his international career. 
• Chris Hadfield: Legendary Canadian astronaut. Crispin played guitar on stage with him at a Canadian Olympic Committee event and even practiced in Hadfield's kitchen. @colchrishadfield 
• King Charles (formerly Prince Charles): Crispin met him at a groundbreaking event for the 2015 Pan Am Games, where the then-Prince demonstrated a natural ability to handle an Olympic bow.
• Prince Harry: Walked right past Crispin while he was announcing at the Invictus Games in Toronto; Crispin was so focused on his work that he didn't notice.
• David Epstein: Author whose work on specialization and the "multiple rooms" metaphor is discussed. YouTube  @davidepstein
• Amber Glenn: A U.S. figure skater mentioned as an example of an elite athlete who practices archery as a hobby. @amberglenniceskater
• Lauren Dueñas: Episode 4 guest on the Archery Parent Podcast (and Crispin’s wife), discussing life as a Student-Archer, time-management, and balancing it all. @laurenkduenas
• Marc Chavet: Known as "the Voice" of World Archery, who got his first announcing opportunity alongside Crispin. @marc.chavet
• Brady Ellison: Always in the Top 5 Male Recurve Archers in the world. Winner of Stage 1 of the 2026 World Cup series in Puebla, Mexico. 5x Olympian. From the USA. @bradyellison 

Organizations and Events

• Archers of Caledon: The Archery club Crispin first joined. Located in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. North of Toronto. 
• Ontario Summer Games: A "mini-Olympics" where Crispin competed with a compound bow in 2000, leading to his decision to switch to recurve for the Olympics. 
• 2015 Pan Am Games: Held in Toronto; a pivotal moment for Manisha’s son, Reece, and where Crispin met King Charles. 
• Invictus Games: Held in Toronto in 2017. An international sporting event for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, where Crispin served as an announcer for the Archery events. 
• Canadian Olympic Committee (COC): The National committee overseeing Canada’s high-performance athletes. Team Canada. Organized the event where Crispin performed with Chris Hadfield. 
• World Archery: The international federation for the sport of Archery. 

Concepts and Models

• The "Children's Rights in Sports": A development model mentioned by the host that focuses on late specialization and avoiding early rankings for children. 
• The "Multiple Rooms" Metaphor: A concept from David Epstein’s work suggesting athletes should have lives outside of their sport to avoid burnout. From the book: Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World