Archers Talkin' Archery - An Interview with Katherine Robinson

1 – What is your favourite dinosaur?

Dippy the diplodocus , because my grandpa took me to see it at the museum. Or Red from Toy Story.

2 – What club are you a member of?

Lough Cuan Bowmen

3 – What is your preferred shooting style?

Traditional

4 – How did you get into archery?

Since I watched 'Brave', I'd wanted to become an archer. Then four years ago my best friend and I started a beginner's course together, and I loved it so much that I know do it every week!

5 – Who is your favourite fictional archer?

Lara Croft

6 – What is your favourite competition type?

I love 3D shoots, because they are more interesting that normal 2D shoots. I like seeing all the different targets for those shoots, especially when there's fun ones, like dinosaurs, or abnormally humungous wasps.

7 – What is your favourite shooting venue?

I don't really have one - I like shooting wherever we end up.

8 – What is your favourite weather to shoot in?

Anytime I don't get rained on! I love shoots in Winter when it's nice and cold outside.

9 – Would you rather do archery whilst riding a unicorn or a pegasus?

Definitely a pegasus because then you could fly and let arrows rain down from the sky. Probably not safe for anyone involved, but it would be fun.

10 – What is the oddest thing you have seen during a competition?

I remember being really confused by the little mop thing that some people had hanging off their quivers for a while when I first started. I remember wonder if they were some sort of weird quiver decoration, but they're actually super boring and are just for cleaning bows and arrows if you're shooting outside apparently.

11 – What is the highest level of competition you have shot in?

I have no idea, so I'm assuming not a very high one. I'm super competitive so I don't mind what kind of competition I'm going to - I always have fun anyway.

12 – What is the best shot you have made in a competition?

Bullseye!

13 – Which fictious archers would you want on your side for a team match?

Hawkeye and Katniss Everdeen, because I feel like they would actually be useful, and Zelda, because her bow is cool.

14 – What are your goals in archery?

To keep having as much fun as I am now, and hopefully win some more competitions!

15 – What is your proudest achievement in the sport?

Winning my first competition. I shoot trad, but had to be entered under barebow, and still managed to win. I was so proud of myself when that happened. :)

16 – What is the best advice you have been given in archery?

To just relax and have fun. If you're stressed you won't shoot well anyway, so you might as well enjoy it and have a laugh. If everything's going quite well when I'm shooting, and then one arrow is a complete disaster, I find it really funny. The funniest one so far is when I not only missed my target but hit the wood of the boss stand of a completely different target! Thankfully, things like that don't happen very often.

17 - How do you think you would have fared in the stone age with a bow and arrows?

I mean, I would like to say that I think I'd have been relatively okay, but I actually think I would have died quite quickly. If I found someone else to hunt for me and kill anything scary, I probably would have been fine.

18 – What is the one thing you really enjoy in the sport?

I love shooting with my friends in my club, because we make fun of each other relentlessly, and the craic is always great on a Friday night after a week of school.

19 – What one thing in the sport irritates you the most?

That seemingly any club or team shirts are made for men. Even when they're unisex, they're still normally based on men's sizes, which means they never, ever fit, unless you buy one that's far too big. Which is really annoying, because I'd love to buy one and wear it at competitions.

20 – What would you like to see in terms of improvement within archery as a sport?

Obviously I'm not looking to shoot at the Olympics or anything, but it would be amazing if the traditional style was more widely accepted in competitions, because it is super annoying to keep entering under a class that isn't mine just so I can take part.

21 – What do you think would make a great mascot for the sport of archery?

The Cone Snail. They're called the archers of the sea, because if a predator comes near them, they can fire venomous spikey harpoons from their mouths. They just keep shooting until the predator stops moving. And that's pretty niche and random, so I doubt any other sport would steel it from us.

22 – Who is your most fervent supporter?

My dad, who chose my bow for me, and regularly sacrifices his Friday evenings to drive me to archery.

23 – If you could shoot another bow style, what would it be?

I wouldn't because trad is superior. :)

I did try longbow for a few ends, but I was not very successful with it, so I'll stick with my bow.

24 – Any advice for girls/women in archery?

Stick up for yourself, and any other girl in your club, especially if they're young. We're outnumbered in this sport, but that doesn't make use less important.

Don't take yourself too seriously, and make sure you have fun, because archery is a brilliant sport.

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Photo, Lego cover photo, credit - Matt Latimer

Photos one and two of Katherine Robinson credit - Matt Latimer