Archers Talkin' Archery - An Interview with Kathryn Morton

1 – What is your favourite dinosaur?
Probably Rex from Toy Story or Barney the dinosaur – I’m not really into the scary real life ones.
2 – What club are you a member of?
Ballyvally Archers Banbridge
3 – What is your preferred shooting style?
Barebow!
4 – How did you get into archery?
Through a P7 theatre piece called Robin and the Sherwood Hoodies – I thought it looked cool and joined a club soon after.
5 – Who is your favourite fictional archer?
I’m stuck between Merida and Katniss – probably Merida.
6 – What is your favourite competition type?
WA Field or WA 3D – I enjoy how dynamic and variable they are. Plus there’s nothing better than a day in the woods with the sun peeking through the trees.
7 – What is your favourite shooting venue?
Greenmount in Co. Antrim, NI. We always shoot Field competitions there during Autumn and its just beautiful. Especially as we normally host 2 shoots there in Sept/Oct so you get to watch the seasons change.
8 – What is your favourite weather to shoot in?
Any weather provided it’s not pouring out of the heavens or really windy. As they say – there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes.
9 – Would you rather do, archery whilst riding a unicorn or a pegasus?
Unicorn 100%, the last pegasus I rode was a nightmare.
10 – What is the oddest thing you have seen during a competition?
During the World 3D Champs there was an unexpected storm and the massive purpose-built tent began to flood. So the tournament organisers quickly solved the problem by pick axing the floor for extra drainage. Very odd and I still have video evidence.
11 – What is the highest level of competition you have shot in?
Senior World 3D Championships in Terni, Italy last year.
12 – What is the best shot you have made in a competition?
The shot that springs to mind is my medal match at the 2022 European Indoors. It came right down to the final arrow where I needed a 6 to win bronze, and I shot a 7 – the perfect end to an interesting week.
13 – Which fictious archers would you want on your side for a team match?
Katniss Everdeen.
14 – What are your goals in archery?
Have a good time, meet new people, and see parts of the world I otherwise wouldn’t get to. I enjoy the opportunities archery provides but my main goal is to just enjoy my time within the sport both on and off the line.
15 – What is your proudest achievement in the sport?
I’m not sure I can pick just one, from coaching to competing there have been many proud moments.
16 – What is the best advice you have been given in archery?
Focus on the process, and the results will come.
17 - How do you think you would have fared in the stone age with a bow and arrows?
I don’t think I would’ve starved but let’s just say the animal would have to be fairly close and very still for me to have any chance. The more I think about it, I might have ended up as a vegetarian and not by choice.
18 – What is the one thing you really enjoy in the sport?
The equal opportunities archery provides for everyone to compete on the same shooting line – regardless of age or ability.
19 – What one thing in the sport irritates you the most?
Archers who focus on equipment and tuning over form and technique.
20 – What would you like to see in terms of improvement within archery as a sport?
I would like to see a greater emphasis and recognition of the purer styles of archery such as longbow, traditional and barebow. I feel this would increase participation as there is less focus on costly equipment and more on enjoyment of the sport.
21 – What do you think would make a great mascot for the sport of archery?
I think Archery GB’s mascot Fletch is great.
22 – Who is your most fervent supporter?
Mum and dad
23 – If you could shoot another bow style, what would it be?
I’ve recently been shooting longbow at club and I’m loving it, so that could be a possibility. Compound has interesting characteristics too, it could be fun to shoot more often. Plus recurve was something I tried last winter that I might get back into. I’ll shoot anything to be honest.
24 – Any advice for girls/women in archery?
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take – chase what you want and you’ll be surprised how far you get.
Photo credit, all photos - Matt Latimer