Archers Talkin' Archery - An Interview with Rachel McCann
1 – What is your favourite dinosaur?
Brachiosaurus
2 – What club are you a member of?
Lough Cuan Bowmen
3 – What is your preferred shooting style?
Barebow
4 – How did you get into archery?
I remember seeing Archery Equipment in Decathlon and thought how cool of a sport it would be to do. Then later I went home and there was an Archery Beginner’s Session that popped up as an advertisement online and it was happening in the local leisure centre in the upcoming weeks – I took this as a sign and signed-up!
5 – Who is your favourite fictional archer?
Legolas
6 – What is your favourite competition type?
Field
7 – What is your favourite shooting venue?
Mount Stewart
8 – What is your favourite weather to shoot in?
Not too hot/not too cold (just no wind/rain please!)
9 – Would you rather do archery whilst riding a unicorn or a pegasus?
Pegasus
10 – What is the oddest thing you have seen during a competition?
The sun! Don’t get too many sunny shoots in Northern Ireland.
11 – What is the highest level of competition you have shot in?
All British Field and Open 2019!
12 – What is the best shot you have made in a competition?
When my arrow got stuck in a tree that required a leg boost from someone 6ft 4.
13 – Which fictious archers would you want on your side for a team match?
Legolas, Katniss Everdeen, and Merida.
14 – What are your goals in archery?
To get all my Arrowheads!
15 – What is your proudest achievement in the sport?
Becoming a coach! I love teaching new beginners and later seeing them join the sport afterwards – it’s such a good feeling knowing you may have played a part in that.
16 – What is the best advice you have been given in archery?
Don’t be intimidated by long distances in competitions. It’s just another target, if you’re looking to improve your score it’s the shorter ones which make the difference.
17 – How do you think you would have fared in the stone age with a bow and arrows?
Better than I do now – I think there’d be less to go wrong with your bow with the lack of add-on’s.
18 – What is the one thing you really enjoy in the sport?
It’s always changing and there’s so many opportunities for involvement.
19 – What one thing in the sport irritates you the most?
The mental aspect – it’s not as easy to fix as the physical one!
20 – What would you like to see in terms of improvement within archery as a sport?
More opportunities for senior development. I know there’s development pathways for Juniors but one’s for Seniors/Masters would be great.
21 – What do you think would make a great mascot for the sport of archery?
A fox
22 – Who is your most fervent supporter?
My Dad
23 – If you could shoot another bow style, what would it be?
Flatbow!
24 – Any advice for girls/women in archery?
Don’t let the lack of women put you off! The more females the better, there’s women in Archery who have went on to achieve amazing things and it’s so encouraging for us to see and such a good motivator for your own Archery development.
Photo credit, all photos - Matt Latimer