Archers Talkin' Archery - An Interview with Susan Agnew

1 – What is your favourite dinosaur?

T-Rex as that is the only one I can spell!

2 – What club are you a member of?

For WA – Banbridge AC. For IFAA – Craigavon AC

3 – What is your preferred shooting style?

Recurve, always recurve. Never wanted to shoot anything else.

4 – How did you get into archery?

Had to choose a sport for my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, I was encouraged to do something a little different. A friend of mine did archery and I thought I could do that for a year. 17 years on I am still addicted!

5 – Who is your favourite fictional archer?

Legolas

6 – What is your favourite competition type?

Hunter round in IFAA. Prefer field all around but the Hunter round is my particular favourite.

7 – What is your favourite shooting venue?

Gilford Castle, unfortunately, I’ll not get to shoot there anymore.

8 – What is your favourite weather to shoot in?

Anything warm… hate the cold.

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

Pegasus… who wouldn’t want a flying horse!

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

An arrow bounced off a stone on the ground and into the target. Think it was a 5 on an 80cm field face about 40/45m away!!

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

I have shot at World and European Field Champs (both IFAA and WA) and World and European Indoor Champs (IFAA).

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

Shot in the British Indoor Champs (2015 I think) made the cut and in the first round of the h2hs I shot against an archer who is now an Olympian. We ended up tying and I had to shoot a one arrow shoot off. Never had to do that at a competition that meant so much. I was shaking so bad. When I put my drawing hand on the string, all nerves went, shot an amazing arrow. Went in the 10. Unfoundedly hers was closer but it was a good way to loose. Never shot so well in a h2h and only lost as she shot better.

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

Legolas and Katniss

14 – What are your goals in archery?

I have achieved many goals I have set. I still have a few more. I would like to win a European or World Champ (IFAA). I have medalled before (goals achieved) but you like to make it to the top of the podium.

15 – What is your proudest achievement in the sport?

Winning my first Northern Ireland tile, then British title then winning a silver medal in the World Field Champs in Estonia last year (IFAA).

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

This is a mental sport (in more ways than one, but that is a different story) so have a mental routine for competing.

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

Oh I would have been eaten a long time ago!! I would have spent too long twiddling with my sight! I would have been eaten after all the compound archers were consumed.

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

That moment where everything goes right and you that arrow is going in the middle. Plus the people (well most of them).

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

Archery!! Stupid sport really. The whole process irritates me when nothing goes right.

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

I think the sport needs to let people do more of what they enjoy and not encourage them down a certain style. Lots of people are pushed towards recurve and compound. Other ‘unsighted’ styles are ignored. While I will always wind stick shooters up, that is banter, I get back for my struggle stick and twiddling. But I respect people for their choice. That is what they enjoy. I certainly don’t fully understand the style I fully admit that but people who shoot it do and enjoy it for whatever reason. They should also be recognised at competitions. All too often they are left out of forced to shoot in a category with sighted archers. Archery is an inclusive sport, so everyone, every style should be included. There are other things but I think I have written enough for this one!!

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

Pegasus!

22 – Who is your most fervent supporter?

My family

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

Nope just nope.

24 – Any advice for girls/women in archery?

Do your own thing, you know your shooting style more than anyone. Take advise on board, try it. If it doesn’t work, move on and try something else. Don’t do it because that is the way so and so shoots and they are a top archer. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything. Go out there and prove them wrong!

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Photo credit, all photos - Matt Latimer