01 September 2006 - Interview with Petra Ericsson (SWE): The Compound AND Recurve Shooter

The Compound AND Recurve Shooter Göteborg – 01 September 2006   Native of Mölndal, the small town where takes place most of these 20th Field World Championships, Petra Ericsson is quite unique in the archery world: she shoots both Compound and Recurve. She will take part this Friday at the Teams competition.   Photo © Dean Alberga Petra Ericsson (SUE), 33 year old:
1991: 5th at the World Championships in Recurve
1995: Silver medal at the Outdoor and Indoor World Championships in Compound
1996: Gold medal at the Field World Championships in Compound
1997: Gold medal in Field at the World Games in Compound
2001: 5th at the World Championships in Recurve
2005: Gold medal in Field at the World Games in Recurve

Petra, how does it feel to compete at a World Championship in your home town ?
It is at the same time very exciting and a bit strange. Sometimes, you travel two days to reach the competition site and here, we just did 10 minutes by car to join the teams at the hotel. You don’t have to call your parents or family in the evening, they are just here supporting you in the track ! It has been a great feeling to receive such support.

You preferred to join the team at the official hotel instead of staying home ?
Yes… to feel with the team. Moreover, my husband and coach competes for Norway. So he could be with his team, too. We are now both out of our individual competitions, so he will be able to coach me for the Team event this Friday.

You came just 2 points short of making the Individual Finals, finishing 5th. Are you disappointed ?
Yes, because I know I could have done better. I had two really bad shots that ended in the 3 rings. That was pretty much the difference. My other shots were rather good; sometimes just inside the 5, sometimes just outside… You know, it is OK in archery to lose against stronger shooters, but today I am disappointed because somehow I lost against myself.

It is a typical archer’s answer : shooting for oneself…
But this is true, especially on a field course where your count your points. You can’t be affected by what the others do and you can’t lose focus by watching them.

Despite today’s result, you are truly a special archer. You have been pretty successful over your career by shooting recurve and compound. Why so ?
For me both bows are complementary. When I shoot compound, this is a great training for aiming. When I shoot recurve, I concentrate on the rhythm of my shots. So, when I change bow, I can use what I have trained with the other bow. Finally, it is a lot of fun !

When have you started to shoot both bows exactly ?
In fact, I shot recurve until 1993. From 93-97, I switched to compound. In 98, I came back to recurve. I had the idea to shoot both in 2003 but I couldn’t do it because I was trying to qualify for the Athens Olympics. In 2005, I started to shoot both : compound for outdoor target archery and recurve for field.  
Lately, you were pretty successful in field with the gold medal at the World Games 2005. Are you also happy with your results on target archery ?
Yes… This year I have participated so far at one big event, the World Cup in Antalya, and I made 5th.

Why couldn’t you take part in more World Cup events ?
As you know, archers are usually not professional. So we need to partly finance our trips and to take time off from work. This year I concentrated on the Field Champs, the Antalya World Cup and the European Championships in two weeks in Athens. Next year, I hope to participate at the whole World Cup circuit. 
 
What are your expectations for the Europeans in Athens ?
I hope to reach the semi-finals. Then, anything is possible. 
 
Do you like match plays in outdoor target archery ?
Yes I like them, although with 12 arrows matches since the 1st round, the margin for error is very slim. If you have one bad arrow due to some unlucky wind, it is difficult to come back. This is especially true for compound. On the other hand, I think it is very exciting for the fans and for television. 
 
What would you propose to change the system ?
I would do more round robin with matches, so that you would play more games in the first round. Also, I like the set system, where you would get a set point for scoring more total points in three arrows than your opponent. You could do best of five sets. We have a very nice team competition in Sweden following this format and including bare bow, compound and recurve shooters. 
 
This Friday at the Field World Championships, it is the same. You will represent team Sweden together with compound and bare bow archers…
Yes ! We were World Champions in 2002 and 5th in 2004. We hope to win again this year. Moreover, team competitions are always fun to shoot ! 
 
Thank you and good luck ! 
  Didier Miéville FITA Communication