After nine years of mastering archery, what began as a way to learn hunting became a passion for junior Hailey Franzone. Competing at the World Field Archery Championships, she sees archery as more than a sport but as a personal journey. Franzone aims to compete at future Olympic competitions while gaining personal advice and support from international coaches, teammates, and opponents.
Archery is a sport in which competitors use a bow to shoot arrows at a target, aiming for the middle. Franzone stated, “Archery is not something a lot of people do. It’s not a very compact sport. It’s all individual, and you have to focus on yourself and not worry about whatever is going on outside your little bubble.” Archery can take different forms and types, such as competitions, hunting, or as a hobby.
Franzone began her archery career by using this sport to learn and apply hunting. Realizing she had a real talent for this hobby, she started competing and practicing more professionally. Franzone continued, “I learned archery to learn how to hunt, then I got competitive. My type of archery is that I find it more enjoyable, it’s more of a leisure activity for me.” Ultimately, archery has become a competition and a passion for Franzone.
Working hard, she was recognized and invited to the World Field Archery Championships in Canada to compete. Franzone elaborated, “I had no idea what to expect, I expected to go and shoot arrows, that’s all I knew!” Even though Franzone did not know what to expect, she ended up making connections with people all over the world.
Growing a relationship with her team can decrease nerves and increase her confidence. She voiced, “Team USA was behind my back and there to help me the whole time. On the final field, you can see I was really nervous and my anxiety was increasing. So just having them behind my back cheering for me telling me to calm down and just take one shot at a time really helped.” Franzone highlights the importance of teamwork, making sure you are always encouraging each other to do your best.
Meeting different international coaches and their opinions has given her new strategies to test. Franzone continued, “I’ve met a lot of amazing archers and coaches from different countries who have given me different tips to help settle my nerves and keep me motivated.” These diverse insights have helped her grow mentally and physically, enhancing her performance in archery.
Realizing her true potential, Franzone aims to compete in larger and more competitive events, such as the Olympics. Having the experience at an international gives her a head-start in competitive competitions and the advantage to apply for more scholarships and colleges. This international competition gave Franzone a greater understanding of what to expect and prepare for. This competition has given Franzone insights, confidence, and strategies to improve her daily performance which can then help her when it’s time for a competition. While developing friendships along the way with coaches and teammates, this experience gave her advantages in her future in archery.
