Broadwater: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best

“I think field archery, World Archery field, doesn’t get as much exposure as some of the other disciplines of archery and it’s kind of a shame because it really is, I think, the most pure form of archery,” said Jesse Broadwater.

The 32-year-old compound man took his first World Archery Field Champion title in 2012.

In 2014, he successfully defended that crown. The championship match in Zagreb came down to a tiebreaker against ’04 winner Chris White, from Great Britain. Broadwater held firm, delivering a perfect-six in the one-arrow shoot-off to secure his second consecutive individual gold in the event.

“It’s just you and your bow, no rangefinders or anything. You’ve gotta know what distance it is, you gotta be able to make the shot, extreme angles and everything. It’s just right up my alley in terms of the kind of archery I really enjoy shooting,” said Broadwater.

And Jesse is very much qualified to make that statement.

Aside from the two individual and one team golds he’s taken at World Archery Field Championships, Broadwater has also taken medals at World Archery indoor and outdoor worlds, is a celebrated 3D shooter in the States – and is a multiple winner of The Vegas Shoot.

“I enjoy a good challenge,” he said. “So anything that’s challenging I’m going to enjoy.”

“You throw an 80cm face out there on the unmarked day, or on the marked day, at a distance, throw on an angle and a sidehill, and a little bit of wind and lighting, and you’ve got to really know your stuff.”

“The 20-metre bunnies at an angle or in the wind is probably one my least favourites, though.”

World Archery field tournaments are shot around courses, with targets of various length, size and positioning in the forests, fields and mountains of the venue. (A bunny is target face that is 20cm in diameter.)

One day of qualification at the World Archery Field Championships is unmarked. Athletes know the range of distances each face size can be set at, but not the exact yardage. The second day of qualification, plus the elimination and matchplay phases are at marked distances.

“Shooting for the six now, you don’t just have to hit the dot, you have to hit the six competing against these guys. You have to have everything dialled in, basically on your first shot – and if you don’t, you have to know how to adjust for it on the second or third shot,” Jesse said.

Arriving in Dublin for the 2016 World Archery Field Championships – the 25th edition of the event – Broadwater has a chance to secure a third consecutive compound men’s title.

It’s something that’s only been done by one person before in World Archery’s field discipline. Barebow archer Anders Rosenberg had three titles from 1978 to 1982.

“Field archery, I think it’s 70-75%, as long as you’re prepared, you’re going to do good,” Jesse said, when asked how he had prepared for a run at gold in Dublin.

“If you come unprepared, weather-wise, equipment-wise, whatever, it throws a wrench in the works and you’re scrambling at the last minute, you’re going to suffer for that. You can’t make arrows back up.”

“I basically prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”

Will anything less than a win be a disappointment for the experienced Broadwater?

“In the past I have mis-faced a target at least one time during a tournament, and that’s something I don’t want to do here,” he said.

Two target face sizes – the 60cm and 80cm – are easily mistaken for one another on the unmarked day of qualification. A mistake on judging the size can put an archer’s distance estimation out by 10+ metres, and cause a lot of dropped points.

“If I do my best and make the least amount of mistakes, I’ll be happy.”

The 2016 World Archery Field Championships run 27 September to 2 October in Dublin, Ireland.