Why archery has been best distraction for Kevin Polish

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT is presented by WIAWIS.

It is often a cliché that sport is a distraction for many people’s problems, and it rings none truer than for Kevin ‘KJ’ Polish.

The 41-year-old from Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, has had his fair share of misfortunes in his life including two near death experiences. But archery, the sport he has been practicing since his parents, Kevin senior and former USA archer Christina, opened up their archery shop, has always been the one thing he can turn to.

His family’s passion meant Polish was around archery ranges since a three-year-old and began his professional archery career at 15. But it was on left on a knife edge after breaking his back a year later in a car accident.

With the confidence required in archery, it can take years off for some athletes to even think about getting back into the sport after such a setback. Polish’s USA teammate Eric Bennett being an example of this who took 10 years out after losing his arm.

Although he was forced to stay in hospital for two weeks, Polish didn’t give away any time before trying to get back to a competitive level, this time in para archery.

“I took it hard but one day I was like ‘yeah I can’t walk, I can’t run but I can shoot that bow, so I’m going to give it a try’ because I was really good at it.”

“So, I worked hard and within six or seven months I was shooting a bow and back to shooting at a high level again.”

“I tell people this all the time, for me archery saved my life, that’s why I love it.”

‘Love’ is an understatement. Polish has been shooting professionally for 26 years and in that time has not only competed in major competitions but also at local level.

He admits he is ‘crazy’ about the sport so much so, that his passion nearly led to his own fatality.

After competing at an ASA tournament in London, Kentucky in 2022, Polish was expected to stay in the state for holiday with his family but returned home early due to feeling ill.

“I get home, get into bed, stay in bed all day, have a fever and I’m sweating. I was like ‘Man, I got to get out of bed, I’m going to go and shoot my bow,’” recalled Polish who is one of six representing USA at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. “I go shoot my bow for two hours, I feel amazing.”

“I literally shot my last arrow, drank a half bottle of water, started talking to my buddies and get deathly sick again.”

It was only six hours later, the 2023 Parapan American Games Champion was having lifesaving surgery with his doctor telling him he had mere hours left of his life, had he stayed at home.

“That just goes to show you what archery does for you,” said Polish on the huge health scare. “Whenever I tell people this, whenever I’m shooting my bow, I forget the world.”

“Nothing else matters. All my problems in life go away when I draw my bow. But if I went after shooting my bow, that’s going out in style because that’s what I love to do.”

Car accidents, emergency surgeries, Kevin Polish really has been through it all.

But despite these devastating events, one of which has brought a life changing injury, the American’s stern, strong willingness has never been dented.

Neither have his Paralympic aspirations.

Polish failed to get past the individual second round in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 but is hellbent on not just climbing the podium at Les Invalides, but winning the gold medal.

“I wasn’t prepared enough for the last two Games; I’m prepared this time, and I will win.”

“Like I said in all the interviews last year, I’m not excited until I’m done, the job’s not done yet, I’m ready to go, ready to compete, ready to represent and I will make it to the finals.”

Mental diligence is as important for an archer as technique. Polish clearly has bags of it, to the point where he does not work with a psychologist, or any coach, in fact.

He is a one-man-band that has won a Parapan American Games and the non-disabled 2005 World Championships in the men’s team.

The Paralympic medals have eluded him for now, but he insists he has learnt from prior mistakes and firmly believes Paris is his time.

“I train myself at any time of the day, it doesn’t matter if it’s three or four o’clock in the morning, it doesn’t matter as long as I can pick my bow up and shoot,” said Polish when describing his training regime.

“I didn’t do that years ago. I would only go out on the days I felt good, I would only shoot on days when it was nicest outside, I don’t do that anymore.”

“This time I went way outside the box. I’ve tried every different type of adversity you can for shooting and prepared for it,” he added. 

Polish has never shied away from adversity, and is in a bullish, convincing mood ahead of the Games.

This die-hard attitude and the fact he’s lived and breathed archery since a child, gives plenty of reason to believe he can finally win Paralympic gold in Paris.