DJ Q&A

DB: I live in Palo Alto with my husband and our little cat. Also appearing are a varied number of stray cats that have figured that our pantry is always well stocked. Our human children, 21-year old twins, drop by for the occasional visit from college. My family and I came to the Bay Area as expats. We were enchanted by California. I am a scientist, making a career in the battery industry for the past 15 years. My hobbies seem to be evolving, and the great outdoors seems to be the overarching theme. My husband and I were white water kayakers when we met. Later, in the U.S., I got into riding motorcycles. We explored skiing and snowboarding in Tahoe. I grew up in Northern Germany where it gets dark at 3 p.m. for half of the year. The Bay Area is this vast, year-round playground for all kinds of outdoor activities. The Eagles got it right — you can check out but you can never leave!

DJ. When was the first time you saw an exhibit of archery?

DB: The first time I saw archery in action was at our local indoor archery range. My boys were 3 years old when we arrived in Palo Alto, and they showed an interest in archery at a very early age. Palomo Archery became a second home to them. I have to thank the late Peter Palomo for keeping my boys engaged and for keeping their mom from helicopter parenting. He planted the idea of picking up a bow in my head. My boys were little and I was so occupied catering to their needs that I forgot that I was entitled to a little fun in my life, too. I am carrying it forward — every time I meet a family at the range I encourage the mothers to try out archery. You know who you are, pick up a bow already!

DJ: When did you first shoot an arrow?

DB: Peter gave me a bow to try indoors. The bowstring smacked my arm so badly that I thought I had been cured from archery for life. Years later, during COVID times, I decided that just tagging along with my boys at the range was not captivating enough. I thought about the pain and resentment that the first bow inflicted on me but I gave it another try. I am left handed, so finding archery gear locally was a bit of a challenge. I phoned around for a while and pounced as soon as our archery shop had a left-handed recurve bow in stock. The very next day I attended my first archery tournament. I did a little happy dance for every arrow that hit the target!

DJ: What kind of equipment do you use?

DB: I started out with a rather high-tech recurve bow shooting the barebow-style. Over time I whittled my gear down to a short but mighty longbow with custom wooden arrows. I love the simplicity of my setup.

DJ: What do you like about archery?

DB: Once you get started you make archery your own! There are so many different bow styles and communities. My sister-in-law was a competitive archer in the Olympic Recurve class. That is a very technical bow style that is designed for a specific way to shoot. I prefer field archery because it is set in the open space. It is really hiking while flinging arrows at targets hidden behind trees. It can be highly competitive or very casual. Last, but not least, there is the camaraderie. You make the trek up to the range, run into a complete stranger and by the end of the day you have made a new friend.

DJ: What is Kings Mountain Archers?

DB: Kings Mountain Archers is one of six local archery clubs that have been around since the 1950s. Our range is set within Huddart County Park. People visit our range, fall in love with it and join our club. More than 300 households renew their membership every year. Our members come from all walks of life and run the gamut between casual archers like myself and highly accomplished sportsmen who are ranked nationally and who compete on the international stage. All of our club members are stewards of the land and ambassadors for the sport.

DJ: What would you tell someone who is interested in archery but doesn’t know where to start?

DB: If you want to know more about the sport, navigate to the Kings Mountain Archers’ website www.kingsmountainarchers.org and sign up for an introductory lesson. Equipment is provided and our season runs from March to October. We will show you different bow styles so you know what to ask for if you decide this activity is for you. The next stop is one of our regional archery shops since KMA does not rent equipment. They provide gear, guidance and lessons, and they support the local clubs. You get to shoot in a safe indoor environment, play different archery games and meet like-minded people. Archery is very accessible once you take the plunge.