“Women mixing up European Archery” – this is WAE´s motto to celebrate the International Women´s Day on March 8th, 2023. Therefore, WAE wants to focus on the reigning female European mixed team Champions and give them the opportunity to give an insight in their archery-lives.
Compared to Target and Para-archery, where the mixed team started to be hold at international competitions in the early 2010s, the mixed team is a comparable “young” international competition in WA Field and 3D starting about 10 years later. Moreover, as Target and Para-archers have always been used to shoot with teammates of the same bow-class, in Field and 3D the teams have always been composed of three different bow classes – the Compound, Recurve and Barebow in Field and the Compound, the Longbow and the Barebow/Traditional (resp. former Instinctive) Bow in 3D. Therefore, for archers shooting in mixed teams in Field and 3D it was the first time to shoot with a teammate of the same bow-class and from the other gender in the European Championships in 2021 and the WA Championships in 2022.
Field Archery
The mixed teams in the Compound, Recurve and Barebow competitions were internationally shot first time ever in the European Championships in Poreč (CRO) in 2021. In 2022, the European archers were already used to it when the competition was part of the program of the WA Championships in Yankton (USA) in 2022. All reigning female European Field mixed team Champions – Bryony PITMAN (GBR, Recurve), Sara RET (ITA, Compound) and Cinzia NOZIGLIA (ITA, Barebow, also 3D) – are also well-known as successful Target archers.
Sara RET (ITA)
At the European Outdoor Championships in Munich in 2022, Sara RET (ITA) reached the second place with the Italian Women´s Compound team. She topped that team success in the same year when she won Gold with the Italian Women´s team at the WA Field Championships in Yankton (USA), where Sara repeated a victory she had already experienced on European level in 2021. At the European Field Championships in Poreč (CRO), the female Compound archer had won – like her Women´s teammate Cinzia NOZIGLIA – two more Gold medals – in the individual Compound event and with Marco BRUNO in the mixed team.
1] What personal meaning has this mixed team victory for you among all your previous victories?
To win a title nobody has never won means a lot to me. In some sort of way Bruno and I made field history in Europe. It wasn’t my first win in field archery but I’m sure it’s one of the victories I will be remembered for.
2] What is the most important difference between competing in an individual competition and shooting in a mixed team?
In an individual competition you are alone, so the consequences of your shooting only affect you. Otherwise in a mixed team event you are competing for two and you have both to give 200 percent of your own self.
3] What are your strengths and what are the strengths of your mixed team partner?
I consider my determination to be one of my greatest strengths. Hardly I give up. In this Bruno looks a lot like me, we both put our heart and soul into that victory. We both have the same passion and desire to do our best in archery. I don’t think this victory could be possible without our complicity, we bring out the other´s best.
Bryony PITMAN (GBR)
In January 2023, Bryony PITMAN climbed up to rank 1 of WA´s Recurve ranking. She is not only a successful Target and Field archer but also takes on responsibility as official. In 2022, during the WA Field Championships in Yankton (USA), Bryony was elected as the Field archery representative on World Archery’s Athletes Committee. She left these World Championships with an individual Recurve Silver medal, the same color of medal she had won at the World Games in Birmingham (USA) several weeks before. Already in 2021, she and her mixed team partner Conor HALL went for Gold at the European Field Championships in Poreč (SLO).
1] What personal meaning has this mixed team victory for you among all your previous victories?
This mixed team medal is just as important to me as my other international medals, maybe more! Especially because it was the first time the mixed team event was included at the European Field Championships. It is a highly competitive event and so to be on top of the podium was an incredible feeling.
2] What is the most important difference between competing in an individual competition and shooting in a mixed team?
Sometimes the individual event can be a bit lonely because everyone is focused on themselves. With the team or mixed team events I find it easier to have fun and enjoy the competition. It’s really nice to have a teammate with you to boost your confidence and motivation and for you to be able to do the same for them. It’s great to also share the success with someone else and to have achieved it together.
3] What are your strengths and what are the strengths of your mixed team partner?
Conor and I had been on the Field team together a few times and get along as friends so it was a nice atmosphere to start with. We both know that we’re able to shoot really well individually so we had good communication about what we needed from our partner and what would help us get the best out of each other. If one of us had a bad shot/bad target the other person could always do what was needed to make up for it and keep us in the competition. Conor is also a really chilled out and relaxed person so that helped me to shoot without pressure. Other than that, we had fun, encouraged each other and just trusted that we’d do our best.
Cinzia NOZIGLIA (ITA)
When looking at the last two years, the women´s Barebow class was internationally dominated by one archer, Cinzia NOZIGLIA (ITA). At the start of the year 2022, she had already reached the first place twice (individual and team) at the European Indoor Championships in Lasko (CRO), before she achieved the individual hattrick on international level – winning individual Gold at the World Games in Birmingham (USA), in the WA 3D (Terni, ITA) and in the WA Field (Yankton, USA) Championships. Moreover, Cinzia reached the third place in the mixed team with Giuseppe SEIMANDI in Terni and also took the women´s team Gold and the mixed team Silver (with Eric ESPOSITO) in Yankton. Her successes in Field and 3D started on Continental level in 2021. She left the European 3D and Field Championships with three medals each – just one Bronze in the individual event in 3D but five times Gold in the other events. She shares her European mixed team titles with Alessandro RIGAMONTI in 3D and Eric ESPOSITO in Field.
1] What personal meaning has this mixed team Victory for you among all your previous victories?
The mixed team victories in 2021 were very important because it was the first time that the mixed team was introduced in Field and 3D, so it was an honour to shoot for it and then to have won it.
2] What is the most important difference between competing in an individual competition and shooting in a mixed team?
I like to be part of a team or mixed team; it is very funny. The most important difference is that in the individual competition you have only the responsibility for yourself and for your result, in mixed, like in team, you are responsible for the result of the other member, this is more stressing than individual, but I think it is more enjoyable if you find the correct feeling with your partner.
3] What are your strengths and what are the strengths of your mixed team partner?
I think our strength was to trust in ourselves, we didn’t fall in stress, we maintained focus and won it.
3D Archery
Like the mixed team in Field archery, it was also during the European Championships in Maribor (SLO) in 2021 that the competition was first shot internationally in 3D. One week later it should be performed in Field in Poreč. Also in Europe – in Terni (ITA) – the mixed team was firstly shot at WA 3D Championships in 2022. Mixed team medals were awarded for the Longbow, the Traditional (resp. former Instinctive) Bow, the Barebow and the Compound Bow divisions. As Cinzia NOZIGLIA (ITA, Barebow, also Field) was already presented in the Field archery-part, the other female reigning European 3D mixed team Champions – Beate SCHOELMBERGER (AUT, Longbow), Rikke HOLTEN (DEN, Instinctive/Traditional Bow) and Ida KARLSSON (SWE, Compound) – who were real international newcomers at that time – are brought to the fore here now.
Ida KARLSSON (SWE)
Ida KARLSSON (SWE) won Silver twice (individual and Women´s team) at the WA 3D Championships in Terni (ITA) in 2022. At that event she started together with Mikael ANDERLE in the Compound mixed team event where they reached the fifth place. Already in 2021, Ida had reached the same place in the individual Compound competitions at the European Field Championships in Poreč (CRO) and at the European 3D Championships in Maribor (SLO). In Maribor, however, she had won the Gold medal in the Compound mixed team also with Mikael ANDERLE. This had been her first medal in her first international event.
1] What personal meaning has this mixed team victory for you among all your previous victories?
Since this was my first international assignment, it meant a lot. It gave me confidence for the rest of the championship.
2] What is the most important difference between competing in an individual competition and shooting in a mixed team?
When I’m competing individually, I only ruin it for myself if I make a mistake. But at the same time, when competing in a mixed team it felt extra good to make a good shot since it was valuable for someone else as well.
3] What are your strengths and what are the strengths of your mixed team partner?
I think my strength was that I could keep calm during the matches and especially in the final. My mixed team partner is an awesome archer so I think that helped me to keep calm, it felt like he had my back.
Rikke HOLTEN (DEN)
Like for Ida KARLSSON (SWE) and Beate SCHOELMBERGER (AUT), the European 3D Championships in Maribor (SLO) were also the first international event for Rikke HOLTEN (DEN) who took the mixed team Gold with the Instinctive (since 2022 Traditional) Bow together with Frank CHRISTIANSEN.
1] What personal meaning has this mixed team victory for you among all your previous victories?
This was my first international competition, and my first (and so far, only) victory in an international competition. So, to me it means very much 😊.
2] What is the most important difference between competing in an individual competition and shooting in a mixed team?
To have someone. Both to be responsible to and have fun with. Individual you are on your own, don´t have anybody to communicate with, have fun and loosen up with.
3] What are your strengths and what are the strengths of your mixed team partner?
I think my strengths are that I don´t get that nervous so easily, take it with a smile. Although I take it seriously. And Frank is a little bit the same guy, I guess.
Beate SCHOELMBERGER (AUT)
Like Ida KARLSSON (SWE) and Rikke HOLTEN (DEN), Beate SCHOELMBERGER (AUT) came to Maribor (SLO) to her first international event ever in 2021. Being a member of the strong Austrian 3D team, Beate left these Championships with a Silver medal from the Women´s team event and with Gold in the Longbow mixed team event together with her teammate Franz HARG.
1] What personal meaning has this mixed team victory for you among all your previous victories?
The longbow mixed team competition was the very first in history, which makes it very special and I’m very proud to have won it. It was also my first international medal.
2] What is the most important difference between competing in an individual competition and shooting in a mixed team?
In the individual competition you are completely on your own, whereas in the mixed competition you can support and motivate each other. My mixed team partner Franz Harg gave me calmness and strength in the finals, which I was able to implement perfectly at that moment.
3] What are your strengths and what are the strengths of your mixed team partner?
At the beginning I was very nervous. Franz talked to me a lot and that gave me loads of strength, so I was able to surpass myself and get really good shots. During the entire competition I was able to hide the surroundings and focus completely on my goal.