3 September 2009 - Fred VAN ZUTPHEN (NED): “Archery is all my life”

Fred VAN ZUTPHEN (NED): “Archery is all my life” Ulsan (KOR) – 3 September 2009   Netherlands’ Fred VAN ZUTPHEN has competed internationally both in the recurve and compound divisions throughout his long career. He is the only athlete in the world to break the FITA round 1300-point barrier in recurve and the 1400-point barrier in compound. Fred is competing in Ulsan at the World Archery Championships and we sat down with him for an interview.
You have competed at the highest level both in the Recurve and Compound divisions. From your point of view, what are the major differences between the two disciplines? The biggest difference is that it’s much easier to shoot in the wind with a recurve bow than a compound, because of the holding weight. Archers shooting recurve are stronger to hold it. When you’re at full draw holding a compound bow you have almost no weight in your hands.
I do actually like recurve more than compound, because in recurve you’re doing more by yourself: you don’t rely on the scope and the release part (this is precisely what makes scores higher in compound). It’s something I have always liked about recurve shooting. And of course, one big difference is that compound archery is not an Olympic event.
What made you switch from recurve to compound? Actually I switched because of an injury that I sustained when I was active in the recurve division. I couldn’t train much and changed to compound, which requires less charge of training. Shooting with recurve bows, I had gained a lot of power and experience, which helped me for compound as well.
I don’t mix recurve and compound, because I haven’t competed in recurve for about 10 years. Actually you can’t go back to recurve after having been training compound because you develop different muscles. But I’m sure it would be good for most compound archers to practice shooting with recurve to develop more strength. Of course, you can do fitness training, but it’s a lot more fun to build power training with a recurve bow.
You recently broke the 1400-point barrier in compound with 1402 points. You had previously broken the 1300-point barrier in recurve with 1307. Please tell us more about this unique achievement. I broke the 1400 barrier three weeks ago in Goirle (Netherlands). In recurve I broke 1300 points a long time ago, maybe fifteen years ago, I don’t remember exactly. The fun part is that I first shot 1299 before breaking the 1300 barrier, and the same happened in compound: I shot 1399 before beating 1400. I felt so relieved that it finally happened and of course I’m very happy with it. The funny thing is, three weeks ago on Friday before the competition I told my wife I would break the barrier on the week-end, because I had been practicing very well and I felt confident that it would happen.
At 38, what is your motivation to go on competing at the highest level? The people, the contact with all my friends on the field. This is my main reason for competing internationally. If I ever quit that’s the main part I’m going to miss.
What is your opinion of the World Cup launched by FITA in 2006? How is it affecting the evolution of archery? The World Cup is great! It’s growing every year and has become more professional in the last years. It gave an exceptional boost to both disciplines—you can see that in the results. The World Cup is making the sport very professional and many more countries compete in this event than in all others. It brings us to the level where we are now.
What are your expectations for these World Championships? I was scared of this question! I’m one of 112 archers who want to win on this field. The problem is that there are so many good archers, and in eliminations you shoot only 12 arrows, so there is no way to predict where you will end. But of course I dream big!
Please tell us about your life apart from competitive archery? I work in an archery distribution centre, JVD Distribution. My wife and I were both competing internationally, and now she is the coach in charge of the Dutch Junior National Team. There is almost nothing except for archery in our life. Of course, there is our beautiful daughter, now 3 ½ years old. She shoots with a plastic bow that has a rubber end. She already pulled 3 bows until they broke; obviously she likes it a lot.
The most important thing in my life is the support that I receive from my wife and kid. I want to thank them for it. While I’m here in Ulsan, they will follow me on the Internet. They are looking forward to watching me compete, not only individually but also with the team. All the Netherlands will follow carefully the team event, because we have a great Dutch team at this moment.
Thank you Fred and we wish you all the best!
Vanahé ANTILLE FITA Communication