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Archer's aim is true

Karen Scavotto shoots for Olympic glory

"It has been basically school and archery," says Karen Scavotto, who recently graduated from high school

September 3, 2000
Web posted at: 10:16 PM EDT (0216 GMT)

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By Greg Botelho
CNNfyi Writer

Profile: Karen Scavotto
Age: 18
Hometown: Enfield, Connecticut
Weight: 120 pounds
Height: 5 feet 6 inches

(CNNfyi) -- Picture an ideal archer. Maybe Robin Hood, tights and all. Or William Penn, knocking apples off the tops of people's heads. Or a scene from the book and movie versions of "The Last of the Mohicans."

Whatever image you conjure, you probably wouldn't picture Karen Scavotto, an 18-year-old from suburban Enfield, Connecticut. But, at 5 feet 6 inches and 120 pounds, Scavotto aims to prove at the 2000 Summer Olympics that she is about as close to ideal as you can get.

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Ranked fifth in the world by the International Archery Foundation, Scavotto is one of the fastest rising stars in archery. She will try to reach the sport's pinnacle in Sydney, where she hopes to be that last of 64 women standing after several days of head-to-head competition.

"I've been shooting for a while, and I've gone against most of my competitors in the past," Scavotto said. "I know I'm up there. It's just a matter of whoever has a good day that day is going to win."

Scavotto did win the last time she was at the Olympic archery venue in Sydney's Homebush Bay. In her first international competition in September 1999, Scavotto finished first against many of the world's premier female archers.

Since then, Scavotto divided her time between being a regular high school student and a world-class athlete. Practice, as much as competitions, limits her free time.

"It has been basically school and archery," said Scavotto, a recent graduate of Enfield High, a public school of 900 students about 15 miles from Hartford. "It was hard, just because I wanted to be like everybody else and hang out. I just kept telling myself that once I get to the Olympics, it's all worth it."

It's little surprise that few Enfield High students have legitimate Olympic hopes or, according to Scavotto, a similar passion or understanding for archery. But the sport has been part of Scavotto's life, she said, ever since she can remember.

"Ever since I was young, I'd always wanted to try it," Scavotto said. "I wanted to be like (my father), but he always thought I was too little or too young."

When her father brought home a plastic red bow-and-arrow set, Karen, then 8, made him understand she'd accept only the real thing. So, in short time, her father took her to the nearest archery range. The rest may well be Olympic history.

It didn't take long for Scavotto's natural talent to emerge. She racked up titles quickly and often: three junior division National Target Championships, four National Junior Olympic Target Championships as well as three National Junior Olympic Indoor Championships. In addition, Scavotto has five junior national outdoor records and one junior national record.

"I'm pretty lucky," she said. "It seems like people are always searching for something that they're good at, and I found it (early)."

Scavotto hopes to be the last of 64 women standing in competition in Sydney

Scavotto also said she feels lucky to have the support of family and friends in Enfield. "They really admire me for it," she said. "It's so great that I can dedicate all my time, and they support me 100 percent."

Scavotto gets some of her most useful support, perspective and tips from her coach, Richard "Butch" Johnson. A team gold medal winner at the 1996 Olympics, Johnson, 45, is the top-ranked U.S. male archer. (Scavotto ranks first on the women's side.) He will compete in the men's competition in Sydney, where he'll also undoubtedly continue guiding Scavotto, his star pupil.

"He's great. There's such a large age difference between us, but we're still kind of on the same wavelength," Scavotto said of Johnson. In the weeks before the Games, she said that her coach told her to treat the Olympics "just like any other tournament. He just tries to relax me and calm me down."

And the mental part, Scavotto said, is "85 percent of archery." The pressure should be particularly pronounced at the Olympics, thanks to the single elimination format and its overall importance.

But Scavotto wouldn't have it any other way. The Olympics "is everybody's goal," she said. "It's the highest point you can reach: Nothing gets any better."

Sydney 2000 Olympic Games
U.S. Olympic Committee
National Archery Association

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