How hard is it to get in to the mens archery olympic team for the usa?

Question

How hard is it to get in to the mens archery olympic team for the usa?

Answer 1

If your good enough then not that hard - you just have to be seen by the right people at the right time. If you really want a place then entering competitions is the best idea as that's were people look for those with potential.

Answer 2

Archery is not about being seen, there is no archery scout going around the country in the US picking out gold medal potentials.  It's all about shooting in the top 3 in the US.

Compared to the current archery powerhouses like Italy, South Korea, Ukraine, the US is not quite that competitive at the moment.  The top 3 men will post score in the low to mid 1300's full FITA.  But mostly in the lower 1300.  Out of the three in the team, only Brady Elison managed to hit the 1350 mark.  Both Vic and Butch seem to hover in the 1310-1320 area most of the time.  Now 1300 is a major achievement in archery, don't get me wrong, but look at the world tournaments and if you shoot a 1300 there, expect to finish near the bottom of the list.

To shoot in the 1300's you'll need a 300 out of 360 at the 90m distance, then 320's at both the 70 and 50m, and 350's at 30m.  To make it into the team, all you gotta do is shoot at least a 1200, and qualify to enter the trials.  Then make the cut to the top 3.

Now, you can post scores in the 1350's nowadays and not win a medal at the Olympics.  That c**p shoot, they called the Olympic Round, is like deciding a tennis match with just one game.  12 arrows decides whether you win and advance or go home.  A slight twitch or a sudden wind gust, and a 1350 shooter can fall to a 1300 shooter.