When Irene Hashimoto first picked up a bow, it was not to chase medals, rankings or a national team jersey. She was a mother whose son was involved in Scouting, and there was a need for more help.
Pacific Skyline Council of Scouting America in California had put out a call for more archery instructors at scouting events. Irene signed up for a class. That decision, made nearly 16 years ago, opened a path she is still following - one arrow, one practice, one tournament at a time.
Her first coach was Tom Hinojosa from Colorado. After that introduction, Irene bought her first equipment: a 15-pound Ragim bow and Beman arrows. The arrows are long gone, but she still has the bow.
Years later, after a bad fall and wrist surgery, that first bow became part of her recovery - light enough to handle, familiar enough to remind her why she fell in love with the sport in the first place.
Irene’s early archery life unfolded across California. She joined Bowhunters Unlimited in Cupertino, where she met Coach Huynh Young Park of the HYP Team. She did not formally train with the team, but she studied their practices while working with custom bamboo arrows of her own.
Later, after moving to Sacramento to care for her aging mother, she found the Wilderness Archery JOAD team at Discovery Park and began competing in California tournaments.
Local shoots became national ones. Hashimoto entered Indoor Nationals, then expanded to Outdoor Nationals, Field Nationals, the Vegas Shoot and USAT Qualifier Series events.
This season at the Easton Foundations Salt Lake Summit, Irene reached a new threshold in barebow 50+ women. She shot her first one-arrow shoot-off, edging past Carla Bray in the quarterfinals before suffering semifinal and bronze medal defeats, with both decided by a single arrow, against top seed Sabrina Harrigan and number three seed Barbara Carroll.
Even knowing some competitors were away in Colombia at the Pan American Youth and Masters Championships, she came away convinced she could be competitive with the best in her division if she remained healthy, fit and free from interruption.
That last condition has not always been simple. Earlier this year, Irene’s car was broadsided and rolled three times. She survived with bruises and scratches, and within days she was back to shooting and preparing for the Easton Foundations Gator Cup.
That incident became another entry in a long record of adaptation: wrist surgery, osteoarthritis in her right knee, caregiving responsibilities and the ordinary demands of starting a demanding sport later in life.
Irene chose archery in her late 50s and still harbors ambitions, some of which stretch beyond the borders of the United States. Born in Kamakura, raised in Okinawa and fluent in Japanese with what she calls “an American nuance,” Irene hopes one day to compete in Japan among athletes who share parts of her cultural and ancestral story.
For now, 71-year-old Irene Hashimoto keeps practicing, traveling, competing and measuring herself against the best barebow archers in her age class. She also keeps the humor and humility of someone who knows how quickly a body, a schedule or a car journey can alter a season.
“Ja mata aacherii no okeiko de aimashou,” she says: ‘See you again soon at archery practice.’
Those inspired by stories like Irene’s, and interested in trying archery for themselves, becoming a member of USA Archery is a great place to start. Membership connects archers of all ages and abilities with certified coaches, local clubs, events and a nationwide community passionate about the sport.
< Back to All News
