AHMEDABAD, India - Karen Sternfeld is four years into her international archery journey and will use Stage 3 of the Hyundai World Archery Para Series - which takes place in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad from September 5-9 - as an opportunity to continue learning and improving.
Already this year, the improvements from Stage 1 in Bangkok, Thailand to Stage 2 in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic were obvious. Battling heat and humidity in Bangkok, Sternfeld shot 462 in qualification. She added almost 100 points to that score with her performance in Czech Republic, totaling 553.
“Bangkok was the first competition of my season,” Sternfeld commented. “I spend my winters in Chennai in the south of India, so I hadn’t worked with my coach in person for the previous six months.
“When I returned to the USA after Bangkok, I spent an intensive week training with her. We were able to make some important adjustments to my form and shot process, and we also upgraded my arrows from ACEs to X10s.
“Nove Mesto was really my first opportunity to see all of those changes come together in competition. Going from 462 to 553 was incredibly encouraging because it showed me that the work we were doing was translating into results. It also reinforced something that’s important to remember as an athlete: one competition - or one score - is a snapshot of where you are on that particular day, not a definition of what you’re capable of.”
Sternfeld, of North Side Archery Club in Chicago, is expecting similar conditions to those she faced in Thailand back in April, only this time she insists she will be better prepared, which is all part of the learning process.
“I’ve spent this summer figuring out a heat-management plan that really works for me,” she explained. “The Thermapparel cooling vest provided through USA Archery has been fantastic. I freeze the cooling inserts overnight and then put the vest on between ends, so I can cool myself down without interfering with my shooting.
“I also make a conscious effort to stay ahead of hydration rather than waiting until I feel thirsty, and I use every opportunity I can to get out of the sun. Heat and humidity can take a lot out of you over a long qualification round, so I’ve learned that the key is having a routine and starting it before the heat becomes a problem, rather than trying to recover once I’m already overheated.”
Conditions will be tough but so too will the competition. India has some of the best para recurve archers in the world, and they will surely set the pace when competition gets underway on Saturday.
“This year I’ve learned a lot about my own performance in different weather conditions and under pressure. International events are great exercises in adapting - not just your form and mental strategies, but everything from how you manage the heat and sun to how you respond when conditions aren’t what you expected.
“Bangkok showed me very clearly where I was at the beginning of the season and what I needed to work on. By Nove Mesto, I had made some significant changes and could see the results of that work."
Sternfeld may be focused on Stage 3 in India and improvements in a variety of areas, her score – clearly – but also, listening to her body and managing the different environments. She is also aware of the bigger picture, the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, and so international competition offers another opportunity to learn from those around her.
“I’ve been competing internationally for four years now, and I still learn something at every event,” Sternfeld said. “Sometimes it’s technical - learning how to shoot a different wind direction or watching how some of the best archers in the world manage difficult conditions.
“Other times it’s learning how to ignore the constant coaching instructions being given to someone else on my bale or figuring out how to prepare when the warm-up conditions are less than ideal.
“International competition teaches you to adapt. I absolutely watch what the best archers are doing and pick up ideas from them, but after four years, I’m also learning more and more about what I need in order to perform well, regardless of what is happening around me.”
Through high school, Sternfeld was a 5,000-meter runner, with an eye on one day competing at the Olympic Games. A Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 1993 during her college senior year forced her to channel the competitive drive in another direction. Today, the 52-year-old continues to learn and adapt and move forward in a sport she hopes will allow her to represent at the Paralympic Games on home soil.
And so every arrow and every competition – whether domestic or international – is an opportunity to improve.
“My goal is to build on the progress I made between Bangkok and Nove Mesto and put together a performance that reflects the way I know I can shoot. At this point in the season, every international event is also preparation for what comes next, so I want to leave Ahmedabad a better and more confident competitor than when I arrived.”
You can keep across Sternfeld’s progress during the World Archery Para Series Stage 3, with scores and results found here.
The remaining stages of the inaugural World Archery Para Series will be in Santiago, Chile (October 13-18) and Dubai, UAE (December 5-10).
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