Ginger Hopwood of Marietta, Ga., eagerly awaits the 2004 ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge after tying for sixth in the 16-shooter archery competition in 2003. Her experience last year is bittersweet, having lost a down-to-the wire quarterfinals matchup with the eventual gold medalist, Darren Collins of Galena, Kansas.

Ginger Hopwood suffered equipment problems and fell victim to eventual champion in the '03 Games.

Hopwood, one of two women in this year’s ESPN Great Outdoor Games archery event, concedes this fast-paced competition is rife with “coulda-shoulda-woulda” scenarios. Even so, she can’t shake the image of seeing what could have been a winning quarterfinals arrow not quite nudging the moving, breakable target called the “Bermuda Triangle.” That miss confirmed a suspicion that her sights were out of alignment, but by then she was in the fourth and final shooting station -- the speed round -- and couldn’t make up the ground she had lost.

Even so, the fact she had stood toe-to-toe with the eventual champion convinced Hopwood she and other female archers belong in the Great Outdoor Games. This year the Games will be July 8-11 in Madison, Wis., with the archery competition scheduled for Friday, July 9. The qualifying round to determine the 16 seeds begins at noon, and the championship rounds are 2 to 4 p.m.

Hopwood says she can’t wait. “I’m very excited about going back,” she said. “By qualifying again, now I know it’s not just a lark. It’s a bonus. Very few women qualify for this event, but I think that’s just because it’s a fairly new game and not many women have played it yet. Once they learn it, there will be more of us shooting it. This is a game for everyone.”

The other female archer competing in Madison is Cindy Decker of Dalton, Pa., who is making her first appearance at the Great Outdoor Games. Her husband, Jerry, is also competing. This will be his second appearance. Perhaps ironically, he tied with Hopwood for sixth at the 2003 Games. Cindy Decker qualified by shooting the top score by a female at the Oakridge, Tenn., tournament in late May. She hasn’t met Hopwood yet, but is aware of her abilities and agrees with her assessment of the Great Outdoor Games: Competing against a field dominated by men is nothing new.

“I didn’t start shooting a bow until I married Jerry, and whenever we go bowhunting I’m the only woman in the group, so that’s nothing new,” she said. “With the Great Outdoor Games, I really don’t know anything about the other shooters except that Ginger is the only other woman. Not knowing them removes some of the pressure. For me to go up to the line and shoot against guys, that’s also nothing new. I’ll go in confident and concentrate on being accurate. I’ll just feel bad for the guy after I beat him.”

Upsets Expected?

One person who wouldn’t be shocked to see an upset at the Great Outdoor Games is three-time Olympics archer Denise Parker, vice president of the Archery Trade Association, which helps sponsor the event through the ATA’s ArrowSport foundation.

“During the first four years of the Great Outdoor Games we’ve learned it’s common to see upsets in archery,” Parker said. “It’s a highly competitive field and anyone could win it. That’s what makes it so exciting. The consistent shooters usually do well, but upsets always happen. With the single-elimination format, you lose one round and you’re up in the stands watching with the rest of the spectators. Make no mistake, there’s pressure, and Ginger and Cindy will be up against it because they’re relatively new to this game. But if one of them wins it, that’s a big upset and the men know it. That puts more pressure on them.”

Among the men in this year’s field besides Collins and Jerry Decker are the top archers from the 2003 Great Outdoor Games: Randy Ulmer of Arizona, silver medalist; Randy Hendrix of North Carolina, bronze; Jackie Caudle of Alabama, fourth place; Olympian Rod White, fifth place; and Tim Gillingham of Utah, tied for sixth.

Neither Hopwood nor Cindy Decker believe they can keep up with the men in a direct test of speed-shooting skills. Unlike most archery events, the Great Outdoor Games requires quick aiming and shooting. Even so, Hopwood and Cindy Decker like their chances if they can make every shot count.

“I know they might be faster than me, but I’m very methodical and I like to hit the target dead-center,” Hopwood said. “I don’t like line-cutters – those shots out on the edge. If I can hit dead-center and not miss a shot, I can beat these guys. All they have to do is miss once or twice and their speed advantage will be gone.”

Cindy Decker said the speed of the Great Outdoor Games increases the excitement, but she agrees accuracy remains the key. “In talking to the guys, the thing they stress is the importance of hitting that first shot, especially in the “Speed Challenge” station at the end. If I can hit all four of those targets without missing, I’ll be all right. I’ve watched it enough to realize if you’re not making the shot every time, it doesn’t matter how fast you can shoot.”

Similar Roots

No matter where they might finish at the Great Outdoor Games, Hopwood and Cindy Decker share roots in competitive archery. Both took up archery with help from their husbands about 16 years ago. They both bowhunt with their spouses, and both have been regular competitors in archery tournaments. Hopwood, in fact, won the 1992 Archery Shooting Association’s “World Classic” championship in the women’s bracket. Decker, meanwhile has competed regularly in 3D tournaments and joins her husband on bowhunts so they can spend more time together.

Peggy Farrell, assistant director for the International Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program, isn’t surprised to hear those similarities. She said women often take up archery through a boyfriend or husband, which then spurs an interest in bowhunting and tournaments.

“Archery has been very popular in our program,” Farrell said. “We teach it as an archery/bowhunting course so they get a feel for both. Many of them have tried learning archery from their husband or boyfriend, but the experience might not have been the best. They liked shooting the bow and arrow, but husbands and boyfriends aren’t always patient teachers. So, we introduce the women to all the gadgets and camo, and they love it. It’s not unusual to get letters and photos from them later, showing their first deer or telling us about shooting in a 3D tournament. Some of them become hardcore target shooters. That’s what’s great about archery. They can start it later in life and have a hobby forever.”

Tammy Koenig of Wisconsin taught many archery/bowhunting classes for BOW and now teaches similar classes for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s “Women in the Outdoors” program. She also said she’s not surprised Hopwood and Cindy Decker became archers because of their husbands, but neither is she surprised to hear how well they’ve done in archery competition.

Wired Right?

“It’s just an opinion, but I think women are wired a bit differently than men, which helps them focus and maintain their shooting techniques in a high-stress situation, whether it’s hunting or competition,” Koenig said. “I’m always happy when I see women competing in the Great Outdoor Games. They’re great role models for other women and girls. I’ll bet when they first started shooting they were wondering if they could even pull a bow. But now they’re competing on a national stage, and demonstrating that women are capable archers who can hold our own when we step up to the plate.”

Parker agrees the Great Outdoor Games are a great way to promote archery and demonstrate how well women handle this challenging game. Parker is a longtime bowhunter, and likens this event to pressures encountered in the field.

“In many ways the Great Outdoor Games present hunting scenarios, and Ginger and Cindy have that going for them with their bowhunting backgrounds,” she said. “You don’t just pull back, take aim in a calm environment, hold a long time, and shoot when you’re comfortable. The time element and all the built-in pressures don’t allow that. It’s like when a deer shows up. I could draw and aim for five minutes at a big buck and my sight pin would never settle down and get totally still!”

Archers in the Great Outdoor Games

1. Darren Collins, Galena, Kansas; 2003 gold medalist
2. Randy Ulmer, Cave Creek, Ariz.; 2003 silver medalist
3. Randy Hendrix, Clemons, N.C.; 2003 bronze medalist
4. Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala.; fourth place, 2003
5. Rod White, Mount Pleasant, Iowa; 1996 Olympics archer
6. Tim Gillingham, Orem, Utah; winner, ESPN 2004 Las Vegas qualifier
7. Donald Bishop, Arden, N.C.; winner, ESPN 2004 Oak Ridge, Tenn., qualifier
8. Mike Slinkard, John Day, Ore.; second place, ESPN 2004 Oak Ridge qualifier
9. Wayne Endicott, Springfield, Ore; third place, Las Vegas qualifier
10. Gerald Decker, Dalton, Pa.; third place, Oak Ridge qualifier
11. Mark Herring, Kent, Ohio; fourth place, Las Vegas qualifier
12. Jeff Johnston, Dodgeville, Wis.; fourth place, Oak Ridge qualifier
13. Ginger Hopwood, Marietta, Ga.; top female shooter, Las Vegas qualifier
14. Cindy Decker, Dalton, Pa.; top female shooter, Oak Ridge qualifier
15. Darin Mack, Avondale, Pa.; fifth place, Las Vegas qualifier
16. Chris Berry, Aurora, Mo.; fifth place, Oak Ridge qualifier