The selection of a bow type can be deeply personal to an Archery athlete, and every individual has their own style. A few archers explain their bow type, and why they selected their bow.
One of the most complex aspects of archery is the bow selection, with many styles to choose from, like barebow recurve, compound, compound barebow, Olympic recurve and freestyle recurve. Three archers competing in the 2025 National Senior Games presented by Humana – Jeanine Hubbell, Cinque Davis, and Michelle Bateman – explained a few differences and preferences in the bow types, and why an athlete may choose a particular bow type.
Jeanine Hubbell – Olympic Recurve
Jeanine started shooting in July 2022, and after a bit of practice on barebow, she asked her coach to switch her over to a bow with a sight. The Olympic recurve bow style is characterized by its modern materials and accessories, like clickers, sights and stabilizers. “I love my bow because I have a sight on it,” she said. “I can set the sight, and it helps me aim…and I have stabilizer bars on it as well that help me stabilize the bow when I’m shooting.”
Cinque Davis – Barebow Recurve
Cinque has three years of archery experience and prefers the barebow recurve style of bow. The barebow is like the Olympic recurve but does not have the sights or stabilizers. Cinque and many other athletes prefer this style because of the lack of accessories. “There is no sighting on it, so it’s all you,” he explained. Cinque also mentioned the unique social aspect of barebow as well. At the beginning of the competition, every shooter on barebow shouts “Barebow!” loudly. How do they sound to an outsider? “Like a pack of wild hyenas,” Cinque joked.
Michelle Bateman- Compound Barebow
About eight years ago, Michelle started archery to have a hobby in common with her husband, who is a Texas archery hall of famer. She learned on the same equipment her husband used, which was compound barebow. This is like a barebow recurve, where you shoot without accessories like a sight. “I like shooting with my fingers, and I like not having a scope,” Michelle mused. “With a barebow, you almost shoot instinctively.”
By: Sydney Parker
