| August 8, 2008 Archer aims to bring gold back to New England
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(Mark Sudol, NECN) - There are a fair number of New England athletes competing in the Beijing games this month. One of which from Connecticut already has quite a resume.
Richard Johnson knows a thing or two about archery----after all his father Butch is one of only three Americans competing in a fifth olympics this summer.
Richard says anyone can shoot an arrow, but it's what you do with it that determines how good you are..
"Archery is a lot of mental and physical--- he's one of the better ones out there."
"He's extremely exceptional." 52 year old Butch Johnson is so exceptional --- he's won over 40 national championships and two olympic medals--- one of them gold at the '96 games in Atlanta.
"It was unbelievable--- emotional."
But Butch's olympic dreams almost *didn't* come true.
"It was a dream that wasn't really able to take place until 1992 when the allowed professional athletes .."
When he's not competing---Butch works along side his son and art here at hall's arrow in Manchester. and many times before he comes to work, he shoots a couple hundred arrows---- for 6-8 hours a day. The Worcester native started his love for archery in Webster, Massachusetts as a teenager. He won his first national title at age 17. Butch now lives in Woodstock, Connecticut.
Ask anyone who knows Butch and they'll tell you he's not a man who looks for headlines, but every four years, he seems to find them.
"His emotions
come from deep inside."
Butch begins competing tomorrow. This trip to Beijing, though, won't be some sort of swan song for the five-time Olympian. He recently told the San Diego Union-Tribune that he plans on trying out for the London games in 2012.
"He's already ready to do it again and not even through this one yet."
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