“It will be totally different — population-wise, where you stay, eat . . .”
She is preparing for the world champs in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, in June, as well as world cup meets in Shanghai in May and Berlin in July.
She has not competed overseas before.
Underdown picked up archery after trying it out one “have a go Friday” at Gisborne Intermediate School.
“My dad actually encouraged me to carry on and join a club.”
A national junior rep who competed in a transtasman competition in Gisborne, she had a six-year break from the sport while she put her career first. She is a civil engineer for GHD at the company’s satellite office in Gisborne.
She also supports her partner, speedway rider Bryce Rickard. He was a solo motorbike rider but has lately been getting up to speed in a road sidechair bike, with help from Phil Law.
Underdown was able to find the time to get back into archery in 2018 and quickly made progress.
“I did miss it. It’s such a good relaxer for me,” she said.
“If you’ve had a bad day, you can ping off a few arrows and feel better.”
She puts her recent success down to strong coaching from her father, Chris Underdown, and David Croskery, the Gisborne Archery Club president and a 2010 national Commonwealth Games coach. Croskery’s daughter Stephanie also competed in the 2010 Delhi Games.
Underdown said archery was 80 percent mental.
Croskery has been working with her to get her mental game right.
“She’s got the commitment and I think the skill,” he said.
What she needs now is to get fine-tuned and match-hardened for the world stage.
“It’s going to be a big year for Chloe,” Croskery said.
“She will learn a lot from it.”
With the travel comes expense, nearly all of which she has to cover herself, and she is grateful for support from the Gisborne Archery Club and her family, and sponsors Jenny Murray at Bayleys, and Gisborne Blast and Metal Work.
