The Making of a Champion

Linda Janecek

2001 World IBO Champ

It started, oh, about eight or nine years ago, when Ken, Linda Janecek's husband, started shooting a bow and arrow in their back yard. Linda, mother of 2, probably thought he was a little crazy. But Ken kept at it, and then he started going to local 3-D archery shoots, leaving her alone at home on most Sundays.

Not content to stay at home and be bored without her husband, Linda began to accompany Ken on his weekly ventures into the woods with his bow. As she followed him around local archery clubs, she began to sense that, "hey, I could do this". The final straw was when she ran into a couple of other women on the courses and they were shooting!

Linda Janecek

She made her wishes known to Ken, and soon he had bought her a top of the line PSE Infinity 500 bow. They laid the bow away at a local archery shop, called Boondocks, and made payments on the bow until it was paid off. In the spring of 1995, the bow was paid off, and like her husband, she started shooting in the back yard. And she kept shooting. She practiced every day, throwing arrows at that target. She tried to shoot at least fifteen to twenty minutes each day.

By the summer of that year, Linda was shooting in local shoots in eastern and central Ohio. She remembers well her first victory at a local shoot held by the Wingfoot Archery Club. Well that was the start. Linda and Ken really got into shooting, too. Often they would shoot at two shoots a day. Early at one, and drive to another and shoot that contest in the afternoon.

Beginning in 1997, Linda decided to shoot in real competition. She shot for the first time in the IBO Triple Crown, and the IBO World, and placed 27th. In 1998 (or was it 1999) she placed fifth in the IBO World in New York.

Linda was gaining ground. In 2000 she placed third in the IBO world. 2001 saw her finishing second in the World, and first place in the IBO Triple Crown.

This past March, Linda capped off her victories with the 2001 IBO World Championship! But she is not done. She is competing in this years Triple Crown as well.

You might wonder if all this pressure is tough on her. Does she fret? Nope, not Linda. "Archery, to me is like one big family", she says. Asked about shooting with different people all the time, her response is, " I really love shooting with different people".

Linda is not just a 3-D archer either. Shortly after taking up the bow and arrow, she began bowhunting as well. She says that she hunted for three years before she arrowed her first deer, a seven point buck. She has since taken two other bucks, a 300 pound black bear in Manitoba, Canada and a wild boar. She also took a Corsican Ram in September of 2001.

Linda and Ken liked bow hunting and 3-D archery so much that a few years ago they purchased some 300 acres near Nelson Ledges in Ohio, and founded the Nelson Ledges Archery Club. We had an opportunity to shoot that club. See our report on it at Nelson Ledges Shoot Report.

Ken and Linda are also very involved in supporting other clubs shoots as well. They still travel and shoot many different local shoots as well as national competitions.What about Ken? Does he shoot? Well sure, but when you are known as Mr. Linda Janecek, what can you do? Just kidding Ken!

Linda by Nelson Ledges waterfall shot

Linda's final words to me were, "I never dreamed that shooting in the back yard would every turn into this." I'll bet your opponents didn't either Linda. Congratulations!

If you would like more information about Linda or Nelson Ledges check out their website. Nelson Ledges shoot schedule is listed in bowhuntingINFO's shoot listing.