Doreen Wilber--Hall of Fame, April 5, 1981
'72 Olympic golf medalist Wilber into Register 'Hall'
By RON MALY
Register Staff Writer
04/05/1981
Jefferson, Ia. -- As far as Doreen Wilber can tell, she's not related to Robin Hood, that legendary archer who roamed Sherwood Forest.
"Robin Hood probably wasn't all that good an archer, anyway," Wilber said, a trace of a smile coming over face.
One thing's for sure -- Ol' Mr. Hood would hava a battle royal on his hands if he ever chose to go one-on-one with Wilber in the bow-and-arrow business.
The 51-year-old housewife from here is, or was, as good as they come.
Indeed, she could well be the subject of a trivia test at any time, in any place.
The question: Name the Iowa housewife who is the only female athlete from our state to win an Olympic gold medal.
The answer: Doreen Wilber, who stood proudly as the National Anthem was played while receiving the Olympic gold at the 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany.
"Somehow, it was an even bigger thrill to be on that stand, hearing the Anthem, with a Russian on one side of me and a Pole on the other," Wilber says now.
And today, Doreen Wilber needs to apologize to no archer anywhere. her gold medal still glitters as she carefully holds it in her hands, as she poses to be photographed on a warm, sunny afternoon.
The World's Best -- that's what she was. Now she's an archer who puts in only token appearances at big tournaments, but it's time she became the 96th member of The Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Welcome to the club, Doreen.
THERE IS no complicated explanation as to how the lady got started as an archer.
It all began in 1957 when her husband, Paul -- better known as "Skeeter" -- took up field archery to sharpen his eye for the hunting season.
The Wilbers are childless, so Doreen went along just for somthing to do.
"I didn't like it for about two years," Doreen admits now.
But it wasn't long before it was the lady of the house, not the man, who was the serious archer. It wasn't long before Doreen was the one winning all the championships.
But it was the competition that turned her on. Certainly not the killing. To some, an arrow is a weapon. To Doreen Wilber, it isn't.
"I've never cared about hunting," she explained. "I don't like to kill things.
"I love animals. I like everything -- birds, squirrels, stray cats, you name it."
But get this lady in front of a target, with that bullseye staring at her, and it's a completely different story.
Then she's a dynamite.
Archery, as a sport, was something that fit Wilber perfectly.
"I have a strong back and strong shoulder muscles," explained the 5-foot 6-inch, 135-pounder. "Plus that, I'm a very cool person. Nothing upsets me when I'm on that line."
Yes, cool. If Doreen Wilber is anything, she's cool. A freight train could be zooming in on her, but if it was time to shoot she'd not hear it.
Fortunately, there were no confrontations with trains in Munich. Just a couple of women with jawbreaking names, and she calmly withstood the pressure of their presence very well.
In the end, it was the American -- the woman who lives in the neat home on 21/2 acres of countryside -- who turned on the diesel power and whipped the field.
"In all," Wilber said, "I beat 39 other women in the Olympics. Irena Sydovska of Poland was second and Emma Gaptchenko of Russia was third."
DOREEN INSISTS "nothing upsets me on the shooting line.
"Even when I shoot a bad arrow, I don't get angry," she commented. "Some people shoot a bad arrow and blow sky high. I never have.
"Actually, I've never started well in any tournament. After the first day at Munich, I was in seventh place. But, like in most other tournaments, I was consistent. I moved into first place on the last day."
Wilber was away from home for seven weeks and spent three of them in Munich, preparing for and winning the title. The '72 Games were, in some aspects, sad ones because of killings in the Olympic village.
"I was staying just two or three blocks from where the terrorists did the shooting," Wilber said. "But I didn't hear the gunshots.
"We actually hadn't started our competition yet. It was to begin the next day. Because of the killings, we started a day late."
Wilber closed with 2,440 points out of a possible 2,880 and won the gold medal by 14 over Sydlovska.
Skeeter didn't make the trip because he had to stay home and work (he repairs cars and also is an excellent woodcarver). He and Doreen had decided they wouldn't make the trans-Atlantic telephone calls while she was away, so Skeeter discovered his wife was a gold medalist by listening to the radio.
"I didn't do any celebrating after winning," said Doreen. "By the time I finished with everything, it was getting late. I was so tired I was about to collapse, so there was no partying."
But she did manage to get to one or two of the beer halls while in Munich, and admits she stole a mug from one of them.
You're excused, Doreen. Everybody steals a mug from the beer halls of Munich.
WILBER DIDN'T give any thought to going to the 1976 Olympics. There was nothing else to prove, not with that gold medal sitting in her home.
In fact, she has cut down her on her competitive meets considerably in recent years.
"I still go to the national tournament," she said, "so I can see the people. It's always held in early August in Oxford, Ohio.
"I've won it four times, and last year -- after practicing about two weeks -- I finished 12th in a field of 100. The last time I won the championship was 1974."
Doreen wonders if she could ever again "get the right attitude for a big meet.
"I doubt I could," she commented. "You have to really want to go out there and compete, and that takes quite a toll on your body. Physically, I think I could stand up to any of the archers, but mentally I don't think I could handle it."
The woman who has won so many state championships that officials stopped counting long ago, said she gets a kick out of listening to photographers apologize for clicking and whirring their cameras when she's in the middle of a tournament.
"You expect complete silence," she said, "but sometimes that's not always possible. But I've learned to block everything out when I'm at the line.
"Occasionally, a photographer will say, 'I'm sorry I made noise,' but I tell him or her, 'That's all right, I didn't hear a thing.' I just don't panic or get nervous."
Archery has made a world traveler out of Wilber. In addition to her trip to West Germany, she's been to places such as South Africa, Russia, England, France and Puerto Rico.
Although Wilber hasn't entered the state tournament for quite a while, she's confident enough to think she could win the title if she'd decide to join the field.
"I don't want to sound like I'm bragging," she said, "but I think I could beat anyone in the state right now."
Don't bet against her. Don't forget, she's cool.
Cool and still strong.
"Here," she said, "feel this arm.
"Solid, right?"
Solid, Doreen.
By RON MALY
Register Staff Writer
04/05/1981
Jefferson, Ia. -- As far as Doreen Wilber can tell, she's not related to Robin Hood, that legendary archer who roamed Sherwood Forest.
"Robin Hood probably wasn't all that good an archer, anyway," Wilber said, a trace of a smile coming over face.
One thing's for sure -- Ol' Mr. Hood would hava a battle royal on his hands if he ever chose to go one-on-one with Wilber in the bow-and-arrow business.
The 51-year-old housewife from here is, or was, as good as they come.
Indeed, she could well be the subject of a trivia test at any time, in any place.
The question: Name the Iowa housewife who is the only female athlete from our state to win an Olympic gold medal.
The answer: Doreen Wilber, who stood proudly as the National Anthem was played while receiving the Olympic gold at the 1972 Games in Munich, West Germany.
"Somehow, it was an even bigger thrill to be on that stand, hearing the Anthem, with a Russian on one side of me and a Pole on the other," Wilber says now.
And today, Doreen Wilber needs to apologize to no archer anywhere. her gold medal still glitters as she carefully holds it in her hands, as she poses to be photographed on a warm, sunny afternoon.
The World's Best -- that's what she was. Now she's an archer who puts in only token appearances at big tournaments, but it's time she became the 96th member of The Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Welcome to the club, Doreen.
THERE IS no complicated explanation as to how the lady got started as an archer.
It all began in 1957 when her husband, Paul -- better known as "Skeeter" -- took up field archery to sharpen his eye for the hunting season.
The Wilbers are childless, so Doreen went along just for somthing to do.
"I didn't like it for about two years," Doreen admits now.
But it wasn't long before it was the lady of the house, not the man, who was the serious archer. It wasn't long before Doreen was the one winning all the championships.
But it was the competition that turned her on. Certainly not the killing. To some, an arrow is a weapon. To Doreen Wilber, it isn't.
"I've never cared about hunting," she explained. "I don't like to kill things.
"I love animals. I like everything -- birds, squirrels, stray cats, you name it."
But get this lady in front of a target, with that bullseye staring at her, and it's a completely different story.
Then she's a dynamite.
Archery, as a sport, was something that fit Wilber perfectly.
"I have a strong back and strong shoulder muscles," explained the 5-foot 6-inch, 135-pounder. "Plus that, I'm a very cool person. Nothing upsets me when I'm on that line."
Yes, cool. If Doreen Wilber is anything, she's cool. A freight train could be zooming in on her, but if it was time to shoot she'd not hear it.
Fortunately, there were no confrontations with trains in Munich. Just a couple of women with jawbreaking names, and she calmly withstood the pressure of their presence very well.
In the end, it was the American -- the woman who lives in the neat home on 21/2 acres of countryside -- who turned on the diesel power and whipped the field.
"In all," Wilber said, "I beat 39 other women in the Olympics. Irena Sydovska of Poland was second and Emma Gaptchenko of Russia was third."
DOREEN INSISTS "nothing upsets me on the shooting line.
"Even when I shoot a bad arrow, I don't get angry," she commented. "Some people shoot a bad arrow and blow sky high. I never have.
"Actually, I've never started well in any tournament. After the first day at Munich, I was in seventh place. But, like in most other tournaments, I was consistent. I moved into first place on the last day."
Wilber was away from home for seven weeks and spent three of them in Munich, preparing for and winning the title. The '72 Games were, in some aspects, sad ones because of killings in the Olympic village.
"I was staying just two or three blocks from where the terrorists did the shooting," Wilber said. "But I didn't hear the gunshots.
"We actually hadn't started our competition yet. It was to begin the next day. Because of the killings, we started a day late."
Wilber closed with 2,440 points out of a possible 2,880 and won the gold medal by 14 over Sydlovska.
Skeeter didn't make the trip because he had to stay home and work (he repairs cars and also is an excellent woodcarver). He and Doreen had decided they wouldn't make the trans-Atlantic telephone calls while she was away, so Skeeter discovered his wife was a gold medalist by listening to the radio.
"I didn't do any celebrating after winning," said Doreen. "By the time I finished with everything, it was getting late. I was so tired I was about to collapse, so there was no partying."
But she did manage to get to one or two of the beer halls while in Munich, and admits she stole a mug from one of them.
You're excused, Doreen. Everybody steals a mug from the beer halls of Munich.
WILBER DIDN'T give any thought to going to the 1976 Olympics. There was nothing else to prove, not with that gold medal sitting in her home.
In fact, she has cut down her on her competitive meets considerably in recent years.
"I still go to the national tournament," she said, "so I can see the people. It's always held in early August in Oxford, Ohio.
"I've won it four times, and last year -- after practicing about two weeks -- I finished 12th in a field of 100. The last time I won the championship was 1974."
Doreen wonders if she could ever again "get the right attitude for a big meet.
"I doubt I could," she commented. "You have to really want to go out there and compete, and that takes quite a toll on your body. Physically, I think I could stand up to any of the archers, but mentally I don't think I could handle it."
The woman who has won so many state championships that officials stopped counting long ago, said she gets a kick out of listening to photographers apologize for clicking and whirring their cameras when she's in the middle of a tournament.
"You expect complete silence," she said, "but sometimes that's not always possible. But I've learned to block everything out when I'm at the line.
"Occasionally, a photographer will say, 'I'm sorry I made noise,' but I tell him or her, 'That's all right, I didn't hear a thing.' I just don't panic or get nervous."
Archery has made a world traveler out of Wilber. In addition to her trip to West Germany, she's been to places such as South Africa, Russia, England, France and Puerto Rico.
Although Wilber hasn't entered the state tournament for quite a while, she's confident enough to think she could win the title if she'd decide to join the field.
"I don't want to sound like I'm bragging," she said, "but I think I could beat anyone in the state right now."
Don't bet against her. Don't forget, she's cool.
Cool and still strong.
"Here," she said, "feel this arm.
"Solid, right?"
Solid, Doreen.
posted by ronald wesley maly at 5:29 PM
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