Callison Tighe’s Carli Cochran among USA Archery elite
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – Though everyone at the law firm of Callison Tighe takes pride in being a straight shooter, staff member Carli Cochran has honed her skills to world-class levels.
A rising star in the international archery world, Cochran competed this summer in the SoCal Showdown USA Team Qualifier in Chula Vista, California and several other national events. The showdown was the third US Archery team qualifying competition of the year. Cochran finished fourth in a 27-woman field in compound bow.
Cochran, a past member of the US Junior National Team and a current member of the U.S. Senior National Team, made her World Cup debut last summer, winning three team silvers and one team gold. Individually at the Shanghai, China World Cup she competed against a two-time world champion in the bronze medal match. She’s also among only nine certified Level 3 archery coaches in South Carolina. That means she has the credentials to work with individuals rather than just teach in group settings or classes.
At outdoor tournaments such as this summer’s, archers shoot 72 arrows at 55 yards to qualify. Then they compete in head-to-head double elimination matches of only 15 arrows each.
“You learn very quickly how to adjust and compensate for wind and rain in high- and low-pressure situations,” Cochran said. “Sometimes you may be aiming two inches off the target, and there are other times where you will be aiming 15 inches off the target.”
When she’s training, Cochran shoots up to 100 arrows a day, five-six days a week. “Archery is a 90 percent mental game, similar to golf,” Cochran said. “At the elite level that I am at today, I mainly focus on trying to improve my mental game in high-pressure situations.”
She took up archery at age 14 and started hunting with her father. Her passion grew, and a year later Cochran competed at her first tournament. Seven years later, she has learned a lot about archery, competition and, most of all, focus.
“Early on you could see her determination and the mental toughness,” said Rob Kaufhold, president of Lancaster Archery Supply in her native Pennsylvania. “You could tell she was different because of her attitude….”
After traveling the world for the last few years, Cochran came to South Carolina in January 2014.