Why do archery players always wear bucket hats?

The defeat was brutal. Under threatening skies in Paris on Wednesday July 31, archer Amelie Cordeau lost to Great Britain’s Megan Havers in the round of 16 of the individual archery competition. However, the only 18-year-old Frenchwoman had qualified brilliantly a few minutes ago, dominating Slovakian Denisa Barankova. Supporters at Invalides praised his performance. And if Amélie Cordeau left the scene looking naturally defeated, she at least aced the style test, wearing shorts and jersey in the colors of the French team, Eiffel Tower earrings, a blue, white, and red floral manicure and a white printed bob. the tricolor flag. Bucket hat. an accessory that archers seem to prefer over hats, visors, and other headgear during competition.

“Bob is there to protect us from the sun because archery is outside,” explains Jean-Francois Hoheny, president of the USMT Archery Club in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. And continue. “It is practical because it does not have a wide edge. It prevents the player from pulling the strings.” Era, a brand specializing in archery clothing and accessories, confirms these comments. He offers two bob on his site. A breathable model with a flexible, foldable and elongated visor to protect the neck. Another more technical and waterproof one designed for shooting in the rain and equipped with an anti-sweat band.

Lucky charms and the identification factor

Archers, on the other hand, do not take it to protect their ears, the rope rarely reaches this part of the body. Proof of this is Baptise Addis. On July 29 in Paris, the 17-year-old sportswoman changed her traditional “Korea” bob with a turquoise headscarf. But the small cap continues to be loved by athletes. “At our club, some players pass around a bucket hat printed with funny little pictures,” continues Jean-Francois Hoheny. It’s a way to encourage and bring good luck because it’s put on at every competition… Kind of like a little lucky charm.”

There is also the issue of identification. “It can also represent an aesthetic, each player wearing, for example, a color that represents them, or a pattern. Then the bob can become a kind of factor that helps identify the athlete.” Here, Jean-Francois cites the example of the French archer Lisa Barbelin, who is ranked 11th in the world and a bronze medalist at the last European Championship. The latter never takes off his bob with a flower, which he accepts both at the stadium and at the Olympic Games in Paris. “If I forget it, it won’t work, it’s like a security blanket,” he said on July 30. parisian . Fortunately, that never happened to me.” A model, moreover, by his mother.

Each shooter has his own bob and his signature. For three-time Olympic champion archer Ki Bo-bae of South Korea, the inside of the bucket hat is plaid. While two-time Olympic runner-up Jean-Charles Valadont of France is banking on a Stetson-style cream model … on which he even sported a discreet rooster pin in qualifying for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. .