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Region 3 Refuge Manager John Magera Earns Spot on U.S. Olympic Archery Team
 You
can add “Olympian” next to John Magera’s title of Refuge
Manager at Region 3’s Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge
in southern Illinois. A little more than a year after competing in his first
bow tournament, Magera, 34, is representing the United States at the 2004
Summer Olympics as a member of the U.S. Olympic Archery Team. The novice
Olympian won’t be too difficult to identify during his matches, either.
He’ll be the archer wearing a Blue Goose patch on his gear.
Magera earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team after finishing
third at the Olympic Archery Team Trials held June 15-19 in Mason, Ohio.
Magera’s surprising finish was a big surprise to himself and to the
established ranks of the U.S. archery community, who watched a relative novice
out-shoot numerous world-ranked archers, including three former Olympians. “My
only goal was to get into the top 16 and if I did that, I would’ve
been completely happy going home,” said Magera. “In the back
of my mind, I thought I might be able to make the top eight, but never expected
this. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet that I am actually
on the Olympic Team.”
Less than a month after the Olympic trials, Magera was off
to Europe where his achievement did sink in. In his first-ever international
competition, he tied for 28th place out of 107 archers at the European Grand
Prix in Antalya, Turkey July 13-17. “It was a great experience, even
though I didn’t do as well as I had hoped I would. But my coach and
team mates said I did pretty darn good for my first time in an international
competition.”
While competing, Magera will sport a small (2.5 inch by 4.5
inch) Blue Goose patch on his chest protector, and most likely any other
place he can find to sew one. “I’ve worked for the Fish and Wildlife
Service and the Refuge System ever since I was in college and if you cut
me, I’d probably bleed blue,” Magera said. “I thought the
Olympics would be a great place to promote our National Wildlife Refuges.
The Blue Goose is going to Athens as my personal logo.”
John’s wife Karin, a Park Ranger at Crab Orchard NWR
near Marion, Ill., will also travel to Athens to watch her husband compete. “I
knew John was certainly capable of doing well in tournaments, but to be doing
well enough to compete in the Olympics is great,” said Karin
“We’re going to have a little cheering section
for him.” Since being named to the Olympic team, the Mageras have been
embraced by residents of the southern Illinois communities that are home
to the Middle Mississippi River and Crab Orchard Refuges. Carterville, Ill.,
realtor and John’s hunting partner Mark Krones is leading a community
effort to raise money to send Karin and John’s mother to Athens. John’s
experiences in Athens are being reported almost daily in the Southern Illinoisan
newspaper (www.southernillinoisan.com).
Magera joins 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Vic Wunderle of Mason
City, Ill., and three-time Olympian Butch Johnson of Woodstock, Conn., on
the men’s team. The team arrived in Athens August 3. The 11-day Olympics
begin August 13. Archery competition runs from August 15-21. With a little
luck, calm winds and a keen aim, Magera could be adding “Olympic medalist” to
his growing list of titles.
-FWS-
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