?Armless Archer? leaves for London

FAIRFIELD ? Matt Stutzman holds up his compound bow using nothing but his bare right foot, balancing the 4-pound device between muscular toes.

He hooks an arrow onto a mechanical release draped around his right shoulder, leans back in his seat and steadily aims. When Stutzman?s comfortable with the shot, he pulls the trigger using his jaw. The arrow flies 70 meters ? at about 150 miles per hour ? until it cleanly finds its target, a yellow bull?s-eye ring with a measly 12.2-centimeter diameter.

Stutzman, a 29-year-old Fairfield resident, practices this complicated shot again and again nearly every day. His dedication is the reason he can hit the 12.2-centimeter circle on a consistent basis, and it?s why he?ll be one of seven archers representing the United States when the 2012 Paralympic Games open in London later this month.

Known by some as the ?Armless Archer? and recently dubbed the ?Pride of America? by CNN?s Piers Morgan, Stutzman was born without arms but not without a will. Outside of archery, he can do just about anything as well as the next person, and he does plenty of things better. Stutzman learned to play guitar, shoot a gun and drive a truck, among other activities, and he credits his can-do attitude to his upbringing in Kalona.

?My parents both told me when I was younger, ?We could?ve modified the house for you, but once you get out in the real world ... they?re not modifying anything for you. You?re still going to have to learn how to open doors and do all that stuff,?? said Stutzman. ?I think it?s now important to show my boys you can do whatever you put your mind to, and if you work real hard at it you can accomplish anything.?

His two oldest of three sons ? Carter is six years old and Cameron is five ? have their own bows and are fascinated by their dad?s blooming career. Neither child has arrows to go with their bows yet, but Stutzman said he?ll teach both how to shoot when they?re old enough.

Like his boys, Stutzman got his first bow from his father, who introduced him to archery when he was 16. His bow was stolen a year later, and he went without the sport for nearly 10 years before buying another in 2009. In January 2010, he competed in his very first archery tournament.

?At the time I was like, ?What are archery tournaments?? And then I got hooked,? said Stutzman.

A little more than one year later, in March 2011, he made the United States Paralympic Archery Team. From the outset, Stutzman knew the red, white and blue team jersey was a good fit.

?The first time I put it on I realized it wasn?t about me anymore,? he said. ?It was about my family. It was about everyone who said, ?You can do it.? That?s what it?s about now. It?s about supporting all them.?

The rise to fame has admittedly been surprising to Stutzman, but the success didn?t come overnight. Over the past two-plus years, he has dedicated himself to the sport and made the Paralympics his main mission.

?I don?t want people to think it?s easy to try out for the Paralympics and make it. In a way I?ve been training my body my whole life,? said Stutzman. ?When I found out that?s what I wanted to do, I trained every day, eight hours a day. I was even out there Sundays shooting, and that?s pretty much all I?ve done for the past two years.?

Thanks to all that hard work and determination, Stutzman now holds two national archery records and the official world record for longest accurate shot, a mark that includes able-bodied archers. With the Paralympic Games right around the corner, the attention has reached a peak. Stutzman has appeared in national commercials for team U.S.A., been interviewed on CNN and answered countless other media requests.

?It?s a little different because a couple years ago I was just a guy who lived in Fairfield and sold cars for a living, and now I have an opportunity to represent U.S.A. and Fairfield in a way that I thought would never happen,? Stutzman said.

?At first it was a little overwhelming, but the more I kind of opened up to it, the more I realized this is the way of life now. I realized most people are nice ? they?re not out to hurt me or say mean things ? and everything has gotten a lot smoother and a lot easier,? he added.

Stutzman keeps an image of the games? gold medal on his tablet computer?s home screen as a constant reminder of what he?s working toward.

?Winning the gold medal is the ultimate goal,? he said. ?I?ve been picturing what I look like when I make a good shot or thinking about all the people who are watching and I?m shooting for the gold medal. That?s the type of stuff I envision.?

Stutzman?s greatest hope outside of striking gold? He wants to be an inspiration.

?If I don?t win gold but inspire just one person in London, the trip will have been totally worth it,? he said.

Stutzman leaves Fairfield for London on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The first round of archery begins Aug. 30 and the competition lasts through Sept. 3. Stutzman?s wife, Amber, and his parents will accompany him in London.

But before he jets to Europe, a meet-and-greet will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store. Fans can also follow Stutzman and his road to the podium on his official twitter account: twitter.com/InspireArcher.