Victory celebration planned Sunday for silver medalist

As fans cheered and waved American flags from Central Park to West Burlington Avenue the evening of Sept. 10 to celebrate its Paralympian returning from London, silver medalist Matt Stutzman experienced fully what it meant to have community.

?To come back and see all of that support ? it was always worth it, but it made it even more special,? he said. ?Even though I didn?t know many of the people, they still showed up to support me. It was an eye opener, and just shows how a community can come together.?

Fairfield will get another chance to cheer on Stutzman during a victory celebration noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store is planning his celebration, and admission is free. Many of his local and national sponsors will have booths and demonstrations for the public, including White Tail Archery in Agency. GoJindy of Fairfield is sponsoring crafts for children. Bubba Q?s of Ottumwa will be selling a variety of lunch menu items, and Hy-Vee will have beverages for sale.

The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. in the grandstand of the fairground, where Stutzman will share his experiences in London with the audience. He also will demonstrate the 70-meter shot he performed at the Paralympics competition, using his unique technique: aiming with his right foot, drawing the arrow back with his shoulder and releasing with his mouth.

?A few months ago the community didn?t have knowledge of who Matt was,? said Eric Lopp, manager of perishables at Hy-Vee who helped organize the event. ?We took it upon ourselves to make people aware of what Fairfield has to be proud of.?

Known fondly as the ?inspirational archer,? Stutzman earned the silver medal in the men?s compound open archery finals at the 2012 London Paralympics despite being the only competitor born without arms. He also holds the Guinness World Record for the longest accurate shot, which he secured in 2011 at 230 yards.

Lopp said they?ve watched Stutzman?s fan-base grow, in town and online. Not only has Fairfield championed Stutzman, but so has the nation, with CNN?s Piers Morgan dubbing him the ?Pride of America? during an appearance on his show.

?We?ve seen fans of his Facebook page skyrocket,? said Lopp. ?The more people get to know his story, the more they get interested and involved.?

Hy-Vee hosted a send-off for the archer before he departed for London, where he gave a demonstration and signed autographs dexterously with a pen between his toes. Hy-Vee has been working with local businesses while he was away to make sure they posted congratulatory billboards in time for his return.

Stutzman, 29, has lived in Fairfield for the past seven years with his wife Amber and their three sons, Carter, Cameron and Alex, who he said have been his inspiration.

He was raised in Kalona by adoptive parents who he credits with instilling in him a sense of perseverance at a young age.

?When it gets tough, I can hear my dad?s voice saying, ?Never give up, you keep trying!?? he said.

Of learning to drive a car, shoot a gun or play the guitar, Stutzman said learning to shoot a bow has been by far the most difficult. His dad helped him purchase his first bow when he was 16, but he had nowhere to turn for instruction on how to shoot without arms.

Stutzman developed his own method by mimicking archers arm movements with his feet. After a lapse, he took up archery with dedication in 2010, and began competing in tournaments. At a tournament last year, he experienced a turning point in his career leading him down a path toward fame.

?All of the top archers in the world were there,? he said.

?I did extremely well, after two days I was tied for first.?

It was there he began to see the Paralympics in his future.

?I had the thought, ?If I can beat these guys, who have hands and are able-bodied, I might actually have a chance,?? he said.

Stutzman describes his trip to London as wrought with emotion and adrenaline.

?Being in the stadium during the opening ceremony and walking in behind the flag representing your country; It?s hard to explain, it?s an awesome feeling,? he said.

During the games, he said he was nervous, but prepared. ?Shooting in front of the entire world would make anyone nervous,? he said. ?I knew everyone would feel it, and it would be a matter of who could harness the adrenaline.?

Stutzman said he?ll most likely be back in four years to ?try for gold.?

Lopp, for one, is counting on it.

?We know he?s going to turn around in 2016 and go to Brazil,? Lopp said. ?Now that he has a silver medal, he?s said it would be nice to have gold to go with it.?

Stutzman is giving himself some time to relax with his family now that the competition is over, but not for long. In February he?ll head to Las Vegas for the National Field Archery Association Archery Festival.

?It?s the toughest indoor competition in the world,? he said. ?We?ll see how well I can do.?

Talking with fellow competitors, Stutzman realized not

all Paralympians have the support he?s found in Fairfield.

?One of my friends in L.A. won a bronze metal, but when he came home, no one was there to greet him,? said Stutzman, ?no one knew about his accomplishments.?

He said his experience in Fairfield couldn?t be more different, from his homecoming on Burlington Avenue, to the careful planning going into Sunday?s celebration.

?That?s what makes Fairfield so unique,? he said. ? ? Fairfield would support anybody if it?s a good cause.?