Helen McCormick - Archer

POV: you picked up a bow and accidentally changed your entire life

🏹 NI OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026 — SILVER 🥈

Sunday was definitely a day I’m proud of.

Going into the Northern Ireland Outdoor Championships, I really didn’t know what to expect from myself. My knee is still giving me a lot of bother, but I wanted to get out there, shoot and see what I could manage.

I finished qualification on 645, only 5 points off the 650 PB I set at the Home Nations Cup before I injured myself. I genuinely wasn’t expecting to get that close to it on Sunday, so seeing 645 at the end of qualification was a pretty nice reminder that even when my body isn’t cooperating, my shooting is still there 😂❤️

The Championship H2H was against Katie Jennings and she put in a brilliant match to take the win 142–136 and the Gold. Congratulations Katie, very well deserved! 👏

By that stage I was really feeling my knee and, if I’m being completely truthful, I was just happy to get those last arrows down the range and finish the competition. I knew I had given as much as I could on the day and sometimes that has to be enough.

So I’m coming away with Northern Ireland Championship Silver 🥈 and feeling pretty proud of myself.

A massive thank you to Laura Kelly and Helen Nelson for being my agents and basically keeping me going throughout the day. I definitely needed the extra pair of hands (or four 😂) and I really appreciated having you both there.

And as always, thank you to my sponsors RamRods Archery for continuing to support me and my shooting. 🏹❤️

It might be time I actually listened to everyone and gave this knee a proper rest now… 😂

🏹 SPORT PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH – MAY 🏹

Such a lovely post to see today and definitely something I’m very proud of 💙💚

I’m delighted to have been recognised by Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh as their Sport Personality of the Month for May for my achievements in archery.

May was a really positive month for my shooting, with some strong performances across the MCOA Summer Series and Northern Ireland Archery Tour, as well as taking Gold in the Mixed Team Head-to-Head alongside Adam.

At the time I was sitting second in the overall Summer Series standings, so looking back now knowing that I went on to win the entire Summer Series is honestly a little bit mental 😂🏆 It makes seeing this post now even more special.

Moving from recurve to compound has been a completely different journey and there has been plenty of learning along the way, but I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made and everything that has come with it.

A special thank you has to go to Darrel Wilson, who I’ve basically adopted as my coach 😂 Darrel is always there to give me tips, help when something isn’t quite clicking and make sure my bow and equipment are working to the best of their ability. More than anything, he’s always encouraging and willing to help, whether I need another set of eyes on something or just a bit of reassurance with my shooting. I really appreciate everything he does for me and the part he has played in my progress. 🏹

I’m also very lucky to have such a supportive group of people around me. My family and friends, everyone at Lisburn City Archery Club, my fellow archers and everyone who has helped me along the way — thank you. ✨

A huge thank you as well to RamRods Archery for their continued support and for being part of my compound journey. 🐏

And finally, thank you to Sport Lisburn & Castlereagh for recognising my achievements and continuing to celebrate local athletes.

To think I was sitting second in the Summer Series when this was awarded and ended up being crowned Summer Series Champion… what a season it has turned into! 🏆🏹

Very proud of this one. 🥹

🏹 NORTHERN IRELAND ARCHERY TOUR FINALS 2026 – BRONZE 🥉

And that’s the 2026 Northern Ireland Archery Tour officially finished!

Yesterday we headed to Ballyclare Rugby Club for the NI Tour Finals and, after a full day of round-robin Head-to-Head matches followed by the medal matches, I was very happy to come away with Bronze in the Compound Tour Challenge! 🥉

Going into yesterday, I knew it was going to be tough. My knee has definitely been struggling since injuring it at the Home Nations Cup, and after competing the day before as well, I could certainly feel it. But I wasn’t ready to let it stop me from getting onto that shooting line and giving the Finals everything I had.

My first match was against Adam McBride, where I got a 130–117 win on the board.

Next was Ed Teggart, and this one genuinely couldn’t have been much closer! Ed took it 138–137 — just ONE point separating us after 15 arrows. 😭😂

My final round-robin match was against Darrel Wilson, who was shooting brilliantly and took the win 143–132.

That left me sitting 3rd in the round-robin standings, setting up another meeting with Adam, this time with a medal on the line.

🥉 BRONZE MEDAL MATCH

Helen McCormick 130 – 104 Adam McBride

I managed to get the job done and take the match 130–104, securing the Bronze medal! 🥉

And I definitely didn’t do yesterday on my own!

A massive thank you to Hollie for being my coach in the box during my Bronze Medal Match. Having someone there keeping me focused and supporting me through those final arrows made such a difference. 💜

And Pandora, what an absolute star. 🥹 She was my agent for the day, collecting my arrows and saving me countless trips up and down the field. With my knee the way it is at the minute, that helped me more than she probably realises. I genuinely couldn’t have done it without her.

Actually, a huge thank you to everyone who has helped me over the past few days. Whether it has been carrying things, collecting arrows, checking in on me or simply making sure I was okay, I’ve really appreciated every single bit of it.

Yesterday wasn’t only about my own shooting either, because I also had the privilege of stepping into the coach’s box for George.

George, it was an absolute honour to coach you. You shot amazingly and should be incredibly proud of yourself. Keep putting the work in, keep enjoying your archery and definitely keep up the great work — congratulations, Ninja! 🥷🏹

As for me, I’m really proud of this Bronze, especially given how I’ve been feeling physically.

I’m not going to pretend my knee is okay because it definitely isn’t. I’m struggling with it, it’s sore and it’s making competing considerably harder than normal. But I wasn’t ready for an injury to completely take away the end of an outdoor season I’ve worked so hard for.

Sometimes competing isn’t about producing your biggest scores. Sometimes it’s simply about showing up, getting yourself onto that line and fighting for every arrow you’ve got.

Yesterday was one of those days.

There is now one final push at the Archery NI Outdoor Championships this weekend, and then I’m going to take a break from competing for a while and give my knee the opportunity to properly recover.

As difficult as that is for me to admit, I know I need it.

So… one more competition, one more push, and THEN I promise I’ll try this resting thing everyone keeps telling me about. 😂

A massive congratulations to everyone who competed yesterday. What a fantastic event and a brilliant way to finish this year’s NI Tour. There were some cracking matches across the field and it was great seeing everyone supporting each other throughout the day.

Thank you to everyone involved behind the scenes, from the organisers and judges to the field crew and volunteers who made the Finals possible.

And a very special thank you to Ironside Trophies & Engraving, sponsors of the Northern Ireland Archery Tour, for their continued support of our sport and our archers. 🤍

Finally, thank you as always to RamRods Archery for continuing to support me throughout my season, through the good days, difficult days and everything in between. 🐏🖤

🥉 NI Tour Finals Bronze Medalist 2026

Pretty proud of this one. 🏹

🏆 MCOA SUMMER SERIES CHAMPION 2026 🏆

Well… I definitely didn’t expect to be writing this post today! 🥹🏹

Today was Leg 4 of the MCOA Summer Series and NI Tour, and after the week I’ve had, just getting back onto the shooting line felt like an achievement in itself.

After injuring my knee at the Home Nations Cup last weekend, I’m still on crutches and dealing with quite a lot of pain. I honestly wasn’t sure how today was going to go or how much my knee would allow me to do, so the goal was simply to take it carefully, see how I managed and not put too much pressure on myself.

Once I got onto the line though, something clicked. I settled into my shooting, focused on one arrow at a time and tried not to let everything going on with my knee distract me from what I knew I could do.

And somehow… I did a little more than just get through it. 😂

My scores today:

🏹 First 720: 310 + 317 = 627
🏹 Second 720: 317 + 316 = 633
🏹 Double 720 Total: 1260

That ranked me 4th in today’s competition, and I also managed to match my Double WA720 PB of 1260 — even with a very dodgy knee! 😂

Considering the pain I was in and how uncertain I was about even managing the day, I’m genuinely so proud of that. I had to adapt, be sensible and take things one end at a time, but I refused to let a difficult week completely take away something I’ve worked so hard for all season.

Sometimes you have to trust yourself, focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t, and remind yourself just how much determination can carry you through.

Today was definitely one of those days. 💪🏻

But the biggest surprise came once all the Summer Series standings points from across the four legs were added together…

🥁🥁🥁

🏆 MCOA SUMMER SERIES CHAMPION 2026! 🏆

To come away as the overall champion after four legs of the series means so much to me. This outdoor season has had plenty of ups and downs, some brilliant shoots, some difficult ones and now apparently shooting on one functioning leg 😂 — but I kept turning up, kept putting the work in and kept fighting for every point.

A MASSIVE thank you has to go to Laura Kelly and Vicky Kallay, who basically became my agents/pit crew/carers for the day. 😂❤️ With me struggling to get around properly, you both made sure I had everything I needed and honestly, I couldn’t have done today without you.

And thank you to everyone who checked in on me, helped me out and encouraged me throughout the day. It was very much appreciated.

A huge thank you as always to my sponsors RamRods Archery for their continued support and for being part of my journey. I’m incredibly proud to represent the RamRods Development Team, and having that support behind me through both the highs and the more challenging moments means a lot. ❤️🏹

A week ago I was representing Northern Ireland at the Home Nations Cup, ending the weekend injured and on crutches. Today I got myself back onto a competition line, shot 1260, matched my PB and somehow hobbled away as Summer Series Champion. 🏆😂

I think I’m allowed to be a little proud of myself for this one. 🥹

And there’s not much time to celebrate…

Tomorrow it’s on to the NI Tour Finals! 🏹

One more push to finish off what has already been one pretty memorable weekend. 💪🏻

Now someone please remind me that this knee actually does need some rest at some point. 😂

🏹💙💚 HOME NATIONS CUP 2026 – STIRLING 💚💙🏹

Well… where do I even start with last weekend? 😂🏹

My first Home Nations Cup representing Northern Ireland was certainly one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon — for both the right reasons and a slightly unexpected ending! 🙈

It all started on Friday night with the boat from Belfast to Cairnryan, followed by what should have been around a 2.5-hour drive to Stirling.

Except Google Maps apparently wanted to give us a tour of every questionable road in Scotland. 😂

After being sent down some absolutely awful roads, we eventually made it to our accommodation at around 2:30am.

Safe to say, there wasn’t much sleep before the alarm was going off and it was time to get ready for qualification!

🏹 SATURDAY – QUALIFICATION

Going into qualification, I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself. After the journey we’d had and with very little sleep or energy, I was just happy to get onto the shooting line and put some good shots down range.

I was on a target with Clare and Michelle and honestly couldn’t have asked for better company. We had such a laugh throughout the round and they definitely helped take my mind off just how tired I actually was! 😂

Somehow, running on very little sleep, I finished qualification with…

650 – NEW WA720 PB! 🎉
🏹 4th overall in the competition

I was absolutely buzzing!

To shoot a new PB and rank 4th overall at a Home Nations weekend was something I was incredibly happy with especially considering how the previous 12 hours had gone. 😂

💙 HOME NATIONS TEAM MATCHES

The Northern Ireland Compound Women’s team was:

🏹 Katie Jennings
🏹 Amy Johnson – England reserve
🏹 Myself

Following qualification, Team NI were ranked 2nd overall, putting us into our semi-final against Scotland.

We shot really well and were leading going into the final end, but unfortunately that was when the wind decided to make an appearance!

I really struggled to get one of my shots away and ended up with a miss. With the clock then running down, Katie wasn’t able to get her final arrow away before the buzzer.

I was absolutely gutted afterwards and really annoyed with myself because I felt like I’d let the team down, especially after we had shot so well throughout the match.

But sometimes that’s just archery. You can’t change the arrows that have already gone, and thankfully I had brilliant teammates around me who reminded me of exactly that. 💙

We still had a bronze medal to fight for!

🥉 SUNDAY – BRONZE MEDAL MATCH

Sunday brought our match against Wales, and we were determined to finish our Home Nations campaign on a high.

And what a match it was!

Our shots were consistently in the gold and we put together some brilliant ends, including our highest scoring end of 58! 🔥

🥉 NORTHERN IRELAND 220 – 204 WALES

HOME NATIONS BRONZE MEDALLISTS!🥉

After going into the H2Hs ranked 2nd, we finished the Home Nations competition 3rd overall, bringing home the bronze medal for Northern Ireland. 🥉

After the disappointment of Saturday, that medal felt even sweeter. We picked ourselves back up and shot the way we knew we could.

Standing there afterwards with a Home Nations bronze medal around my neck representing Northern Ireland was a pretty special feeling. 💙

There was even more to celebrate across Team NI, with Northern Ireland finishing the weekend with:

🥇 1 Gold
🥉 4 Bronze

Not bad for our wee country! 💙💚🏹

🙈 AND THEN THINGS GOT INTERESTING…

Of course, with Team NI celebrating our medal haul, we decided it was the perfect time to film a funny video together.

Turns out that might not have been my greatest idea. 😂🙈

During the video, my knee suddenly gave way underneath me. I heard and felt a snap and ended up straight on the ground.

At first we were hoping it was something minor and would settle, but during the drive from Stirling to Cairnryan the pain became increasingly worse.

By the time we reached the ferry, I was struggling to walk and in a lot of pain.

I honestly can’t thank everyone from Team NI enough for how they looked after me. 💙💚

Everyone rallied around me, helped me move around, carried my things, made sure I was okay and did everything they could to make a pretty horrible journey home that little bit easier.

It really showed that Team NI is about so much more than who you stand beside on the shooting line. When one of us needed help, everyone was there.

⛴️ A HUGE THANK YOU TO STENA LINE

I also have to give a massive thank you to Yvonne and the staff on our 11pm Cairnryan to Belfast sailing.

By the time we boarded, I was in significant pain and really struggling with my mobility.

They couldn’t have done more for me. They provided a wheelchair and ice pack and helped me into the private recliner lounge where I could get my leg up and try to get comfortable.

What meant even more was that they allowed our entire Northern Ireland team to stay together with me rather than separating us.

They continued looking after me throughout the crossing and, when we reached Belfast, helped me safely in the wheelchair back to our minibus.

The kindness and care they showed me made a genuinely horrible situation so much easier. I can’t thank Yvonne and everyone involved that night enough. 💙

🏥 STRAIGHT FROM THE BOAT TO A&E…

Once we arrived back in Northern Ireland, it was pretty much straight to A&E to find out what I’d actually done.

Thankfully, nothing is broken! 🙌

Unfortunately, I have damaged/torn ligaments in my knee and have now been referred to the MSK specialists on 4th September for further assessment and to find out exactly what damage I’ve done.

Until then…

🩼 Crutches are my new best friend
💊 Painkillers are keeping me going
🏹 And unfortunately the bow is having a little rest!

Definitely not the ending I had planned for my first Home Nations Cup. 😂🙈

But when I look back at the weekend, there is so much to be proud of:

650 – NEW WA720 PB
🏹 4th overall in qualification
🥉 3rd overall after the H2Hs
🥉 HOME NATIONS BRONZE MEDAL
🏆 1 Gold & 4 Bronze medals for Team NI

From arriving in Stirling at 2:30am, shooting a PB on barely any sleep, battling through the team matches, winning bronze with Katie and Amy and celebrating an amazing medal haul for Northern Ireland… to ending up in a wheelchair and heading straight to A&E.

Eventful doesn’t even begin to cover it. 😂

Above everything else, I’m incredibly proud that I got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland. 💙💚

A massive thank you to my teammates, coaches, family and everyone who helped me throughout the weekend — particularly everyone who looked after me when things went slightly sideways at the end! 😂

Now it’s time to rest, get this knee sorted and hopefully get myself back on the shooting line as soon as I can. 🤞🏹

One thing is for sure…

I’ll definitely never forget my first Home Nations Cup! 💙💚🏹🥉

🏹 Northern Ireland Tour – Leg 3 WA900 Competition 🏹

Yesterday I competed in the third leg of the Northern Ireland Tour hosted by my club Lisburn City Archery Club.

I wasn’t feeling 100% and was dealing with a sore back, but I went on to enjoy the day, shoot some arrows and spend time with a great group of people. Happy to come away with 2nd place🥈 and I’m currently sitting 3rd overall in the NI Tour standings with the Finals still to come.

My scores were:
🏹60m:264
🏹50m:275
🏹40m:270

One of the highlights of the day was our club fundraiser to support the Northern Ireland team travelling to the Home Nations Cup in Stirling.Thanks to everyone’s incredible generosity through the BBQ, raffle and donations, we raised an amazing £875. A massive thank you to everyone who supported such a great cause.

Now the focus shifts to Stirling! I’m looking forward to representing Team NI and will keep working hard over the next couple of weeks.

A huge thank you, as always, to my sponsors RamRods Archery for their continued support. 🐏🏹