Pro Picks
Reo Wilde
- NameReo Wilde
- Home TownPocatello, Idaho
- Archery StyleCompound Target
- Pro SummaryWith a long list of 1st and 2nd place victories, Reo Wilde is one of the most accomplished target archers in the world. He made archery his career in 2010 and has been shooting full time ever since.
- Professional Achievements
- 2014 NFAA Field Nationals, Yankton, South Dakota, 3rd
- 2014 USA Archery Outdoor Nationals, Hamilton, Ohio, 1st
- 2014 World Cup Stage 4, Poland, 2nd
- 2014 World Indoor Trials, Florida, 3rd
- 2014 World Indoor Championship, France, 2nd
- 2014 Dakota Classic, South Dakota, 1st
- 2014 World Cup Stage 2, Columbia, 3rd
- 2014 Gator Cup, Florida, 3rd
- 2014 So Cal Shoot Out, California, 3rd
- 2013 World Cup Stage 3, Columbia, 1st
- 2013 So-Cal Shoot Out, California, 3rd
- 2013 Gator Cup, Florida, 1st
- 2013 World Cup Stage 1, China, 3rd
- 2013 Marked 3-D National Championships, California, 3rd
- 2013 Arizona Cup, Arizona, 2nd
- 2013 World Archery Festival, Las Vegas, 1st
- 2013 Indoor World Cup Finals, Las Vegas, 3rd
- 2013 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 2nd
- 2013 European Shootout, Nimes France, 1st
- 2012 US Archery Indoor Nationals, 1st
- 2012 Indoor World Cup Finals, Las Vegas, 1st
- 2012 World Indoor Championship, Las Vegas, 1st
- 2012 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 1st
- 2012 World Indoor Team Trials, Pennsylvania, 1st
- 2011 Indoor World Cup, Stage 1, Singapore, 1st
- 2011 World Cup Finals, Turkey 2nd
- 2011 World Cup 4th Leg, China, 1st
- 2011 So-Cal shootout, California, 3rd
- 2011 World Outdoor Championships, Italy, 3rd
- 2011 Nor’Easter, Massachusetts, 1st
- 2011 Big Sky Open, Colorado, 1st
- 2011 Arizona Cup, Arizona, 2nd
- 2011 NAA National Indoor Championships, New Mexico, 3rd
- 2011 World Archer Festival, Las Vegas, 1st
- 2011 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 1st
- 2010 Big Sky, Colorado, 2nd
- 2010 NFAA Classic, Yankton, 1st
- 2010 World Cup 1st Leg, Croatia, 3rd
- 2010 Texas Shootout, 3rd
- 2010 Louisville, 1st
- 2010 NAA Indoor Nationals, 2nd
- 2010 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 1st
- 2009 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 2nd
- 2009 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 1st (600 with 60xs)
- 2009 World Archery Festival, Las Vegas 1st
- 2009 NAA Indoor Nationals, Utah 3rd
- 2009 Gold Cup, New Jersey, 3rd
- 2009 World Outdoor Team Trials, Georgia, 3rd
- 2009 NFAA Field Nationals, Pennsylvania, 2nd
- 2009 NFAA Classic, South Dakota, 1st
- 2009 World Outdoor Championships, Korea 1st
- 2009 Big Sky, Mesquite, NV, 1st
- 2009 Utah Open, 1st
- 2008 Utah Open, 2nd
- 2008 US Open, Colorado, 3rd
- 2008 Gold Cup Tournament, New Jersey, 1st
- 2008 NFAA novelty Shoot down, Connecticut, 1st
- 2008 NAA Indoor nationals, Utah, 2nd
- 2008 Lancaster Archery Classic, Pennsylvania, 1st
- 2008 Iowa Pro Am, Iowa, 3rd
- 2007 NAA Indoor National Championships, Utah, 1st
- 2007 Gold Cup Tournament, New Jersey, 1st
- 2007 Big Sky Open Tournament, Colorado, 1st
- 2007 World Championship Indoor Trial, Texas, 2nd
- 2007 Lancaster Invitational Indoor Tournament, Pennsylvania, 2nd
- 2007 Texas Shootout Tournament, Texas, 2nd
- 2007 World Outdoor Team Trials Tournament, California, 2nd
- 2006 Utah Open Tournament, Utah, 1st
- 2006 Texas Shootout, Texas, 1st
- 2006 2nd leg of World Cup, Croatia 1st
- 2006 World Cup Finals, Mexico, 1st
- 2006 3rd leg Of World Cup, El Salvador, 2nd
- 2006 Idaho Open Tournament, Idaho, 2nd
- 2006 NAA Indoor Nationals, Utah, 2nd
- 2006 Stan Open, Pennsylvania, 2nd
- 2006 NAA Outdoor Nationals, Colorado, 3rd
- 2005 Idaho Open, Idaho, 1st
- 2005 World Indoor Championships, Denmark, 1st
- 2005 World Indoor Team Trials, Texas, 1st
- 2005 NAA Indoor Nationals, Utah, 3rd
- 2004 Idaho Open Tournament, Idaho, 1st
- 2004 Utah Open Tournament, Utah, 1st
- 2004 US Open Championships, Pennsylvania, 1st
- 2004 US Outdoor Nationals, Pennsylvania, 2nd
- 2004 NAA Indoor Nationals, Utah, 2nd
- 2004 NAA Field Nationals, Ohio, 3rd
- 2003 Utah Open Tournament, Utah, 1st
- 2003 World Indoor Championships, France 1st
- 2003 NAA Indoor, Idaho, 1st
- 2003 Big Sky Open Tournament, Colorado, 1st
- 2003 World Archery Festival, Nevada, 2nd
- 2003 NFAA Indoor, Kentucky, 2nd
- 2003 World Outdoor team trials, California, 2nd
- 2003 World Indoor team trials, Virginia, 3rd
Team Achievements:
- 2010 4th Leg of World Cup, China, Mens team, 3rd
- 2010 4th Leg of World Cup, China, Mixed team, 3rd
- 2010 3rd Leg of World Cup, Utah, Mens team, 1st
- 2010 1st leg of World Cup, Croatia, Mens team, 1st
- 2010 1st Leg of World Cup, Croatia, Mixed team, 3rd
- 2009 1st Leg of World Cup, Dominican Republic Gold Medal, 1st
- 2009 World Outdoor Championships, Korea Gold Medal, 1st
- 2008 1st Leg of World Cup, Dominican Republic Gold Medal, 1st
- 2007 World Indoor Championships, Turkey Gold Medal, 1st
- 2007 World Outdoor Championships, Germany Gold Medal, 1st
- 2007 2nd Leg of World Cup, Italy Gold Medal, 1st
- 2006 1st leg of World Cup, Croatia, Gold Medal, 1st
- 2006 Fourth leg of World Cup, China Gold Medal, 1st
- 2005 World Indoor Championship, Denmark, 1st
- 2003 World Indoor Championships, France, 1st
- 2003 World Outdoor Championships, New York, 1st
Personal Achievements:
- United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Athlete of the Year, 2006
- United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Athlete of the Month October, 2006
Reo Wilde
- Gear List
- bio
- video
- photos
Bio
In high school, Reo Wilde’s target panic was so bad that he stopped shooting for a couple of years. “I wouldn’t be able to count to one before I would collapse. I couldn’t get the arrow off,” says Reo.
One of the greatest archers in the sport almost walked away.
It was his father and his own desire to go to Vegas that brought Reo back to archery at the age of 19. “I wanted to go to Vegas and shoot. I came up with a way to fix the panic with help from my dad. I have shot ever since.”
Reo credits that Vegas trip for launching his career in archery. But it is his love for the sport and his competitive nature that have kept him going.
“I love the head to head indoor formats. It really shows who shoots the best. Outdoors is the same. The head to head is simply one of my strengths.”
Reo is known among professional archers for leaning back when he shoots, an unusual posture that few coaches would recommend. “My dad tried to fix it when I was younger but then saw it just worked so left it alone.”
Reo turned pro at the age of 20 as a result of a deal that he made with his father. “My Dad and I made a deal that he would pay all my dues and entry fees to shoot in the PAA indoor nationals,” said Reo. “If I won, he would get to keep the winnings. I thought it was a pretty good deal. I did win and gave him the check.”
Reo’s success has continued year after year since then. In 2010 he was able to quit his day job and make archery a full-time career.
Family matters
Reo credits archery for giving him some of the greatest experiences of his life.
In 2006, Reo Wilde won the World Cup Finals in Mexico with a perfect score. His wife was watching from the coach’s box.
Family support has always been an important part of Reo’s career. “It is fun to watch archery on YouTube and have my little girl clap when dad shoots.”
The encouragement that began with Reo’s dad continues with his wife and two daughters who appreciate that Reo is the same husband and father whether he wins or loses a competition.
“You get out of archery what you put into it,” says Reo. “The hard work is always worth it.”
Keeping it simple
“My shot process is pretty simple,” says Reo. “I think the simple part is big. I work on my shooting enough to give myself confidence to trust my shot so all I have to do is think about aiming and letting the bow do its job.”
When it comes to “letting the bow do its job,” Reo believes that understanding your equipment and setting it up properly is an important factor in competitive performance. “Setting it up to help you shoot better is a big key in consistency. Practice just helps you to understand that more.”
Reo spends an hour or more per day adjusting his equipment while he shoots. He pays close attention to the adjustments that make him shoot better.
Draw length is an important one. “Draw length is a big part of how a bow aims and how forgiving it is when you make a bad shot,” says Reo.
Reo uses a 4x scope lens with a dot that is about the size of the ten ring. Stabilizers have helped Reo with shot execution by slowing down the dot during aim.
“I spend a lot of time group tuning and making my equipment as forgiving as it can be. I don’t paper tune unless there is some really bad flight I can’t get rid of.”
Reo uses a thumb button release when shooting outdoors. “I can pull and be more aggressive in the wind, if need be. I never punch it because it will make more problems for me.”
Indoors, Reo uses a hook or back tension release. “This release helps me to be more relaxed and execute the shot.”
When training for an event, Reo practices every day, shooting about four times as many arrows as he will during a day of competition. He also goes to the gym regularly for strength training.
Keeping it fun
While archery is hard work, Reo realizes that having fun is also an important part of being successful. On and off the range, Reo strives to enjoy life to its fullest.
He plays background music while he shoots, anything from classic rock to rap or country.
Give him a Friday night to do as he pleases and he’ll likely go out for Italian and follow it up with a silly movie.
Reo also hunts frequently in his home state of Idaho and enjoys relaxing with a fishing reel or golf club in his hand.
Goals for the coming year
Reo has set his sights high for the coming year. “I have won two of the three each year over the last two years. I want to win all three of the NFAA three star events this year.”
With hard work, Reo also believes that he can repeat as the world outdoor champion.
- Reo Wilde Photos