SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — There's a bullseye under attack at Sky Valley Archery.
Emma Kim, 18, is one of the top recurve archers in the country.
"I just like that repetition, of trying to perfect something every time and working on the same thing to get better," Kim said. "I like that rhythm."
The Seattle shooter fires 400-500 arrows a day.
"The only way you can get better is shooting a lot, we say quantity and quality," Kim said.
Emma, a 2023 graduate of Jackson High School, has been working with coach Mike Wichser for more than 10 years.
"Oh goodness, she was this little girl when she started, it's pretty amazing," Wichser said. "At first they just want to learn and play and then it's hard work, it took a few years."
Kim stayed on target and when the bullseyes started adding up, the wins did, too. In 2022 Kim won a bronze at the World Championships. In 2024 she took home a silver at the Arizona Cup, a major national event.
"It was just nice to see progression," Kim said. "I've been doing the same training for how many years, and now you see that you are starting to show what you are working on is always nice."
"Emma is not afraid to fight, in archery, there can be no fear and that is something she has going for her," Wichser said.
Kim is currently ranked No. 4 in the country, and while she's aiming for Paris, she does not waste too much time dreaming. Right now it's all about the work.
"I'm trying to take it one step at a time," Kim said. "I don't want to think too deeply on the Olympics. Thinking about it doesn't make it come any faster or slower, so I'm just trying to be in the present."
And Kim is not alone.
"People describe it like golf, I've never been competitive at golf, but it feels similar, you're out on the range, just you and the ball, or you and the bow and you're just getting better each day if you are doing right," Gabe Anderson said.
Anderson, 22, started shooting when he was 10.
"At the start, it's just fun to fling arrows," Anderson said. "You just feel cool, 'Oh, this is awesome.'"
Twelve years later, Anderson, like Kim, is one of the best in the country.
"A good score for me would be a 57," Anderson said.
Anderson scored 57 many times in 2021. He was the No. 1 ranked junior in the country.
"He has definitely grown into someone that is shooting at a high level," Wichser said
This year Anderson helped the United States bring home a bronze medal at the Pan American Games. It was his first international medal.
"Walking out with US on your back is definitely a crazy experience, probably the most national pride I've ever had, I'm representing the US," Anderson said.
And now Anderson is hoping to push that patriotic pride to Paris.
"I didn't really have Olympic dreams when I was a kid," Anderson said. "It kind of snuck up on me out here as I work. I just made the top eight cut. It would be unreal."
Kim and Anderson are off to Florida to compete in the Gator Cup, which starts Friday. They're both trying to earn more points to secure a spot on the United States team.
The most dominating archery team is the South Korean women's team. They'll be going after their 10th straight gold medal in the women's team event.