By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Jenny and Mandy Nichols got through their first day of their first U.S. Olympic Archery Trials at Mason's Heritage Oak Park how they started the sport - together.

Jenny Nichols, USA Archery athlete of the year, takes aim at the target during the first round of the US Olympic Team Archery Trials at Heritage Oak Park in Mason Tuesday morning. (Glenn Hartong photo)

The sisters walked side by side on trips back from their targets chatting, conspiring and advising. And when they needed refreshment or shade from the hot sun, they strolled back to their family's tent, adorned with red, white and blue flags.

After Tuesday's opening round, Jenny, the top-ranked female archer entering the trials, is four days from a chance to wear those colors in this summer's Olympics. Mandy did not advance and will have to wait four years for her next try, but she said she'll stay to support her sister.

Jenny Nichols dominated the women's qualifying round, finishing with a score of 1,302 to lead the top 16 of 42 women into today's round-robin matches. She finished 65 points ahead of second-place Kendra Harvey, 67 points ahead of third-place Janet Dykman.

"It's flowing together," said the 20-year-old Nichols. "It was the plan in my training to shoot like this. It's not a surprise, I just didn't know it would be this good."

Seventeen-year-old Mandy Nichols finished three spots out of qualifying for the next round with 1,173 points.

"I didn't do as well as I had hoped for, but it was a very good experience," Mandy said. "I came mostly for the experience."

On the men's side, Butch Johnson finished first of 70 participants with 1,322 points, followed by Vic Wunderle (1,320) and Scott McKechnie (1,318). Local archer Jason McKittrick, of Holton, Ind., advanced to today's round of 16 in 12th place with 1,284.

The first Olympic trials for the Nicholses made them a little nervous, they said. The pair had started shooting when Jenny was 11 and Mandy was 8, and their father bought them bows for Christmas.

"I never thought we'd be here doing this when we started," said their father, Brent Nichols.

It has become an activity for their seven-person family, which includes three younger siblings. They all shoot occasionally and spend much of the archery season traveling to tournaments. The Nicholses are also home-schooled, and it helps to make time for tournaments and to travel from their home in Wyoming to Tucson, Ariz., for training.

"(Mandy and Jenny) are best friends," Brent said. "They travel together. They shoot together. They're just best friends. They support each other 100 percent."

Mandy said because they have the same coach, the sisters are beginning to have the same form when they shoot. Each sister frequently wandered over to the other for checkups throughout the long day. And afterward, they even shared the same spiritual outlook, both saying the results were part of God's plan.

One thing they won't share this summer, however, is the experience of being on the Olympic team. While Jenny continues her work toward Athens today, Mandy will have to settle for a trip to the Junior World Championships in England this summer after qualifying first at those trials last week.

"Life is like a journey. It's not attaining a certain level, but it's learning and growing," Jenny said. "(Mandy's) learning a lot and growing."

Olympic trials

USA Archery

Mason, Ohio

Men

1. Butch Johnson (Woodstock, Conn.) - 1322

2. Vic Wunderle (Mason City, Ill.) - 1320

3. Scott McKechnie (Orange, Calif.) - 1318

4. John Burkett (McDonald, Pa.) - 1313

5. Joe McGlyn (Floral Park, N.Y.) - 1296

6. Staten Holmes (San Antonio, Texas) - 1293

7. John Magera (Carterville, Ill.) - 1289

8. Sagar Mistry (Brigantine, N.J.) - 1288

9. Jay Barrs (Salt Lake City, Utah) - 1287

10. Glenn Meyers (Grand Rapids, Mich.) - 1287

11. Guy Krueger (Blessing, Texas) - 1286

12. Jason McKittrick (Holton, Ind.) - 1284

13. Rod White (Mt. Pleasant, Iowa) - 1267

14. Justin Huish (Simi Valley, Calif.) - 1266

15. Mark Williams (Murphysboro, Ill.) - 1265

16. Chris Shull (Columbus, Ohio) - 1263

Women

1. Jennifer Nichols (Cheyenne, Wyo.) - 1302

2. Kendra Harvey (Rio Rancho, N.M.) - 1237

3. Janet Dykman (El Monte, Calif.) - 1235

4. Stephanie Arnold (Portland, Ore.) - 1232

5. Jessica Carleton (Redford, Mich.) - 1230

6. Ashley Kamuf (New Albany, Ind.) - 1230

7. Joy Fahrenkrog (Lighthouse Point, Fla.) - 1227

8. Kathie Loesch (Sugarland, Texas) - 1219

9. Judy DeVoll (Gadsden, Ala.) - 1216

10. Lindsay Pian (Scottsdale, Ariz.) - 1215

11. Lori Cieslinski (Pontiac, Mich.) - 1214

12. Phyllis Shipman (Haleiwa, Hawaii) - 1205

13. Roxanne Reimann (Manchester, Conn.) - 1203

14. Margot Stuchin (New York, N.Y) - 1201

15. Nicole Rasor (Marana, Ariz.) - 1200

16. Danielle McCullough (Colorado Springs, Colo.) - 1185