By Colleen Kane
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In many Olympic sports, athletes reach their peaks in their 20s, some in their 30s. But in this week's U.S. Olympic Archery Trials, Janet Dykman and Richard "Butch" Johnson have shown that an extra 20 years doesn't slow their arrows.

The 50-year-old Dykman and the 48-year-old Johnson both enter the final two days of the Trials in second place at Mason's Heritage Oak Park.

"I think (archery) is ageless," Dykman said. "It's a little more different as far as keeping stamina up. But it's all what you put into it."

Dykman cruised through Thursday's windy seven round-robin matches and the eight-archer cut with 2,800 points. She trails first-place Jennifer Nichols by 159 points. Stephanie Arnold, in second place after Day 2, sits in third. Johnson has 3,001 points, trailing first-place Vic Wunderle's 3,022.

Jason McKittrick of Holton, Ind., made the cut with 2,935, for fifth place. Scores from 16 more round-robin matches will be added to current scores to determine the three men and women and the alternates that make the Olympic team.

Dykman and Johnson are two of the oldest and most experienced competitors. Johnson competed in the 1992 Olympics and won a team gold in the 1996 Olympics and a team bronze in 2000.

Dykman shot when she was young but picked it back up after she watched the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. There, she bought an Olympic Snoopy stuffed animal that she carries to all of her competitions. Her "mascot," which is older than some of her competitors, has been to the last five Olympic Trials and the last two Olympics.

Dykman and Johnson said not much has changed since they started. They still get jitters.

"I get nervous, but not to the extent that others do," Dykman said.

These Trials carry added importance for Dykman, because she is recovering from a major surgery in December. She wasn't able to shoot until February and hadn't competed until April.

"It's more than just the age thing. For me, it's just a big thing to be able to do this a couple months afterward," Dykman said.

But she made it back and is joining Johnson to show the younger crowd how it's done.

"Sooner or later, age will catch up with you. It may have caught up with me a little, I don't know," Johnson said. "But I'm still competing, still enjoying shooting, so I'm here."

SHULL ELIMINATED: Chris Shull of Columbus was eliminated from the Trials Thursday, finishing with 2,850 points, 57 points behind the cut. Shull, 24, plans to begin law school this fall at Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore., and doesn't know how much he will continue to compete.

TRIALS ON TV: A broadcast team from NBC was at the Trials Thursday filming for a one-hour program called "Making the Team" that will be part of their Olympic Trials coverage. The show, which also will feature four other sports, will air on USA from 10-11 a.m. July 17.