The Archer: Harbor grad builds career around love of outdoors

By Danielle Kapral
Special to Harbor Light Newspaper

“The first time I pulled back a bow was when I was three years old, in the arms of Fred Bear. He taught me how to shoot and I remained close friends with both he and his wife until they passed away,” said Angelina Cranney, Harbor Springs High School 1989 graduate, and owner of an archery pro shop in Petoskey.

Cranney said that Fred, or “Papa Bear” as she called him, inspired her in many areas of her life. He was a legendary Michigan outdoorsman and instrumental in growing and promoting the sport of archery. Williams lived next door to the legend until she was six years old.

“First and foremost was his lifelong dedication to the sport of archery,” Cranney said. “He was also a brilliant business man. Much of my business has been modeled after the way he did business. He in fact, he was his business, and I am mine. Like him, I have branded myself as my business, so when people think of Archer Full Throttle they immediately think of me.”

In January of this year, Cranney opened her own downtown Petoskey shop on East Lake Street. She recently became a licensed firearms dealer and has been busy with firearm transfers and sales as firearms season quickly approaches.

Cranney’s company offers hunting equipment to people all over the world. They carry about 30,000 different products and Cranney even acts as a wholesaler to several international dealers in Brazil and China.

“My work days usually begin about 8:30 a.m. and often times last until 11:00 pm, as more of my international business is done at night. My business is really open 24 hours, so is difficult for me to take time off,” Cranney said.

While Cranney said she has had to face some obstacles, she is very happy with the success of the store.

“It was not easy to break into a mostly male dominated industry. The path to building my business has been a long hard one.”

Coming into the archery world, she was met with skepticism and had to work twice as hard to earn the respect needed to make her business successful, she said.

“I can’t tell you the number of times I have answered the phone and been asked by a customer if they ‘could speak to someone that knows something about archery’,” Cranney said.

Achieving pro archer status, with a Bachelor of Science in Merchandising Management from Michigan State University and additional training from BowTech University in Oregon, Cranney holds a most qualified resume for operating her business and is a good source of advice on archery.

Although Cranney has only been shooting seriously for eight years, she has competed in many shoots and been recognized for her marksmanship.

“In March of 2005 I was asked to shoot on the pro staff of Ross Archery. It is a huge honor in the archery world to be asked to shoot on a pro staff, especially for one of the big bow companies.

“In March of 2007 Bear Archery (Fred Bear’s company) asked me to shoot on their pro staff, and I have been proudly shooting for them ever since,” Cranney said. “Not only was it an honor, but it was a very emotional moment for me as well, because I felt I had come full circle. Starting as a tiny girl, taught by a legend, and now shooting for his company professionally, I feel is a way to honor his memory.”

Not only is Cranney an ace in her sport and a leader in the industry, but she is also raising two girls on her own.

“I spend as much time in the woods with my children as I possibly can. Teaching them is the most rewarding aspect of my sport. My daughter Jacqueline Menzel-Cranney now shoots for Bear Archery at the age of 12.

Because of her pro status, Cranney says that spending time in the woods is actually part of her job. She will be competing in a firearms hunt in Kentucky in November. Only 4 women, out of 40 professionals selected, will compete. It is a competition for the biggest whitetail and Cranney believes that it will likely be aired on the Outdoor Channel later this year.

(Danielle Kapral is a freelance writer and regular contributor to the Harbor Light Newspaper)

This is part of the October 28, 2009 online edition of Harbor Light Newspaper.

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