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Archers Association of America's November 2023 Deals
Time to FALL Into Great Savings by getting a Jumpstart on Holiday Deals
The holidays are upon us and perfect time to take advantage of your employee perks and discount program for Tickets At Work!
TicketsatWork provides savings on holiday travel, entertainment and shopping deals. Have you started your holiday list for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Are you planning a getaway or to hosting family and friends? TicketsatWork saves you time, money and helps ease the burden of added expense.
It’s cost-free and easy to enroll. Just visit www.ticketsatwork.com/tickets/ to register and use our special company code to begin saving!
* Company Code Available to AAoA Members Only
Enjoy!
-Anthony
Vegas Shoot 2023 Trade Show Map
Archers Association will be located at the Shore Shot Archery Booth #219
The Future of Archers Association
*Some of this is a repeat from my email on Dec 1st 2022
Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Anthony Marino and I am the new owner of Archers Association of America. For starters I am an archer. I have been shooting some form of archery for the majority of my life. Most of my time has been in Olympic Recurve but I have shot Barebow and Compound as well. In total I have been in this sport for over 17 years. Besides my love for shooting archery I also run another archery company called Shore Shot Archery. At Shore Shot Archery we create videos and archery products to make this sport more affordable and information more accessible to everyone. I feel Archers Association is a great fit because I can use my knowledge and experience in archery to bring more benefits to my fellow archers.
From this point forward I will try to keep this organization name short and call it Archers Association. Especially since the discounts we offer are not exclusive to Americans or archers. My goal with this platform is to expand and reach a larger audience outside archery. I intend to keep and grow the discounts that are for archery (equipment, tournaments, ect). But also improve and maintain our offerings on non archery things (rental cars, hotels, food, entrainment). I see this as an opportunity for people to save in everyday life and that savings can help make their archery trips more affordable.
Also I will be making two separate blogs. A public blog for non members and a members blog for members only. The public blog will have mostly the same posts as the members BUT important information will be redacted from the nonmembers blog and ONLY available to members. These blog posts will range from new products being released to training and equipment ideas/strategies world class archers are trying out.
I am currently working on getting members discounts from more companies. A lot of this will be done went I visit these companies in person at Lancaster Classic and Vegas Shoot in early 2023. Other then that I am thinking about members only videos focused on bow tuning, training, travel, and more. These videos would be only available to Archers Association Members.
Your input is most welcome if you have any ideas or suggestion let me know via email. info@archersassociationofamerica.org
Thank you,
Anthony
Meet Judge Robert Pian
How did you get started in archery? What lead you to judging?
A group of colleagues and I discussed how our children were immersed in TV and video games and wanted to have our children be outdoors more often. One parent offered that they insisted that their children engage in an outdoor sport of their choosing and participate fully. If they don’t like the sport they may try something else. I borrowed and pitched the idea to my daughter Lindsay, who had just returned from Girl Scout Camp. She declared “Archery” as the sport she would like to do. After hit and miss investigation in the early years of internet searching, we found a JOAD in 2001. The coach noted that there was some talent, equipment was purchased and training and competition became the focus.
I came into the equation as being the parent that was hovering around like parents do but didn’t want to be a helicopter parent. It was typical for tourneys to be in need of judges and since I was going to be at events anyway, judging was a good way stay busy. Luckily, Lindsay made some world teams so I was able see what top international events were like which peaked my judging interest. The judging leadership noted that I had the time and right demeanor to be a modern judge and encouraged my judging experiences and growth.
Separately, my wife and I are in the professional planning business as Architects so we found ourselves organizing and running tourneys. Field layout, planning, logistics and results, all involve rules, procedures and judging. Being a judge and tourney planner/organizer turns out to be useful combination. Having multiple focuses has kept me involved long after my daughter stepped back from competition.
How has archery changed since you first started?
During my involvement in international archery:
The four distance FITA has been replaced with 72 arrow rounds.
Elimination and finals have evolved from 18 and 12 arrows to sets and 15 arrow matches.
The hit and miss target has come and gone and the mixed team round has been added.
FITA is now World Archery, COPARCO is now World Archery Americas and the NAA is now USA Archery.
Para Archery has focus and has grown in leaps and bounds.
Media and sports presentation focus has made the finals a highly produced event that has brought more and more attention to Archery.
At USA Archery, funding, professionalism and SafeSport have all had an impact.
What do you wish archers knew about judging?
That the international standard of judging and judges has evolved from a police officer mentality of trying to catch and punish to one where judges focus on facilitating and conducting efficient, fair and meaningful competitions.
Often I over hear archers and coaches complain that this or that isn’t following the rules, so why have rules? These provide teachable moments where I can explain that shooting too many arrows is a type of rule with consequences while the matching arrows rules is for convenience and as a result compliance is not essential for fairness.
Judges are there to help keep things on track.
What is the most interesting archery rule you have encountered?
I have come to learn that there is no exact science to the rules. For instance arrow size, the 60 pound limit and overdraw distance is not some precise mathematical determination.
I have found the rules creators strive to be practical and helpful. I enjoy seeing how those that contribute to World Archery rules strive to hold on to the tradition of archery so that the sport continues to be recognizable as archery.
Is there something you like to do as a judge?
At international tournaments, I appreciate the local organizing committees judge coordinator and how they help the judges with everything from judge logistics to seeing the local sights when off duty. So when judges come to the USA for events I volunteer to be that coordinator. Being with judges and being able to share judging experiences is a good thing.
What’s next?
I have been increasing my focus on teaching, mentoring and giving back to help others like I was helped. Staying ahead that’s a lot of time and attention.
What events have you judged?
2002 First USA Archery (formerly National Archery Association) judge duty, Iron Archer indoor.
2003 First national event judge duty at JOAD National Championship, Denver CO, USA.
2003 National Target Championship World Ranking Tournament, Appeal Juror. Reading PA, USA.
2004-Ongoing Arizona Cup, Phoenix USA, Judge, DoS, Director, Coordinator and Field Crew.
Ongoing local, state and national indoor, outdoor, championship and team trials judge, CoJ and DoS duty.
Occasionally, Easton Foundation, ATA and government agency archery venue design consulting. i.e. Easton Archery Facility Guide.
Ongoing USA Archery committee and advisory council duty; JOAD Committee and Council, Nominance and Governance, Officials and Rules, Judge Seminar Presenter.
Ongoing, National Archery Association Foundation Board Member.
Occasionally, World Archery Americas and World Archery judging best practices education materials and judge seminars presenter.
2007 Became a World Archery Americas (formerly Coparco) judge, Toronto CAN.
2007 Arizona Cup World Ranking Event Tournament Director/Coordinator.
2008 First Continental World Ranking Tourney, Medellin COL.
2009 Became World Archery (formerly FITA) International Judge Candidate, Wiesbaden GER.
2009 Junior World Championship, Ogden USA, Judge
2010-2012 World Cups, Ogden USA, Judge
2011 Advanced to International Judge. USA Archery Level 3 Coach (Formerly Community Coach)
2012 London Paralympic DoS.
2014-2015 World Cups Medellin COL, CoJ
2015 Chinese Taipei Universiade CoJ,
2015 Toronto PanAm Games Chair of Jury,
2015 Toronto ParaPan Games Technical Delegate
2016 Rio Olympic Judge
2017-2018 World Cups Salt Lake City USA, DoS/Asst DoS
2019 Napoli Universiade CoJ
2019 World Archery Judge of the Year Finalist
2020 Appointment Tokyo Paralympic Archery CoJ
Say Hello to Diana Romero
How did you get started in archery? What drew you in?
I got started in archery as an adaptive sport with the Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) program. Before my first camp I was required to choose at least two sports to compete in. So I spoke to my PT, Vladimir Camurungan who happened to be an archery coach and he said he had connections with the North Jersey Navigators a Paralympic sport club and could introduce me to the archery coach Ken Bagala. It was so exciting to find a sport I could be successful at dispute my injuries. From the first time I picked up a bow it felt very natural almost zen like. I was hooked. The Navigators meet every Saturday which gave me consistent practice and a new group of friends. The Navi athletes are truly amazing and inspire me to see possibilities not disabilities.
Archery isn't your only sport; what else do you compete in?
I currently compete seated in compound archery, discus, shot put & javelin. I have also competed in recumbent bike in the past.
How do you balance practice with the rest of your life?
My practice schedule is varied. I have training every other Monday with Coach Derek Davis. I am shooting the league at Waxobe on Tuesday evenings. I usually participate in the Friday night shoot at Waxobe. I attend the Navi practices on Saturday afternoons. I also shoot at home either outside or in my basement depending on the weather. I also try to compete locally when possible for competition experience.
My current bow and bow accessories were granted to my by the Challenged Athlete Foundation. I am extremely grateful for their support!
I use my local pro shop Woodbridge Arms & Archery for trouble shooting and bow tuning.
Adaptive sports saved my life and gave me hope. It has gotten me out of my despair and into a place of hope and recovery.
What are your archery goals for 2020?
2020 archery goals are to be steady in my practice, develop growth in competition experience and push as hard as I can to secure a spot and win as a team in Tokyo.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Meet Makenna Proctor
What surprised you most about archery?
Probably the people. Everybody is super nice and supportive. I didn’t expect to make so many friends, especially in a competitive sport like archery.
What motivates you to get up and train every day?
Honestly, I would like to be one of the best. I don’t always feel like shooting, but I know in the end it’s going to make me better. Sometimes you have to push through the laziness and just go out and shoot.
What challenges you in practice?
The biggest challenge for me in practice is staying focused on what I’m doing, it’s very mental. It can be very tedious shooting at a blank bale for hours. Even when shooting at a target I can get distracted on how someone else is doing, or how I have to shoot this many 10’s to make my goal. It’s difficult some days but I’m working on it.
What do you think helps improve your game the most?
Probably my mental program, making sure everything is the same, every single time so I’m able to make my best shot each time.
How does homeschooling support your archery lifestyle?
It definitely helps with training, I’m able to get my homework done in a couple of hours and then shoot for however long I need. I’m also able to be more flexible with my schedule. If I have a competition I can do a few extra pages earlier in the week and not have to worry about it.
What do you look forward to most in the upcoming season?
First off, I’m excited about going to Vegas and Lancaster. I’ve never been before, and I hear they’re amazing tournaments. I know they’ll push me, and will be a huge learning experience. Second, I love seeing everyone! Meeting new friends, catching up with old ones. It’s one of the best parts of shooting.
What do you like best about coaching archery?
The best thing is probably watching them succeed and grow as archers. Seeing them reach their goals is very rewarding. I also learn a lot by coaching, a problem may arise and I have to think of a way to fix it, but also a way for them to understand how and why we are doing what we’re doing. It puts a new perspective on things.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Combining Passions: Meet Chris DuHaime
Let's begin with the big question--tell us about your pro shop; how do you combine bowling and archery? How did you get started in both?
I got started with many sports: baseball, football, bowling, archery, fishing and even golf at a very young age. Growing up, I always tried to compete at the best of my abilities.
Unlike team type sports like baseball and football where a person’s abilities is affected by the team’s players, bowling, archery and golf are sports where one’s abilities are based on their own talents and knowledge. The bridge between these three sports are the mechanics the body and the mindset to play these sports to the best of anyone’s abilities.
All these sports need the ability for the body mechanics to perform a repetitive action over and over again. Repetitive motion is one of the most important functions needed to do these sports well. However, everyone that plays these sports on a competitive level knows the mental game is much more important and the hardest to master. This is where these sports parallel one another.
What does being involved with either sport teach you about doing well in the other?
Playing any sport that is based on mechanics and metal game can be much help when playing either sport. Understanding the function/movement of a body part and what it takes to perform the motion properly improves the ability to play these sports to the best of the person’s abilities.
What are you most excited about product wise in archery wise right now?
Products being offered in Archery right now helps improve the archer’s ability to perform better without the archer being perfect in their execution. Without getting into the improvements that have been made on bows, there are other examples I can comment on and why they have helped in making better archers.
Starting with the sights that are now available. Looking at where sights were years ago, there has been huge improvements. Moving the sight has become easier and more precise. Also with the new scopes and magnification for the scopes and the sight window and focus on the target has hugely improved.
The improvements in the arrow rests that now allow for micro adjustments make it easier to get the arrow leaving the bow straight.
Stabilizers and the mounts that attach them to the bows have improved by leaps and bounds. Not only the materials that these are made out of but the ability to move them by the smallest of increments to help the archer hold steady and on target.
The variety on the arrows available to everyone is crazy. No matter how you choose to shoot your bow or what competition you choose to compete in, there is an arrow that will help you do it to your best ability. With the understanding of arrow flight and using the arrow components to adjust the arrow, an archer can maximize their performance and accuracy.
I believe one of the largest improvements would be in releases. The ability to adjust the release to let an arrow go based on the archer’s abilities is huge. Not one release is the right fit for everyone, but there are plenty of releases on the market to find the one that fits best for the archer.
What is your philosophy as a pro shop owner? What do you hope archers or bowlers take away from their dealings with you?
The problem with most bowling and archery shops is that the people working in those shops don’t fully look to better the customer’s game. In most cases, the shops are just out to sell product and make money. This leaves the customer to fend for themselves in many ways. Don’t get me wrong; this is not true of all shops. In fact, most shops that are being run by their owner’s tends to be better at helping the customer the best they can. But as an example…you walk into Dick’s Sporting Goods and try to get some valuable information from the 18 year old kid stocking shelves. So, I opened my shop with the intentions to help the bowling and archery community to get better at their sport and learn. I have many customers come in and ask many questions.
The best part about customers asking questions is the more they learn the better their chances that they will improve at their sport. I want to not only supply them with the equipment they need to succeed but to also teach them how to adjust that equipment to improve their game.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Say Hello to PSE Rep Jon Brown
Tell us about who you are and your role in archery.
I am a Regional Sales Manager for PSE. I have been a retail store manager, outdoor writer, hunting guide, and a hunter safety instructor for WI & IL. I have held various positions including as a board member of the NY Outdoorsman Hall of Fame and National State Representative Director for the IBO. I was named NY Outdoorsman of the Year in 2005. I have shot a bow since the age of 10 when I was first introduced to archery at a YMCA summer camp. I have been fortunate to hunt and harvest animals in many states and Canada. I have competed with rifle and shotgun sports along with archery.
What do you like best about being on the business side? What do you miss?
Archery and bowhunting is my true love in the outdoors. I love the challenge that archery and bowhunting gives the individual. I find peace in bowhunting. I also love to challenge myself with competitive archery. I think that archery is a great sport on so many levels. One doesn't have to be a super athlete to compete and most people in the archery community are great people who truly appreciate the sport. Since 2007 I have worked for PSE Archery. One of the things I like most about PSE is that it is a family business. Pete Shepley, owner of PSE, has always treated me like family. It is great to work for a company that has allowed me to be part of so many decisions to include product development. I think that's one of the advantages of working for a family owned business. I have seen many changes at PSE and in the archery industry. Things are definitely different on the business side of archery versus the consumer side. One major lesson I have learned on the business side is the importance of the customer/consumer. Pete has always pounded this side of business in our heads. He wouldn't be in business for 50 years now without understanding this important lesson. In recent history, PSE has grown stronger with the leadership of David Kronengold, General Manager and Lonnie Workman, VP of Sales as they have come together as key leaders at PSE. As a company, we are fortunate for their leadership because they get it and truly live the image of what Pete has created at PSE!
Besides working for one of the best companies, I have been fortunate enough to work with two other aspects of the industry. The first being the various dealers I am fortunate to partner with. I have learned a lot from many of them and not necessarily archery related. Having run a retail store in the past I understand the struggles many of these dealer’s face. I pride myself on giving them the best customer service as possible. The point of the matter is that we have to be partners so we can both succeed. So when they need your help, you need to be there for them. Most archery dealers are archery fanatics themselves. We often forget the sacrifices they make by running a store. Many miss the hunting or competitions that originally lured them into running a store, not to mention the meals and family time they lose because they are taking care of their customers.
The other side of the business I love is my shooting staff. I am fortunate enough to work with a staff that has more national and world championships than any other regional staff! I also like to brag about my female staff shooters. My female staff shooters are probably the most formidable regional female staff in the world! I also like to include some youth in my staff as they are the future of our sport.
What does it mean to be a good ambassador to the sport of archery?
The most important thing about my staff is that they are awesome ambassadors of the sport and their dedication and enthusiasm feed my drive to be better and do more for the archery community. Archery has given me so much, and as an ambassador of the sport, I think we should constantly look at how we can give back. That was how I was fortunate enough to become involved in the IBO. It was great an experience and one I cherished.
If you could wave a magic wand and improve our sport, what would you like to see happen?
I think that we should all get involved at some level whether it's IBO, ASA, NFAA, etc. It definitely gives one a deeper appreciation of what it takes to put on the numerous events. If I could make one recommendation to competitive shooting it would be shoot all the different genres, whether its field, 3D, or indoor. First of all you don't have to take them seriously, but they will help make you a better shooter. If I could make one change for archery, I would like to see the general public become more involved in archery. Archery develops individuals in so many ways no matter the age or physical shape. I love shooting with friends, but I also like being able to meet new people at the events. Every day, I learn something. I would like to thank PSE for the opportunity, my dealers for their friendship, my staff for, well, for more than they will ever know, and my fellow archers for the fun and support!
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Learn More About Erick Hall & Active Target Systems
Let’s start with the basics; what is the Active Target System?
Active Target Systems is a rotating target system that can use multiple target/backstops. It can have two, three, four or more target backstops on it and can rotate them 360 degrees and stop at any position we program it to and do so at any speed we program it to. It is controlled by two ways; the first is the pedal controls that has four pedal operations, and the second is by the application.
BREAK…The Breakable Target Game is our main target and game of play. It consists of four target faces with three breakable target holders on it. It is a 24 arrow and 24 point game with two rounds of 12 arrows or 12 possible points. Round one has a shoot time of 30 seconds at each of the four target faces. Round two can be played in Speed Round Mode with 20 seconds shoot time with the flip of a switch on the pedal control or the press of an icon on the application
There is a colored light bar just below the target face that helps you through the game.
When you select the green icon/pedal, the timed game starts with a solid amber 8 second warning light, then a green solid light means it’s time to shoot. A number of seconds before the shoot time is up, a flashing amber light appears, warning you the shoot time is about to end. When the shoot time is up, a solid red light turns on as the green light turns off and a flashing amber light appears representing the target is now rotating to the next target face. As the next target face gets into position, the flashing amber light stops, and the solid green shoot light turns on while the solid red light turns off. This is your visual guide to the timed game in both normal speed and in the speed round mode.
When “Manual Rotate” mode is selected, the timed game is off, and you are able to rotate the target to any target face you want, one target at a time, and the only light that is on is the flashing amber light when it is rotating. This mode allows you to use a stop watch and shoot as fast as you can to race against the clock to improve your total time to shoot all targets and compete in time with your friends. This function will also be used in our pressure shooting coaching games we plan to develop to better coach shooting under pressure.
Because of the 360 rotating base and endless timing we can adjust, it can be played with our BREAK Target Game or any other target you want, creating an entire new game of play to include target faces everyone is already use to, like a Vegas three-spot or paper animal targets.
With the application, we are currently in development of many different games and coaching modes the archer will be able to choose from.
In addition, we are currently developing an automatic scoring system that will see if you have made a BREAK of the breakable target, or if you shot a miss, and it will automatically reflect your score on the scoreboard immediately. With this technology, we are developing a shooter profile system that when playing, the shooter logs in and his profile photo along with his stats pop up on the screen and will automatically keep track of the shooter’s progress and log it to the shooter’s profile.
Because of its ability to use multiple target/backstops, the system allows for ranges that have limited lanes to increase the amount of archers it can hold and run larger leagues like a Vegas 300 round. You can put an A-line and B-line of four targets on Target/Backstop Number 1 and a C-line and D-line on Target/Backstop Number 3. This will double the amount of archers you can have in a similar space as it takes for just over 1 target. This decreases the amount of target hall space needed or lane space to run larger leagues or tournaments.
Where do you envision this being used?
Our main focus, at first, will be to get these units into archery pro-shops to help increase traffic through their stores. Pro-shops all over the world are going out of business at a truly alarming rate, and something needs to change before it’s too late! We hope to have a program in play that will allow shops to get at least one of these units in their shop and then we will send consumers through their doors to play the BREAK league that will be linked up on the internet where everyone can compete against each other, or the shop will have a chance to just run their own league with their customer base.
Eventually, we would like to see a new national/international archery organization rise from this with a professional archery league as well as an amateur archery league.
Why a new organization?
Because this is a totally different game and platform, designed to be a gateway into archery to get new people excited about archery and then go onto other archery sports.
The BREAK game is action-packed and fast-paced with none of the inherited problems with most scoring targets. Did the arrow hit the line, break the line or score the higher point? Many times this takes calling a judge to make the call, slowing the game down. This also makes it very hard for a spectator to watch and follow along—even harder if they are watching it from TV.
Our Active Target System and the BREAK game makes it super easy for archers, spectators in the stands, or viewers from home to easily follow along with the game as we have visual and audio effects happening all at the same time. This is the type of system and game that will help us attract new archers to the sport and also attract big outside industry sponsors like insurance companies, truck companies, drink companies, and more, which is what is needed to make archery a truly professional sport.
Basically with the creation of this system, guided and supported the right way, we will be able to attract outside sponsors, attract new archers, push more traffic through archery shops doors, increase profits to organizations that already exist that produce big tournaments and do it all while making archery fun to play and fun to watch.
How did this innovation come to you?
After a truly lifetime of development, I can finally share with the world my game changing creation!
It all started when I was seven at my grandfather Fred Hall’s fishing shows which are HUGE fishing tackle, boat and everything that encompasses the outdoor experience, convention shows. There was a rep that sold Ranger Bass boats and Bear Archery bows at our Long Beach show that set up a bunch of hay bales and had people shooting the line of Bear bows. I would run around the entire convention center visiting with the thousands of different exhibitors. I often found myself spending many hours a day at the archery range. Shooting the paper targets was fun but what I got real joy out of was shooting soda cans and balloons.... I was hooked. That year, at the end of the show, as the rep was closing down the booth, he gave me my first bow and said it has to be yours since you had so much fun and was so good at it. This launched my life long love for archery!
My parents, being the awesome parents they are, decided to help me in my new passion, and my father got a bow, so he could shoot with me on our ranch. Those were amazing times I will never forget! Speed up a few years, and soon my mother and older sister became archers as well. Shortly, we became a family of archers, traveling all over California shooting archery tournaments and enjoying the sport to its fullest! I remember as a boy, I would take my bow and portable target with me to my dad’s work, which was on movie, music video and commercial sets all over the country, and I shot my bow on the side at filming locations. I did this from elementary, to middle school and eventually high school. Archery was now a huge part of my life; I even had a bow and arrow put on the side of my high school class ring.
By high school, I was so involved in archery , I was teaching others how to shoot in the thousands at my family’s fishing shows, about 1,500 to 3,000 new archers in a weeks time at each of the three show locations: Long Beach Convention Center, then onto the Del Mar Fairgrounds and then the Ventura Fairgrounds. There I experienced the same thing I found, all the new archers liked shooting paper targets, but they really loved shooting balloons, cans, clay pigeons, and anything else that would show an immediate positive shot reaction. I made the local news many mornings at the shows by shooting different objects on TV, helping advertise the shows and archery.
Fast forward to my junior year in high school and the time had come to open up an archery shop of our own, so we opened Moose Mountain Archery Center. We started with a little work shop in our dining room; I fletched countless arrows for people, set up their bows, and taught archery in our backyard archery range. Shortly after this, we bought a 32 foot toy hauler where I built a bunch of displays that could roll out with PSE, Martin and Bear Bows on and had a bunch of displays for all other accessories. We took this mobile shop to every one of our family’s fishing shows.
Archery has now become such a big deal for us that we decided it was time to move all of our studio equipment out of our 3,000 square foot shop and turn it into our first indoor range with the mobile shop parked just outside the door. Here is where we taught countless people how to shoot archery and were even running leagues. Yeah.... shooting paper was fun, and our collection of 3D animals was great as well, but not enough still. This is when a family friend that once worked for Jennings Bows, and I got to work on a 10 target, pneumatic (air) controlled, pop up 3D system! Now this was starting to get exciting. We now had a system that was fun and ran shoots at the shop with it, then of course took it to every one of our family’s fishing shows where thousands of people could shoot it. The pop-up 3D system was success, and so was our Moose Mountain Archery Center!
Move forward about six months. We had come to the conclusion that we had out grown our little ranch archery shop and need a more mainstream location. In our town of Agua Dulce, there was a grocery store that had always struggled due to its isolated location next to the popular Vasquez Rocks. Our growing customer base would come from all over Southern California to buy equipment and take lessons from us, so the isolated location we felt would be okay for us. After a little time and negotiation, we signed the lease, and it was time to pull all the abandoned market equipment out and build an archery shop! After a couple weeks of moving all the market equipment out, I then spent 7 weeks, 7 days a week from sun up to late in the night working on the shop.
After a few months of building, we were ready for our grand opening! We set up our pop up target system in our 12 lane, 20 yard indoor range. We held countless birthday parties, 4H, Boy Scout, Girl Scout groups there all the time. We ran a few different paper target leagues, JOAD on the weekends and 3D leagues. All this was great but it was our Holiday Shoots that were the best as we shot fun and different targets at these..... balloons on a track that went from one side of the range to the other, back and forth, ping pong balls on a blower, breath mints, and clay pigeons on the wall. These were the targets everyone loved to shoot—just like the thousands of new archers at the fishing shows.
During all of this my family and I would always try to get new blood in the sport and figure out creative ways to do this, we talked countlessly about how do we get outside industry sponsors into the sport and why they were not there already.
Speed up years later and now I’m with Doinker, traveling the world showing off our archery products we had to offer the world. I realized early on many issues with our sport, reasons why we don’t truly have a professional sports like golf and baseball, and why our sport is always having issues growing to the next level. We have so many archers around the world, the numbers are there to at least spawn something that could be great, different then anything anyone has seen before. I had so many ideas and one crazy one.... one I knew that would work from way back when I was a young archer but lacked the knowledge of how to make it work back then.
Race forward to a couple years ago. We had this crazy idea to build a carbon factory of our own. So I positioned myself in a world of composite industry people, attending composite expos, networking and meeting new people in the composite world. After a few months of hard work, I found a golf shaft factory that had just recently gone out of business. After many months of crazy negotiations and figuring out what we needed, the equipment was ours! Now we had to spend months moving everything from Mexico to our new nearby carbon factory.... Karbon Krafters in Lancaster CA. Now we had a ton of equipment to make golf shafts and had to figure out how to convert it all to make world class carbon stabilizers in the USA! When I started this journey, I never expected to learn so much about automation, hydraulics, electrical PLC and just basically everything electrical and mechanical. Since a lot of the equipment was not in working condition, I had to quickly learn at least the basics. Then there I was, designing and fabricating machines that we needed to do the job. Because of what I had learned from friends and family that had helped me get it all together, I now had the knowledge and better tuned skills to finally fabricate my game changing target system that had been on paper and in my head most of my life.
With the new Karbon Krafters finally up and running and our team that makes it up, really doing great at it. The time had come for me to take my creation and turn it into a reality. After many months of designing, fabricating, long countless hours hard at work in creating something I feel can change archery and all other shooting sports.
Now the system is ready and I have multiple patent pendings on its designs. I can show what has kept me hard at work. There are no scoring rings for hard to call line judgments that take up time, no foam animals that have scoring rings either or represent killing something (which I feel is a reason for the lack of outside sponsors).
I hope to have these in archery shops and running international leagues, pushing customers through their doors to help them keep them open in a time where all shops are struggling to keep them open. I hope that this system will attract new blood into our sport. I hope that it will spawn a new organization that will be able to attract BIG paying, outside industry sponsors. I hope this will do many things to take our sport to a truly professional sport!
What does this mean for your other archery ventures like Doinker?
We hope that Active Targets Systems and Break…. The Breakable Target Game will bring new life to our sport of archery as well as to all other shooting and throwing sports where hitting a target is the object. If archers like it as much as we know they will, the next generation of archers will help us to grow the sport and keep pro-shop doors open and all that support the industry will benefit from it.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Meet Jim and Tracie Klossner of Athens Archery
How did you find yourselves involved in archery? What did it take to make the jump to the business side?
Being a passionate bowhunter and 3D archer, it wasn’t too hard to become involved in the archery business. Previous experience working in the industry made the transition easy - having the relationships and contacts with others as well as understanding the business is a critical component to success. We both share a love of the outdoors and are also entrepreneurial, so getting into the archery business as a husband and wife team just made sense.
What are your hopes for Athens Archery? What do you hope to bring to the table with this venture?
We feel very strongly about putting the customer first - this drives everything we do. When you start shooting Athens, you become part of our family - that’s a concept that we embrace and memorialize in our daily activities. Everyone in the archery community should support one another. This will go a long way towards ensuring both long term growth in the sport, as well as success for all of the businesses that support archery. That passion and drive will in turn translate into growth for Athens.
What have you learned from being in archery that helps you to succeed in your business?
Understanding the customer and what they want is the biggest key to success. Being heavily involved in archery and listening to other people that are involved makes it easy to understand the customer mindset and provide options that they want.
What's next for Athens?
Next is looking at ways to grow Athens vertically while expanding our dealer network. We want to bring more to the marketplace that our customers tell us is of value, while maintaining everything that makes Athens a superior bow.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Meet Trevor Williamson of Northeast Strings
What makes a great bowstring?
When looking at any archery equipment, you want consistency from shot to shot. The last thing that you want is to be thinking, “Is my equipment going to cause my shot not to go into the center of the target or the kill zone of an animal?” Thoughts like this can build target panic and other anxiety driven shooting issues. This brings me to why I got into building strings and then led to me starting Northeast Strings. I feel that a great bow string starts off with the best string material on the market. My standard string material that I use on compound strings is BCY 452X. This string gives a great combination of durability, consistency, looks and speed. I have started using Bloodline string material as well and I will build strings out of it on special request. If you are looking for a string that fuzzes up less than 452X I would recommend BCY X99. On all of my strings I serve with BCY Halo that, in my opinion, is superior serving.
There is a lot of technical stuff that goes into string making and every string maker has their opinion of the correct way to make strings. You have stretching times, stretching tension, wax or no wax, so on and so on. I am not going to go into every detail that I use when making strings, but I guarantee that when you buy a Pro Level string from Northeast Strings you are getting a low wax string that has gone through a stretching process that helps eliminate break-in period on your string and gets rid of that “pain in the butt” peep rotation. I am the only string builder here at Northeast Strings and this helps with producing consistent strings on each build. A lot of people shooting my strings have me build multiple sets at a time for a main and back-up bow, and I want to make sure the process is the exact same from string to string so they have the same feel for when they have to switch to their other bow.
So to sum up what makes a great string: it is one that when installed on the bow and the bow is tuned in, you do not have any movement in that string, your timing is not changing after 200 shots, and it is not affected on hot or cold days. I still would not recommend leaving your bow in a hot car, that’s not good for any equipment. I want to give all my customers confidence that the string they are putting on their bow is the best and most consistent string that they could have.
What do you do besides archery?
My day is mainly made up of being a carpenter, working on large and small jobs. But to be honest my family is the most important thing to me. I have two boys that I love watching them grow, play sports, and just be boys. I have a fantastic wife who is always here to help me whenever I need it.
What has been your best day shooting?
That is a tough one. I love shooting whenever I get a chance, whether it is shooting 20 arrows or 150 arrows. But to give an answer to your question it was probably the NFAA New England Sectionals. At that time I was having a hard time breaking the 300 50x score. That day I was shooting next to a great shooter who was killing the X. I think at the end he shot a 300 with 59x and that one miss was a very close call. His precise shooting pushed me to keep that level of concentration on my game and the target; I ended with a 300 55X. The score was not what was important; it was the learning the level of concentration that is needed to bring my game to the next level.
What’s on your archery bucket list?
Podium finish at the Lancaster Archery Classic
Making the shoot-off at Vegas
Podium finish at the NFAA Field Championships
Shooting Redding
Hunting trip out west
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Master in Many Arenas: Meet Marianna Finkel
How did you come to archery and competing in the Master category?
I was introduced to the archery when I was 10 years old. It was one of many programs available and supported by government in Moldova, Soviet Union (in early 1980). The requirements were that you come to the range to train 2-3 times a week, and to start from bare bow on the blank bail at 3 meters for few months before you are moved to 18 meters mark. I have competed in the club shoots at 18 meters, but never own my own bow. I was fascinated by all fancy equipment older archers were able to shoot. Being from a poor family, I knew that my parents would never be able to afford and get me my own bow. However, I was always looking for an opportunity to shoot, or what I call “executing the shot” and started riffle competition in high school and continued for two years. I had to stop all my activities (shooting and ballroom dance), as I entered college, married and had kids, and later immigrated to America.
Three and half years ago, I met a bowhunter at a birthday party and from him learned that there is no age limit for archery, and I can actually take few lessons and try different bows. I made a decision that night, and in a month, I owned my own bow, a bow I would never have as a little girl in Moldova. In three months, I won my first California State 900 tournament in Adult Bowhunter category (NFAA), and I have been doing target shooting since then. This year I decided to challenge myself and try for USA Team trials in the Master division (USAT). It was interesting, challenging, and fulfilling season for me, as I made Team USA 2020 in Master Compound division; this season I have taken Silver in Arizona Cup, and Bronze at USA Open Nationals.
You recently had some amazing professional success. Tell us about your work in robotic surgery.
I am proud to work for an amazing company, Intuitive Surgical. I am a clinical research associate (CRA) and heavily involved in execution of Clinical Trials at Hospital and Academic Institutions. Intuitive Surgical is known as a the maker of da Vinci Robot, which is used by surgeons around the globe for minimally-invasive surgeries. Just recently, I was involved in the Prospective Multicentral Clinical Trial for Trans-oral procedure for resection of malignant tumor using single-port system. I am glad to say that we got FDA approval, and now multiple hospitals are using the system for this indication.
How do you balance archery with such a demanding career?
Sometimes I ask myself the same question. I learned how to prioritize and plan accordingly. I work well with timelines and trying to not to procrastinate. I cannot imagine myself not busy; I just wish I had a few more hours a day and few more days a week.
What is it that you do outside of archery?
As you know, I work full time and required to travel for work, I also own a business; I am a designer and seamstress. I make dance costumes; some of my costumes are featured on the Dancing with the Stars and World of Dance, and it takes significant amount of my evenings and weekends. I also like to cook, bike, and spend time with family.
I know you are recruiting archers for the Maccabi Games. What are the games? How are you getting ready yourself for them?
Thank you for asking me this question. Maccabi is an Olympic-style sporting competition for Jewish people, and it’s third largest after Olympics and FIFA World Cup. It was first held in 1932. United Maccabi games occur every four years in Israel, during July, and last for two weeks. In the latest 20th Maccabi Games in 2017, there were participating athletes from 85 countries. Can you just imagine that?! And they competed in 45 sports.
Maccabi Games in 2021 will be my first game. I am working with USA Maccabi Federation as a volunteer, looking for archers to come on board and join in next games. There is lots of work to be done, and I hope to find enough archers to join recurve and compound team match and mixed teams match.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts in travel and archery equipment for archers of all disciplines. To learn more or sign up, go to www.archersassociation.org.
Learn More About Trevis Meseroll & SureShot Custom Jerseys
What is your archery journey? How did you become an archer?
I was taken hunting by my uncles and cousins growing up in Ohio. They hunted deer, turkey, raccoon and did some trapping as well, and my uncle showed me how to shoot a compound bow as a teenager.
How did you get in the business of archery jerseys?
About 12 years ago, my oldest son was playing paintball and got me into playing. I started playing competitive paintball. At the same time, I was working as a graphic designer. My son told me that he thought I would be able to make some great looking jersey designs. So I played with a few design ideas and posted them on my Trevis Meseroll Designs facebook page.
Then I started to see some interest in my design work, and then it kind of took off, and I was freelancing my design work for just about every custom jersey manufacturer in the paintball industry and also working with some of the industries top companies as well.
Then I got more involved in hunting as more than just a hobby and my passion for archery grew as well. So then SureShot Custom Jerseys was born. I wanted to do what I did in the paintball industry but in the archery realm. But have my own brand this time!
What do you think makes a great archery jersey?
My outlook on what a "custom" jersey is or should be was hatched about 10 years ago. "Custom" should be exactly that! CUSTOM. Not some "cookie cutter" pre-made jersey template that hundreds of people can buy and only change the color!
That to me ISN'T a custom jersey at all. As well when I launched SureShot, I intentionally didn't set up a website. Why? That is very easy to answer: I want to offer a hands on approach to our friends. You and I work together to get you a great looking jersey that YOU wanted in terms of layout, colors, and logos. I don't charge for vectorizing logos, or for the addition of this many or that many. SureShot cuts out the games of jersey making and sets the price, and that is the price! To me, it's about QUALITY and not QUANTITY!
What is your favorite part of the process/business?
The interaction with my new friend or friends that will be wearing that SureShot jersey "we" created! As well as the design aspect and layout of the art.
How does your faith influence your business practices?
That is a simple one for me. It's the driving force behind what I do. I set a great price point, making it an affordable custom jersey. I work full time and love to design and SureShot is my outlet for creativity. This isn't about the money, never has been. The Lord has always made a way and taken care of me. Yes we need money to survive in life. But I started SureShot to get my design fix and help archers, and other athletes of all sports, get a creatively unique jersey that will STAND OUT from the crowd!
As a creative writer myself, I find that archery and my writing can take up the same space in my brain; do you see any overlap between art and design and archery?
I honestly knew since i was about 8 or 9 I wanted to be a Graphic Designer. I would see logos, and I would critique them and think about how i could make them different or better. I took as many art classes as I could in school, I've also painted canvas art and custom murals in homes too. I truly love being able to design custom jerseys for archers or archery companies/shops. It does overlap on something I truly love. To me, there isn't anything like shooting a bow! I love to hunt and also just going to the range and letting them arrows fly is so freeing! My youngest son, who is 8, has stated shooting a compound bow and is liking it, which thrills me!
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts for travel and archery gear for it's members. To learn more, go to the Archers Association of America.
Meet All Around Athlete: Candice "Corc" Raines
I have had the pleasure of shooting with Corc aka Candice Raines since I first started attending USA Archery events. Her counsel and friendship helped me through many a tournament and serve as a testament to her love of sport and teaching. Corc is accomplished in so many different disciplines from archery, to nordic skiing, to orienteering and golf! On top of all of this, she and her husband, Thayer, owned an overnight summer camp for boys for 35 years—while actively competed on the USAT circuit!
You have a long history in sports and recreation. What are some of your other interests outside of archery?
I have many interests outside target archery, with most involving competitive sports and outdoor recreation. For competition, I participate in nordic ski marathons, ski and foot orienteering, archery biathlon and alpine skiing. My outdoor activities include backpacking, hiking, winter mountaineering, canoeing, kayaking, rock and ice climbing; and mountain biking. For overall fitness, I power walk, swim, lift weights and play golf. Music is important to me. I have played guitar and violin since I was young. Community service organizations I serve include: Medical Reserve Corps, Community Emergency Response Team, Vermont State Guard, American Red Cross Instructor Corps and the National Ski Patrol. I enjoy living in Vermont. We have four distinct seasons, with ample snow. Changing activities by seasons keeps thing fresh.
What has being a multi-discipline athlete taught you that helped your archery game?
Playing other sports has prepared me for the rigors of a long shooting day and helped me stay physically strong. Many of my sports involve snow or the woods, but there are thousands of other sports one could play that would give the same benefits. Nordic marathons require long periods of training and races push the athlete to their physical and mental limits. A skier must exhibit the ability to “will” their way forward for 50 kilometers over a grueling course in harsh weather. This helps develop what is popularly known as “grit” or the ability to endure and be resilient in the face of adversity. Ski and foot orienteering; and archery biathlon are dual sports. They require speed, but are tempered by the need for mental acuity. They require athletes to balance their pace with reading a map or shooting a small target. A day on the target archery field can last over eight hours. One has to be able to stay focused, at least while on the line. While each of my other sports also increases balance, cardiovascular fitness and mental acuity, alpine skiing develops strong leg and core muscles and balance.
Fitness activities are designed to get athletes ready for the archery season. I lift heavy weights in rotation for specific body parts. I don’t listen to music when I walk. I use the time to solve problems, come up with new ideas or just mentally relax. Playing golf is also very form driven. Outdoor sports are my profession, so I get to practice them often. They also build muscle, require learning new skills, test your mental capacity and enhance your “grit.”
In addition to being so active, you also studied Recreation Science and earned your Doctorate degree from Indiana University and your Masters from Penn State. What counsel do you have for athletes balancing school and sport?
As a university professor, I am often asked about balancing schoolwork and practice/playing time. There are more than enough hours in the day to be productive, but only if you adhere to a schedule, stay focused when you are doing schoolwork AND get off social media/streaming services. While in school, your main focus must be schoolwork, not athletics. You must put together a schedule of schoolwork just like you put together your yearly archery training/competition plan. All assignments must be mapped out with a start and end date with specific hours listed for working on them.
Most importantly, you have to stick with the plan. Find your own place to do your work. While in school, I always used the deepest recesses of the library to complete assignments. If you become more organized with schoolwork, you will find more than enough hours left over for exercise and socialization. Adding physical training does not have to involve long hours or special equipment. Using body exercises, simple weights and stretch bands works. Short periods for exercise during the day can be just as effective if you do not have an hour to exercise. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is best if time is limited.
Sleep is one of the most overlooked and important element of success in school and athletics. I sleep 8-9 hours a night. It allows my body to recover from work and training. I keep track of my resting heart rate. If it has not recovered to my goal of 49 BPM, I pull back on training for the day and focus on breathing and stretching instead.
The biggest problem I see with athletes today is the constant use of digital devices. I have had to dismiss students from class when, so addicted to their devices, they actually refused to put them away. I have my students track their use of these devices and then formulate a plan for getting off them except for specific times. After a period of high anxiety, students, to the person, have reported being more productive AND happier/less anxious.
You and your beloved husband, Thayer, recently retired from owning Roaring Brook Camp. What advice might you have for parents about getting their children exposed to the outdoors and involved in sports?
Sports participation can also benefit children from a young age. Much has been written about the negative aspects of youth sports. There are so many sports to choose that create a positive experience for children. I think early childhood team sports should only be operated as all play, everyone learns, no one keeps score leagues. Individual sports allow children to develop skills sat their own pace and not be left out of competition. The benefits of sports participation are strong. Friendship, teamwork, overcoming obstacles, enduring failure and being a gracious humble winner, fitness, skills and cognitive development are developed by athletes. The development of self-esteem, confidence, resilience and grit are also part of athletics.
I would like to make the case for participation in overnight summer camp. Yes, I was the owner of a boy’s wilderness camp for 35 years, so I am biased. But I am also a university professor who gets to see the abilities of incoming freshmen. Overnight camp teaches children to make friends, socialize in acceptable manner, solve disputes amenably, chose their schedule and navigate the camp property. They learn new physical and cognitive skills and develop positive leadership qualities. They learn to trust adults outside the family and meet children and adults from across the US and the world. They grow in their self-esteem and self-confidence. The more years and the longer the weeks spent at camp, the stronger the positive values they develop. I know immediately when one of my students has had significant away from home experiences. They are ready for college. They can set their schedule, know how to seek resources to help them, make friends quickly, can live with others in a dorm and set their priorities. They do not get homesick, and they do not end up dropping out of school. Most long-term campers see college, as I did at 18, as a big summer camp. They already know how to be successful because of their years of experience away from home. Choosing the right overnight camp that fits with your values and goals you have for your child’s development is critical. The American Camp Association can help parents with this process.
I would like to leave you with one last thought. A major study by Harvard University of young people’s needs and desires accidentally revealed what youth and teenagers need and want the most. Not on the questionnaire, youth, even older high school students, wrote in an open comment box “I want more time with my parents.” At camp, my staff (young adults) and I had many quality hours to spend with children and youth, especially on backpack and canoe trips. It broke my heart that they often commented that they could not get enough attention from their parents because they were always on their digital devices. It made them sad, and they felt as though they were not important to their parents. Just think on that for a bit.
Archery Tournament Calendar Now Live!
Check out our Archery Tournament Calendar
Considering shooting an upcoming tournament but can't remember when or where?
We've put together a calendar of open archery events from World Archery, USA Archery, NFAA, ASA, IBO, Total Archery Challenge, and more. Check it out at https://archersassociation.org/archery-tournament-calendar
Let us know if there's a national tournament we missed at info@archersassociationofamerica.org!
Collegiate Archer to Coach: Meet Bryan Brady
With his Spyder Man bucket hat and the crew of Lancaster JOAD around him, you too may have encountered archery coach, Bryan Brady. It was great to find out more about how he manages the team and his roots at archery college powerhouse, JMU.
You attended JMU and participated in their archery program. What would you tell someone looking to shoot archery in college?
For anybody that is looking to shoot archery in college, there are a lot of opportunities out there. In answering this question, you’ve got two types of people: those who have never shot, but are looking to start, and those who competed before college, and are looking to continue. In both cases, if they are already going to a school that has an established team (JMU, Texas A&M, UCLA, etc.) then it may be as simple as emailing the coach or club President and asking to attend a meeting. There are dozens of colleges with archery sport clubs or official teams, and most are constantly on the look out for fresh talent. At the same time, there are many more universities that don’t have an archery team but would likely be receptive to a group of students starting one! Just because the school of your dreams doesn’t also have an archery program doesn’t mean that your archery goals have to be put on hold.
How did you get started in coaching?
I started coaching during my sophomore year of college in 2009. I was already attending JMU with the idea of going through their secondary education program to become a teacher, but I was not expecting to start teaching quite so quickly. Jacob Wukie was finishing up his senior year when I first started college. Along with Bob Ryder—our Head Coach—he was in charge of teaching inexperienced freshman archers how to shoot, and he is largely responsible for getting me hooked on archery in general. I remember that during a practice some point early on during my sophomore year, Wukie mentioned to me that I should shadow him during those initial freshman practices, so I could get a better idea how to teach incoming students what to do. He would be graduating that semester, after all, and someone was going to have to take over his informal role of instructional assistant. I’m pretty sure my eyes got pretty large, but I did what he asked. Each year after that until my graduation, I continued helping new archers learn to shoot, eventually getting my Level 2 Coaching certification in the process.
What do you think it takes to be successful as a coach? What does it take to build a cohesive team?
Being successful as a coach is a surprisingly difficult thing to quantify. Is it based off of how many students you reach, how successful they are, how happy they are? Maybe it is based on how many titles your team garners, or whether you can support yourself through your coaching career alone. I think the definition of ‘success’ will vary depending on each coach’s individual vision, but there are some requirements that I think every successful coach has to meet. First and foremost, I believe that to be an effective coach you need to know how to shoot. If you have never shot a bow in a regular capacity, you do not know what your students are feeling, and you will always lack the ability to describe how motions feel. Along the same lines, if you want to be a coach that can help people succeed at a competitive level, you also need to have experience competing. This experience does not necessarily have to be with archery, though that is certainly a bonus. If you do not have competitive experience in archery or a sport with similar structure, you will never completely understand the emotions, goals, successes, and disappointments that your students are going through, and that will hold you back as a teacher.
Building a cohesive team is probably the most difficult task of any sport. Most coaches can teach the technical skills of archery to one degree or another, but there are comparatively very few that can forge an effective, tight-knit team in what is a very individual sport. I think there are a lot of different ways to create an effective team, but the one requirement I would lay out is trust. You have to be able to connect with your athletes, which requires trust going both ways. If they are going to be talking to you about how they feel about their shooting (and any coach of a competitive athlete knows that there are few things more emotionally charged than an athlete’s performance), then you have to be willing to show trust by talking to them about how you feel as well. A lot of people have this vision of the ‘brilliant coach’ as this nigh-unassailable, inaccessible pillar of authority whose word is law. That works in the movies but generally not in real life. It can be uncomfortable to be honest with your athletes about your own personal struggles and successes, but if you are not willing to be honest with them, they will never be honest with you, and honest communication between athletes and coaches is a must. If there is no trust, then you don’t have a team. You have a group of people with a chaperone.
How do balance your own archery goals with coaching?
What a question to end with! For me, balancing my own goals in archery with my coaching has always been an immense struggle. I love teaching people how to shoot, and I love shooting my bow. It would have been easier years ago to stop shooting competitively and focus more of my attention on coaching, but that would have meant giving up on my own dreams. If I give up on those, I would feel hypocritical teaching others to follow theirs. Archery will always be a balance for me, and my students know this. I will help my athletes chase their dreams and goals, and I will never give up on chasing mine.
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts for the archery community for travel, archery gear, and other merchandise for a $20 per year membership fee. To sign up or learn more, visit www.archersassociation.org.
Meet OPA Winner Katherine Collier
We just wanted to take a minute to introduce you to an upcoming compound archer from New Jersey, Katherine Collier. Her season highlight this year was winning the very challenging OPA for her division. We admire her drive to succeed in archery!
How did you get started in archery?
When I was eight years old, I received a bow and a target for Christmas. Although it was a very basic Bear Archery bow with the pink beginner’s arrows, I immediately fell in love with the sport.
What was winning OPA like? How did you get ready for that event?
Winning OPA was amazing. I was a very big win for me because I personally knew my competitor, and how well she shoots. To get ready for the event, I practiced a lot of NFAA Field because it was the closeted thing I could shoot that would "resemble" 3D. I do not have a lot of 3D courses where I live, so when I practiced in my backyard I also used my rangefinder and shot around the yard at different angles and distances. I also spent a lot of time with my coach and other team members that have previously shot the OPA and other 3D tournaments.
How do you balance practicing, competing, and school?
It is very hard to balance practicing, competing, and school, but somehow I am able to do it. I think it really comes down to understanding time management and your top responsibilities. If I know that I have a very important assignment or test coming up, I will make that my top priority because education is one of the most important things to me. However, I try to shoot every day, even if it's for only a few ends.
What would you like other girls considering archery to know about the sport?
I would like girls to know that they can do it! Archery does not have to be a sport for only boys, and once you delve deeper into it, you realize that it’s not. I have made so many great friends and connections through archery, and I wish that I started sooner. Even though it is not the "normal", everyday sport, it's a great thing to participate in!
The Archers Association of America negotiates discounts for the archery community for travel, archery gear, and other merchandise for a $20 per year membership fee. To sign up or learn more, visit www.archersassociation.org.
Seattle Horizon Archery: Shining Light on Archery in the Pacific Northwest
We recently noticed social media postings celebrating archery in the Pacific Northwest pop up on our feeds, and we were pleasantly surprised to find recurve archer, Timm Hines, and his wife, Jenn, behind the new initiative to bring light to the sport in their home turf.
First off, tell us more about your new endeavor; what is Seattle Horizon Archery? What do you hope to accomplish with this? How can people find you?
Absolutely. My wife and I began an organization called Seattle Horizon Archery just a little over a year ago and launched a website www.seattlearchery.com. Our focus is to bring archery resources to the Pacific Northwest Region and provide recognition of the archers who compete at local, state, and national/international events.
We have a great State Association in Washington State however they don't necessarily recognize people or organizations that do not pay to be members. It is our hopes to recognize all archery organizations, shooting styles, and levels of competition regardless of who an individual or business aligns themselves with organizationally or if they shoot a longbow, crossbow, compound bow or recurve. Archery is archery. As a community we should be celebrating archery successes in our opinion. We are trying to make that happen in our area one post, one story, one picture at a time.
How did you get started in archery?
I got started in archery back in 2003 when a few kids at the school where I taught wanted to give it a try. I didn't know much about it so I went to local shops and clubs to learn more. One thing lead to another and 6 months later I shot a qualifying score to compete in the 2004 Olympic trials. Became addicted to the sport, realized I wanted to see how far I could go and made the 2007/2009 US National Team.
What do you like best about being part of an archery community?
I think I appreciate the archery community because it really attracts people who have a positive mental attitude and a different way of thinking. People are really supportive for the most part.
If you could wave a magic wand and improve some aspect of archery, what would you like to see happen?
If I could wave a wand, I would like to see people who are really trying to do something in the sport get more support. There is more information now more than ever before in online access. It seems that there are communities that are still trying to catch up to it. I think that's one reason we started Seattle Horizon Archery—to help people get connected to the information, equipment, lessons, and places to compete.
Meet Tony Cuchiara--On All Sides of Archery
Tony Cuchiara is founder of Arizona Archery Club, a avid bow hunter, and now a regional sales manager representing Gold Tip, Primos, and Bee Stinger. He recently sold the Arizona Archery Club and joined the Vista team. We had the pleasure of meeting him as he supported his wife, Heather, at the USAT So Cal Shootdown in June. We love finding someone knowledgeable about so many sides of archery and excited to introduce you to Tony!
You recently made a big change in your archery career, switching from shop owner to industry rep. What do you miss about being behind the counter, and what do you love about being a representative?
What do I miss about working behind the counter? I am writing this on a plane flying to a trade show in Reno. I am not sure why at this very moment this question is hitting me so hard. I am literally sobbing on the plane, trying my hardest to hold back my tears. This is a lot more difficult for me than I thought it would be. What do I miss the most you ask? I miss the people. I miss my staff shooters, my JOAD kids, my extraordinary coaching staff, my wonderful customers who were my family, Daniel and Chris and all the guys I had the distinct please of working with every day. I miss them so much, but most of all, I miss the place where I met my wife, my love, my future, the hopes and dreams of a better life with my dear Heather!
The pure fact that I can stay in the industry and interact with the people I adore the most, my archery family! The guys and gals at Vista Outdoor are AMAZING! My bosses treat me like family, like I have known them for years. My dealers (former competitors) are now those who I serve. Nothing is more important or humbling than taking care of my dealer family! They are ALL amazing. They are my archery family now! I am honored, truly honored, to serve them and help them in any way I possibly can. Living a life of service to others is my calling. It’s my passion. It’s the Lord’s request of me and I am never happier than when I am helping others.
What did you need to learn in order to make the Arizona Archery Club so successful?
I was successful not because of what I learned, but rather what I already knew. I know that sounds selfish, but the answer is so simple. Treating my customers as if they were my next best friend when they walked through the front door is what made me successful. I do not define success purely on profits. Being profitable is important, but it takes a back seat to the good of archery. Do right by others and profits will follow. Of course, I knew very little about working on and tuning bows when I opened the doors in 2012. Daniel Willett, taught me and paved the way for me to becoming a decent bow technician. In 10 lifetimes, I might not ever meet a finer human being than Daniel Willet. Chris Escarcega taught me so much as well. We had our bouts from time to time, but Chris was and will always be one of my best friends! Success is defined by the way others define you! Pure and simple.
In addition to working in archery, you also bow hunt. How did you get started? What advice would you have for someone looking to start?
I started bowhunting when I was in college at Embry Riddle in Prescott, AZ. I was enthralled with the challenge. The challenge of stalking up close enough to an animal to get that perfect shot opportunity is not just a challenge, it’s a passion. A pursuit of passion. The ability to harvest one of God’s creations is humbling to say the very least. My advice for someone who is getting started is to visit your local pro shop and ask questions. Learn the ropes by asking questions and shadowing someone who knows the ins and outs. Get properly fitted to your bow. Shoot a ton of arrows and learn how to make a good and ethical shot. Confidence in your ability and equipment comes from experience. All of us bowhunters live in a brotherhood of passion for what we do. It’s not a hobby; it’s a lifestyle. We don’t want to wound or lose animals to bad decision making. You and only you define your skill level, and that’s determined by how much effort you put into it! Seek out your local pro shop, find some friends to help guide you along, and always take a knee in prayer when harvesting your game. Thank the Lord for the opportunity and more will follow.
Your wife, Heather, competes in USA Archery, and you support her in many ways including her equipment. Do you have any tips or tricks for working with people with short draw lengths?
Tips for short draw lengths.......absolutely! Find a bow that fits. Make sure your archer torque tunes. Tune the bow to the archer! Make sure your arrows are spined properly. Short draw lengths mean short arrows. The shorter the arrow the stiffer it becomes. Having an arrow that is spined properly will make the shot that much more forgiving for the shooter. I have always found that arrow length cut to the nodal point results in the most accurate groups for shorter draw lengths. Always listen to your shooter!!! Never assume they don’t know what is going on with their equipment. If they tell you something isn’t right, go back to the drawing board and make it right! It’s easy for a bow tech to accuse the shooter of blaming their equipment for poor performance. A good bow tech will do 80% listening and 20% talking. An archer becomes one with his or her equipment. They know stuff as my sweet wife would say!! Haha!
The Archers Association of America thanks Tony for this great interview! If you want to learn more about saving money on archery gear and any time travel, go to www.archersassociation.org. For $20 a year, you get access to over 50 discounts selected with archers in mind.