BROADWATER Unstoppable at U.S. National Championships and Hoyt World Open

   
The National Target Championships, held on 28-29 July in Yankton, South Dakota (USA), featured archers from across the globe, including teams from Australia, Chinese Taipei, Taiwan, Great Britain, Canada, Denmark and the United States. It was immediately followed by the Hoyt World Open. Designed to attract the world’s top archers, the event offered a record amount of prize money — totals surpassed only by the World Archery Championships and the Olympic Games.
  
The National Target Championships, shot as a single FITA round over two days, served not only to select the country's National Target Champions, but also to rank archers for the first-ever Hoyt World Open, in which many archers competed for a total of over $54,000 in cash prizes as well as potentially shoot off for a new car. The National Champions were crowned, the Easton and Shenk Awards were presented on Friday. The Hoyt World Open concluded the World Outdoor Archery Festival on Saturday 30 July.
  
National Target Championships
       
Great Britain's Naomi FOLKARD, who held the lead at the end of the long distances, dropped a bit at 50 and 30 meters, but was able to retain her lead by seven points, ending the tournament with a 1340 and the first place award for the guest division. Miranda LEEK (USA/IA) became the new U.S. National Target Champion, shooting a 1333 overall thanks to strong performances at the shorter distances. Khatuna LORIG (USA/CA) ended as the second ranked American with 1329. Jennifer NICHOLS (USA/TX) closed out her week with a 1328. NICHOLS was also the winner of the Shenk Award again for 2011; the trophy is awarded to the recurve archer with the highest finish at the National Indoor Championships, National Field Championships and National Target Championships.
  
For the compound men, it was Jesse BROADWATER (USA/PA) photo who came out on top with 1412 points to win the National Championship title. The 27-year-old BROADWATER, who just came back from the Turin World Championship with the individual silver medal, set a world record at 360 with 34X at 30 metres. The previous mark was a 360/33X by South African Seppie CILLIERS.
   
According to USA Archery officials, the center X circle on the targets are used for tie-breaking purposes, and therefore, it becomes harder for every arrow to find space inside that circle. Adding to the challenge is the fact that archers shoot six arrows now, instead of the three previously shot. “There’s just not much room in there to do something like this,” said BROADWATER. “You can have arrows glancing off each other, away from the X.”
  
With his win, BROADWATER also claimed the 2011 Easton Award, presented to the compound archer placing highest in the National Indoor, National Field and National Target Championships.
  
BROADWATER was followed in the National Target Championships placements by Braden GELLENTHIEN (USA/VA), whose total score of 1409 gave him the position of second ranked U.S. archer. Canada's Dietmar TRILLUS, joining the top nine men with 360s at 30 meters, scored a 1405 for the gold medal in the guest category, while David COUSINS (USA/ME) ended as the third ranked American archer, shooting a 1402 overall.
  
Male recurve and female compound athletes took to the field as the temperatures climbed. Heat was no deterrent to number one World Ranked archer Brady ELLISON (USA/AZ), who won the National Championship title with a score of 1362, as well as the Shenk Award for recurve archers.
  
For fellow Resident Athlete Jake KAMINSKI (USA/CA), it was solid performances at both of the short distances that landed him a 1332 to lock down the second spot. World Archery Championships teammate Joe FANCHIN (USA/CA), also coached by National Head Coach KiSik LEE, clinched the third spot. Additionally, fourth place ranked Butch JOHNSON (USA/CT), shooting a 357 at 30 meters, claimed a new unofficial masters' world record at that distance, breaking his own record set in 2006.
  
For the compound women, Jamie VAN NATTA (USA/OH) seemed determined to reclaim both her National Championship title and Easton award, finishing first at 50 meters and second at 30 for an overall title-winning score of 1412. With her strong perfornance this week, VAN NATTA also ties her own previously set world record. Second place went to Erika ANSCHUTZ (USA/OH), while World Archery Championships teammate Christie COLIN (USA/PA) ended in the third spot with a 1388. Coming in just behind COLIN with a 1385 was Camilla SOEMOD (DEN), taking top honors in the guest category.
  
All the results of the National Target Championships are available on Ianseo.
   
   Hoyt World Open
  
The excitement continued on Saturday with the Hoyt World Open, during which many athletes competed for significant cash prizes and participate in a shoot-off for a new car. Spectators were on the edges of their seats, cheering their friends and wishing for their success as archers shot for their share of over $54,000 in potential cash prizes from Hoyt as the title sponsor, and USA Archery.
   
The winner of the USA Archery National Championship title Jesse BROADWATER again shot his way into the finals, this time against Canada's Dietmar TRILLUS, one the world's top ranked compound archers. Both archers opened with 30s to start the contest, and then BROADWATER took a one point lead in the second end, and never looked back. With his final three arrows, BROADWATER clinched yet another gold medal win for the week, and a check for $10,000, while TRILLUS took the silver.
    
As the compound men's gold medal match was the last of the evening, BROADWATER then proceeded to participate in the New Car Shoot-Off, an event open to archers who participated in both the NFAA Outdoor National Championships and the USA Archery National Target Championships. Under quickly darkening skies, archers shot at a non-standard small target face, in a "sudden death" round that eliminated archers as soon as they missed the gold. The field was quickly narrowed from over a hundred archers, and in just four rounds, Jesse BROADWATER took his third new car win from the NFAA.
  
“I'm just amazed,” said the soft-spoken BROADWATER after climbing out of the seat of the new Ford Mustang that was driven out to the field so that archers could see the prize they were shooting for. “A lot of emotion and excitement came out in the end today, and I'm just really amazed. ”
   
There were several other matches shot during the finals of the Hoyt World Open. In the recurve women's gold medal match, Team USA's Heather KOEHL (USA/WI) met TAN Ya-Ting (TPE), the top seeded female archer overall. TAn, having shot a 1350 in the junior category for the ranking round, was a tough competitor in the finals. KOEHL opened with a two point lead after the first set, but Tan took the second, third and fourt sets to win the $10000 prize and the gold medal. KOEHL received $2500 for her silver medal win.
  
The next final was a true showdown between friends and teammates Brady ELLISON (USA/AZ) and Jake KAMINSKI (USA/NY), shooting for the men's recurve gold medal and the $10,000 cash prize. It was a tough battle between these two powerhouse shooters, with a give and take in the first two sets to tie the score up. ELLISON gained a 4-2 lead in the third set, and clinched the gold medal win with a 6-2 victory, giving KAMINSKI the silver medal.
   
On the compound side, it was no less exciting, with Andrea GALES (GBR) and Samantha Neal (USA/NY) shooting a straight 50 meter match of 15 arrows for a total possible cumulative score of 150. Neal opened with wins in the first two ends, and then Gales took the third, and then increased her lead to three points going into the final end. Remaining strong, Neal took the bronze medal for the United States and the cash prize as well.
   
In the women's compound gold medal match, it was multi-time World Record holder Jamie VAN NATTA (USA/OH) shooting for gold against Christie COLIN (USA/PA), fellow World Cup and World Championships medalist. Colin opened with a strong four point lead in the first end, and held the lead for three ends. Though VAN NATTA narrowed COLIN's lead a one point gap and then a tie, it was not enough to stop COLIN, who took the one arrow tiebreaker shootoff with a solid ten to win gold and the $10,000 prize, while VAN NATTA took the silver and her own $2500 prize.
    
Earlier in the day, Master and Cadet archers also participated in the Hoyt World Open in both recurve and compound categories, and there was great excitement among the many parents, coaches and spectators present.
    
Complete results from all categories in the Hoyt World Open are available on Ianseo. Photos from the event are available on USA Archery's Facebook.
  
  
Selection of the United States Pan American Games Team
  
The team that will represent the United States at the Pan American Games was selected following an initial qualification through ranking at the National Target Championships, and a day of round robin match play. The same team will also represent the U.S. at the London Test Event, also slated for October. ELLISON, FANCHIN, KAMINSKI, LORIG, LEEK and KOEHL photo will travel to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Pan American Games, and the Olympic Test Event in London in October. For the women, Heather KOEHL was the surprise of the day, narrowly taking the final spot over two time Olympian Jennifer NICHOLS. Complete results from this team selection event are available here.
  
Texts and photos Teresa IACONI, USA Archery
Edited by World Archery Communication