Vegas Shoot a success as 1800 archers hunt for gold

  1800 athletes from 37 different countries tried their luck in Las Vegas this weekend, and for many, “Sin City” delivered. Featuring a unique, three-day format during which archers score 30 arrows per day from 20 yards, The Vegas Shoot is marked by a sense of pressure and excitement that is unique to this event. Hosted by the National Field Archery Association (NFAA), The Vegas Shoot also served as the third and final stage of the Indoor Archery World Cup, and is the first stop on the NFAA’s 3-Star Tour.   Recurve Men   Brady ELLISON (USA, photo) started The Vegas Shoot a bit slowly on Friday, but got into gear on Saturday and Sunday, putting up two 296s that solidified his seven-point lead for the win with an 885. In the second and third spots were Jean-Charles VALLADONT (FRA) and Crispin DUENAS (CAN), shooting matching 878s but with VALLADONT leading the x-count with 45x to DUENAS’ 36.   ELLISON appeared to have gained confidence after his gold medal win at the Indoor Archery World Cup Final, and expressed thanks and optimism via Facebook: “Thanks to everyone, my sponsors, fans and friends and my amazing wife and family. Two years in a row I won the Indoor World Cup Final and the Vegas Shoot; I could not do it without you guys… let’s keep it going all year.”   VALLADONT and DUENAS, despite the difference in the x-count, were technically tied for the second position in terms of Vegas Shoot prize money. The archers shot for three ends in the Vegas Shoot final, in which VALLADONT was strong enough to prevail and keep the second spot.   Recurve Women   The recurve championship divisions also saw intense competition, but a clear winner in each category emerged as the third day of shooting got underway. Indoor Archery World Cup Champion JEON Sung Eun (KOR) was near the top on Friday, but gained strength on Saturday and especially Sunday.   Seemingly bolstered by her gold medal win at the Indoor Archery World Cup Final, JEON shot an outstanding 298 on Sunday that propelled her to the top spot with an 879 overall. She was joined in the top three by USA’s Miranda LEEK with 873 points, and Olympic medalist Mariana AVITIA (MEX), posting an 869.   “I’m thrilled that I got to come and compete here, and see my archery friends and family again,” stated LEEK, who has been attending Texas A&M University as a full time student while continuing to train. “I’m happy with my performance, too! I did the best I could [on] every arrow, kept my head up the entire time, shot around my average, and I had fun!”   Compound Men   The top eleven archers were “clean” with scores of 900 in the freestyle unlimited championship male category. Leading the “x” count was USA’s Chance BEAUBOUEF with 86x, followed by an injured Jesse BROADWATER (USA) with 84x and Levi MORGAN with 83x. Peter ELZINGA (NED) was the lone non-U.S. archer to clean the round, while Njaal AAMAAS of Norway clinched the “Lucky Dog” berth into the final by surviving an intense elimination round amongst all archers shooting an 899. The eleven archers shooting a 900 also included Kevin WILKEY (USA), who reached his score despite recent injuries that left him on crutches.   In the final, the first two ends of scoring followed “traditional” Vegas rules, with the larger ring around the X counting as a ten. However, the eliminations progressed to “x-only” scoring, which made an impact quickly in a very tight race. After the first end of x-only scoring, just three archers remained: Reo WILDE (USA, photo), Peter ELZINGA and Jesse BROADWATER. With a decisive 10 in a hall so quiet you could hear a pin drop, WILDE assured his spot in the final end versus BROADWATER, while ELZINGA was eliminated. Just one more end remained, between WILDE and BROADWATER; with yet another perfect 30, WILDE clinched the Vegas title and the $25,000 event prize, giving second place to his friend and opponent.   “I’m just practicing a lot,” said WILDE after his win. “I came home from Lancaster [Archery Classic] and shot about 300 plus arrows every day to get ready for this weekend.”   Compound Women   This class belonged to Erika JONES (USA, photo) and Holly LARSEN (USA) who tied for the first spot, just two points shy of the 900 mark with matching 898s. They were followed closely by Albina LOGINOVA (RUS), putting up an 897 of her own. JONES and LARSEN were pitted against one another in a shoot-off for the top spot, and showing nerves of steel, JONES hit 10 after 10 to take the title.   Today marked the third consecutive Vegas Shoot win for JONES, who was visibly excited after her victory. “I wasn’t doing anything really different; I was practicing a few times a week, and working on my mental game,” explained JONES after her winning match. “I can’t even begin to explain, three times in a row – I never expected to win it once. And it was crazy then, it was crazier the second time and I just can’t believe it now. It’s awesome.”   When asked her advice for up and coming archers who struggle with pressure, JONES commented: “[The] most important thing whenever you’re under this kind of pressure is just to believe in your shot and to believe that you can hit the x, you can hit the middle whenever you need to. To have faith that you can do it whenever it counts.”   Complete results from The Vegas Shoot are available online at www.thevegasshoot.com.   World Archery Communication