Another season of the Shoot-Up Tour has come and gone, as Sunday saw the 2018-19 Finals at Cascadian Bowmen come to a close.
The end of the Tour is always a bitter-sweet time for me. I’m a bit relieved that it is all done but at the same time I’m always sad, because it will be a whole year before we get back to the weekly action the Tour provides.
Looking back over the Tour this year I thought there were a few things worth mentioning, and some shout outs that I wanted to make.
I’ll start by looking at a few numbers:
- There were 22 legs (plus three additional lines at Finals) held over the course of 10 weeks
- 198 different archers competed
- Those archers accounted for more than 500 separate registrations
- Which generated more than $18,000 dollars
- More than $10,000 dollars was paid out to the archers who won cash prizes over the course of the Tour
- Including more than $4200 dollars that was handed out on Finals weekend
- And most importantly about $3,700 went to the local shops and clubs who hosted the Tour events all season long
I think those numbers are quite impressive and even more so when you consider that participation was slightly down this year compared to last year. If a light year produces those numbers, I think we have a very unique event.
Looking back on the year as a whole the thing that really stands out for me are the young archers who performed well beyond their years, handled pressure and attention with ease, and put up scores and shoot-off performances that were the envy of folks who have literally been shooting two or three times longer than these kids have been alive!
Bodie Turner, Isabelle and Kaylee Geisbuhler, Alena and Payne Eiler, Beretta and Barret McKee and Avery Beauvais are all excellent archers and I don’t have enough words to say how proud of them and impressed by them I am. These young folks are definitely going to make the rest of the country stand up and take notice.
I also want to say thank you to the parents, grandparents and coaches of these young archers. I know first hand what it takes to ensure that these kids have the practice time, the equipment, the travel – and most importantly the support – that will be the foundation they build their lives and archery careers upon. It often goes unsung, but it is not unappreciated, so to all of you I say “Thank you!” (And also, thanks Mom!)
And while we are talking about thanks, I want to say thank you to Sue Lauber for not only doing all the bookkeeping and registration at the events and after, but for also spending countless hours through the whole year coordinating more than 20 events at multiple shops and clubs all over the Northwest. While the rest of us have moved on to Vegas and State and outdoors and hunting, she is quietly making sure that we will have a Tour to compete in next year. So… thank you!
I also want say thank you to all the archers who helped call the lines, run the clock, keep score, setup, take down, haul crap into and out of the range, and cajoling and carpooling people to get as may participants as possible. Many people help throughout the year, and I say thank you to you all. But a few stand out in my mind and I want extend a special thanks to:
- Becky Witse
- Dan Wiltse
- Kevin Kime
- Carl Vaughn
- Keith Sekora
- Kim Graupensberger
- Jim Steel
- Dave Copher
- Steve Tomlinson
And Finally I want to say thank you to all of the Shop owners and Club members who run the events that mom and I don’t go to. This year there were quite a few of those, and they all went great. The Tour would not be able to happen without you and we all appreciate it!
Good luck to everyone who is going to State and Vegas in the next few weeks, and I look forward to seeing you all in the Fall when the 2019 Shoot-Up Tour will kick-off again!