BACK TO THE BASIC (BOW)
Months before the Vegas shoot, the barebow Facebook groups were buzzing. Could it be? Was it true? Was barebow really getting its own division at Vegas? As soon as registration opened, there was at least a post a day encouraging young and old, new and veterans to sign up and shoot the tournament. And came they did.
For the first time, there would be an official barebow flight. As February 5th rolled around, the South Point Hotel was running full steam. The Vegas Shoot had officially begun. All the same noise and chatter was there. But down below, in a gray, cold arena far more familiar with rodeo, there was something new added to Vegas. Barebow had found a voice.
In the past, barebow shooters have struggled to gain attention and respect from their fellow shooters. Since missing the ten ring isn't a death sentence, some archers seem to think basic bow archery isn't as difficult. While recognition has been growing, having our own division is exactly what we needed.
Come Friday, over two hundred shooters lined up with their longbows and recurves to let fly the first arrows of the competition with a fair-sized crowd watching their backs. For some, like Donald and Jack Ish, it was their first time going to Vegas – the two are twins, aged 74. Jack was a member of Break the Barriers, a group dedicated to helping veterans shoot and compete, and through donations, they paid his way to come and shoot. Donald just came to beat his brother. There were those like Neil Mccomb, aged 15, from Ireland whose biggest previous competitions were no more than twenty or thirty people. Then there was Fatemah Ghasempour from Iran – astonishingly, the first person in her country to shoot barebow. Mixed in with these people are some of the top barebow archers in the world, like John Demmer III, shooting side-by-side with the rest of them – and it wasn't because he didn't want to be there. Constance Lin, his balemate for the first two days and archer for the UCI team, “learned a lot about good sportsmanship;" she says he gave her advice on equipment, and was happy to post for a selfie with her, which she gleefully showed off to her friends.
All these people came together for one reason: their love of archery. The only time the range was quiet was when people were on the line. Between ends though, and before and after, the range was constantly echoing with the sounds of laughter. There was none of the serious stomping in silence to retrieve arrows you often see at the South Point. No hissy fits when people were performing subpar. Everyone on that range was friends.
Sunday, the flights broke up and the long barebow found themselves moved out to one of the smaller carpeted halls. But although these people often stood directly between the shooter and the chance at some cash, that didn't change the atmosphere at all. Those from different flights sat and supported “friends” that they knew only from other competitions. Afterwards, many of them got dinner together.
The sentiment shared by everyone in the room can be summed up easily by Ghasempour: “It's amazing.” Barebow was here to stay in Vegas.