Have you ever been to a national ASA 3-D tournament? If you haven’t, you need to put it on the bucket list.
What is the ASA? It stands for Archery Shooters Association, and it’s one of North America’s largest archery organizations, with 361 clubs in 35 states.
Each year, the ASA holds six national pro/am tournaments in the Midwest and Southeast, with professional and amateur divisions separated by equipment – barebow recurve, Olympic recurve, crossbow and hunter and target compound – age categories, gender, skill level and either known or unknown distance. The latter two separate archers who use rangefinders to gauge distance to targets from those who judge the distance using only their eyes and their minds, without the aid of electronics.
Here are five reasons why you need to attend at least one national ASA tournament this year – if not more.
Excellent Hunting Practice
The animals we hunt are three dimensional and they don’t have bull’s-eyes on their vitals. So right off the bat, shooting at 3-D foam deer, hogs, turkeys, etc. is great practice for when it comes time to shoot at the real thing. There are scoring rings on these targets, but they are simply burned into the targets and are the same color as the targets. They are not made obvious.
Beyond that, however, is the experience gained of shooting under pressure. It’s possible to recreate every aspect of the hunting experience in your own backyard, except for the adrenaline rush and pressure to perform that well up inside when a live animal steps within bow range. Veteran ASA pro and longtime bowhunter, Levi Morgan, said that’s precisely what he feels when he’s shooting in competition during an ASA tournament.
“The stress of tournaments probably makes me a way better hunter, because they make me deal with that situation where your adrenaline is going…in archery, adrenaline is your worst enemy,” Morgan told Ben Roethlisberger on the retired NFL legend’s Footbahlin podcast after a recent ASA tournament victory for Morgan.
Dealing with that stress is a mental exercise that Morgan said he has mastered through decades shooting competitively at ASA tournaments and others.
It’s Fun
If you don’t think shooting your bow and hanging out with archery and bowhunting fanatics for two or three days is fun, then you’re probably on the wrong website. ASA is a community of like-minded archery enthusiasts. There are male and female competitors, and archers from their pre-teens to their 90s. ASA regulars frequently talk about their “ASA family,” because attending a national ASA tournament is like spending a holiday weekend with family.
“ASA is more than just a weekend away,” said Women’s Pro shooter, and longtime ASA member Cara Kelly, who often attends national ASA tournaments with her dad, her husband and their kids.
“Bring your family, friends and plan on making new friends that share your same passion for archery. That is what makes ASA a blast!”
Competition
A national ASA tournament will stoke the competitive fire within. There is no mistaking this simply as a “3D archery shoot.” This is a competition. And while you certainly can have a good time hanging out with friends and family, while shooting your bow, your best friend off the range is likely to be your fiercest competitor on it.
As discussed already, that competition is what creates the pressure to perform. And Levi Morgan mentioned how that has helped him in the bowhunting woods.
In the pro classes, there is some big money on the line. With contingency checks awarded by equipment manufacturers to archers using that company’s gear, plus ASA payouts, a pro like Morgan can win nearly $20,000 at a national ASA event.
For amateurs, the prize money is not nearly as lucrative, but it’s nothing to sneeze at either. Depending on the division, an amateur archer might take home close to $5,000 from an ASA tournament.
What’s great is the ASA provides a way to be successful as you develop as an archer. Everyone is not competing against everyone else, regardless of experience. The ASA class structure allows a new competitor to come to an event and compete against others of similar abilities, shooting similar equipment. As you progress, you can advance into classes where the competition and equipment are more advanced.
And whether you like to use a rangefinder to gauge the distance to your target, or you prefer to judge it using your eyes and your mind, there are ASA classes for known-distance competitors and unknown distance.
Learn From Others
Archery is one of those skills where there are many ways to accomplish the same goal. The trick is to figure out what works for you to make you the most accurate archer possible. Most archers learn one way to set up, draw and shoot their bows and it either works or it doesn’t. But come to an ASA and you can see how archers from all over the country do things. The potential for learning at a national ASA is immeasurable.
At every ASA, there is a pro/am team shoot before the real competition rounds start, where amateurs and pros are grouped in teams of four to six, depending on how many people sign up for the event. It’s a competition, but it’s also a time to ask questions and observe what others do.
The ASA pros shoot on the same practice ranges and in the same competition area as everyone else at the tournament. That means you’ll see them walking around, just like you. Ask them questions. Most are happy to spend time helping out amateurs. Imagine walking a golf course and being able to ask Tiger Woods questions about his gear and his game. You can do just that at an ASA with pros like Levi Morgan, Cara Kelly, Tim Gillingham and on and on.
Make New Friends
Competing at a national ASA tournament is one of those activities that facilitates bonding. You’re on a range in the woods shooting your bow at 3-D animals with a bunch of other people who love doing this as much as you. It’s like being in a fishing or hunting camp. You don’t have to know each other at the start, but you will by the end.
ASA archers come from all corners of the U.S. and from all walks of life. Odds are, there’s someone at an ASA tournament who is very much like you. But without the ASA, you’d probably never meet that person.
You don’t have to talk to too many ASA regulars before you find several that have started lifelong friendships on an ASA range.
So when and where are these national ASA tournaments? You can learn everything you need to know about this organization right here. And while you are planning your first trip, you can get a taste of what the ASA is like by watching videos created by Competition Archery Media, which is the official broadcast partner of the ASA.
The pro finals of every national ASA are broadcast live by CAM on The Sportsman Channel, as well as on CAM’s YouTube and Facebook channels. Check the ASA’s tournament schedule, and then CAM’s social media, as well as The Sportsman Channel program listings, so you can tune in live to the next ASA pro finals.
