The 2017 Lancaster Archery Classic is in the books, and it once again proved to be another record setting event. There were just under 1100 participants from around the world in attendance making it the largest turnout in the tournament’s history.
For the first time, the Bowhunting.com crew was on hand at the tournament to bring viewers an in-depth look at what goes on at the Lancaster Archery Classic as well as live feeds of the action.
How the Tournament Works
The Lancaster Archery Classic features 15 different archery divisions, with cash money and contingency money from manufacturers at stake. Unlike 3-D tournament archery, competition at the Classic is strictly on vertical 3-spot paper targets. “Each shooter shoots 60 arrows to qualify,” says P.J. Reilly, of Lancaster Archery. “We score 11’s, so a perfect score is 660. The top shooters from each bracket are ranked by score.”
Watch this video for a quick look at what the shooting line looks like…
Shooters that move on will then shoot 12 arrows in a head to head match as the competition is whittled down to the top 8 shooters. The final 8 shooters will battle it out in what they refer to as the Shoot Up Finals, where shooters shoot their way up to the number 1 position. It’s archery competition at its finest.
“You just got to be there to feel the tension,” says Todd Graf of Bowhunting.com. “My heart was pounding, and I wasn’t even shooting!”
Throughout the tournament the shooters seem to say the same thing, “There’s no other shoot like this one!”
Because bowhunting is at the heart of everything they do, the Bowhunting.com guys naturally gravitated to the Bowhunter Division of this year’s tournament. In fact, Bowhunting.com sponsored $500 in contingency money for the Bowhunter Division. There were 60 participants in this year’s Bowhunter Division. Todd and the Bowhunting.com crew had so much fun at the tournament that they’ve already agreed to put money up for the 2018 Lancaster Archery Classic Bowhunter Division, and they’re calling out all Bowhunt or Die fans to participate in 2018.
Here’s Todd’s interview with the winners from the Bowhunter Division…
Meet the U.S. Olympic Archery Team
Attendees at this year’s event also had the opportunity to mix and mingle and get autographs from Brady, Jake, Zach and McKenzie of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team.
Todd had a chance to catch up with Brady Ellison and Zach Garrett from the U.S. Olympic team for a quick interview. Here’s what they had to say…
Men’s Open Pro
If you want to see the absolute best shooters in the world, just look to the Men’s Open Pro Divsion podium. These guys are nothing short of amazing when it comes to making the shot when the pressure is on.
Mathews shooter, Sarah Sönnichsen of Denmark, made her first appearance at the Lancaster Archery Classic and took home first place honors in the Women’s Open Pro Division.
Todd spent a few minutes with Sarah Sönnichsen after her win in the Women’s Open Pro Division…
Vendors at the Classic
There were also several dozen archery manufacturers on hand at this year’s Lancaster Archery Classic.
Vendor booths included: Mathews, Hoyt, PSE, Prime, Elite, GearHead, Easton, Black Eagle Arrows, Big Shot Targets, Doinker, Prime, Carbon Express, Shrewd, T.R.U. Ball, and more.
Watch the 2017 Lancaster Archery Classic Shoot Up Finals
Want to put yourself right in the middle of all the action from the Classic? Check out the video below. You can literally feel the tension and pressure that is placed on these shooters as they go head to head in one of the biggest tournament events of their lives.
Hats off to Lancaster Archery owner, Rob Kaufhold, for making this event a reality. Rob is as good as they come in the archery industry. He and his team work tirelessly to pull this tournament off each year. Rob goes out of his way to make these shooters feel like superstars. And that’s exactly what they are when they stand on the podium at the Lancaster Archery Classic.
Be sure to check out Lancaster’s Facebook page for all the latest happenings, as well as their website at www.lancasterarchery.com.