The time is finally here to register for the 2022 Lancaster Archery Classic, with over $300,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs, including the top prize of $20,000 for the Open Pro champion.
Registration is open for the East Coast’s largest indoor archery tournament, scheduled for Jan. 27-30, 2022, at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pa.
There are several changes lined up for this year’s Classic, but one of them is sure to be among the most thrilling in the 19-year history of the tournament.
The Classic is known for its 11-point scoring system, which awards 11 points for center X-ring hits. Archers who make it to the shoot-up finals at the 2022 Classic will shoot at a new target which includes a high-risk, high-reward 12-point ring.
The 12-ring measures 1.5 cm across, and it will be positioned at 6 o’clock below the gold area, on the line separating the seven-point ring from the eight-point ring. Three-spot targets will feature one 12-ring on each spot, while single-face targets will feature just one.
Archers must call the 12 ring in order for it to be in play, and they can only call for it and shoot at it one time per end.
For sure, there’s a big risk in going for the 12 ring. But going for it at least gives an archer a chance to make up lost ground or to try to seal a victory. This adds a new strategic element to the always-exciting Classic finals.
Also new this year: the vertical three-spot target faces will be replaced by the 3×40 triangle face; increased payouts in the Men’s Open, Bowhunter, Masters Open, Women’s Open and Senior Open divisions; Women’s Masters Open division for female archers age 50 and older is added; additional shooting lines for both the Classic and the Youth and Collegiate Trophy Tournament; and increased, on-site practice facilities.
Just like in previous years, Todd and Justin will be competing, and we will have additional contingency money on the line for the top-3 finishers in the Bowhunter Division.
What makes the Classic such a thrilling archery competition is the unique format. First, every archer shoots a 60-arrow qualification round at 40 cm faces from a distance of 18 meters.
Archers then are ranked based on their qualification scores within their respective divisions. Then, depending on the division, the top 16, 32 or 64 archers advance to elimination rounds.
In eliminations, archers compete head-to-head against one another in an NCAA basketball style bracket. So you don’t have to be perfect in qualifying. You just have to make the cut to get into the bracket to have a chance to win it all.
The head-to-head matches whittle down each division until either four or eight archers remain, again depending on the division. Those finalists then advance to the Classic’s heralded shoot-up finals.
For the shoot-up finals, archers move to a special shooting area where the spotlight is on them. Stadium seating surrounds the shooting area and cameras run by Competition Archery Media are everywhere, since all shoot-up finals are broadcast live over Lancaster Archery Supply’s social media channels.
In the shoot-up, the lowest-ranked archer starts out shooting against the next-lowest qualifier. So if there are eight qualifiers, No. 8 shoots against No. 7. The winner advances to shoot against No. 6 and so on until someone shoots against the No. 1 qualifier. Every archer who qualifies for the finals has the chance to win that division.
The Youth and Collegiate Trophy Tournament will consist only of the 60-arrow round shot from the standard 18 meters at 40cm target faces. There will be no elimination rounds, with trophies going to each division’s first-place finisher, and medals being awarded to the top three archers in each division.
Each age class will feature separate competition divisions for Open, Recurve and Barebow archers in both male and female classes. Since the Youth and Collegiate Trophy Tournament is shot Saturday and Sunday, archers who participate in this event also can compete in the full Classic of they want.
For more information and registration details, click here.
