Team Hoyt Archers Ignite Vegas
OutdoorHub 02.13.13
The 2013 NFAA “Vegas Shoot” and World Archery Festival was held in Las Vegas, Nevada February 8th through the 10th. The world renowned tournament, known as the largest and most prestigious indoor archery tournament in the entire world, pits the most accurate archers from around the globe in an intense 3-day competition with absolutely no room for error.
After the grueling 3-day tournament, the field of nearly two thousand archers was whittled down to the very best of the best and it was Team Hoyt lighting up the night in unprecedented fashion. Team Hoyt archers, Reo Wilde (USA), Jesse Broadwater (USA) and Peter Elzinga (NED) put on an unbelievable display of accuracy in front of the monster crowd as they outlasted the field of eleven archers who had shot perfect scores and faced each other in a sudden death shoot-off in the Men’s Freestyle Unlimited division. In the end, Wilde took the gold and the coveted $25,000 first place prize with Broadwater taking silver and Elzinga Bronze for an all Team Hoyt sweep. “What a rush!” commented Reo Wilde. “You can’t describe the feeling being in that sort of pressure cooker but I just tried to relax and let my Hoyt bow go to work. It gives me so much confidence knowing I am shooting the highest quality, most technologically advanced bow on the planet.”
Fellow Team Hoyt archers Rob Morgan, Jacob Phelps and Hoyt Archery employee Kevin Wilkey, who shot the entire weekend essentially on one leg due to a broken femur, joined Wilde, Broadwater and Elzinga in the pressure packed shoot-off after having shot a perfect 3-day score of 900.
In the top pro Women’s Freestyle Unlimited division, it was Erika Anschutz Jones (USA) completing an amazing “3-peat” by winning the Vegas tournament 3 years in a row. Two-time World Champion Albina Loginova (RUS) placed 3rd while World Cup Grand Champion Jamie Van Natta took 4th.
Two time Olympian and London Silver Team Medalist, Brady Ellison, added to his impressive resume by winning the Men’s Recurve Championship division with reigning World Field Champion Jean-Charles Valladont (FRA) taking silver and two-time Olympian Crispin Duenas (CAN) taking the bronze rounding out another complete Hoyt podium sweep. All three shooters shot Hoyt’s new and innovative Formula Series recurve bows.
In the Men’s Senior Freestyle Unlimited division it was Tony Harbaugh (USA) grabbing the silver with fellow Hoyt teammate Steve Boylan taking the bronze in a pressure-packed head-to-head shoot-off. Team Hoyt Shooter and Paralympic Gold Medalist Jeff Fabry took top honors in the Freestyle Limited division while Team Hoyt Shooter Rick Stark brought home another Vegas Championship in the Barebow Championship division.
As Team Hoyt shooters once again ignited the “Vegas Shoot”, sweeping podium after podium, there was no question that Hoyt bows continue their dominance as the absolute most accurate bows in the world.
