“I do wish I was I able to practice a little bit more, but with as many tournaments as I am going to this year versus years passed, it’s nice to get away from my tournament bow setup and work on the more typical archery and bowhunting setups most people use,” said Deaton. “It keeps me from losing my edge.”

After all, it was his passion for bowhunting that led him to become a competitive target archer. Ever since his dad bought him his first compound bow at age 5, Deaton, of Pella, Iowa, has been filling the offseason with target practice.

“In the summer, there is really nothing to hunt with a bow,” said Deaton. “I started participating in 3D-target tournaments and placed second in my very first tournament and have been shooting ever since.”

After being persuaded by friends to attend a spot target tournament, Deaton found out the format where archers shoot at circular targets, which are fixed at specific marked distances, was more to his liking.

The 2010 National Indoor Championship at Louisville, Ky., was a revealing experience for Deaton. He tied his personal best score of 58 “X’s” on day one and beat it with 59 “X’s” on day two, capturing the Young Adult Male Freestyle title. At this point of his career, it was the most pressure he felt shooting at an event, and the self-coached archer was proud of the way he handled the stress.

“For me, it was an eye-opener showing I could be halfway decent at this sport,” said Deaton. “After winning, I knew I could make the shots when it counted. It was a confidence booster and that is a huge part of archery.”

Soon after the event, Deaton proved that he could do better than “halfway decent.” Some of his archery career highlights since 2010 include two gold medals at the World Archery Youth Championships held in Poland, a gold medal in the team competition at the World Indoor Archery Championships in Las Vegas, and earning a spot on the U.S. Archery Team as a Junior Compound Archer. These are just some of the awards adorning his resume that paved the way to Deaton becoming a pro in 2012.

It didn’t take him long to seal his first victory as a pro. In February of this year, Deaton posted a 300 30x to win the men’s pro division at the Southeast Shootout.

“I was happy my first professional win came as quickly as it did and that I won in the fashion that I did,” said Deaton. “It is not many times you can say you won a tournament by shooting a 30X. That was also a high score for me. Most of my personal bests have been in tournaments and high pressure situations.”

Being self-coached is one quality Deaton credits for his success in handling the pressure, and excelling at archery.

“There’s no one I am depending on,” said Deaton. “I notice when others shoot, sometimes the first thing they do is turn around to look at their coach to see whether they are doing something right or wrong. I may shoot a round and sit there after to think about my shot. I learn more that way, and I feel it is a big advantage.”

One example showing how this advantage helped Deaton occurred recently at the Texas Shootout, USA Archery’s second USAT Qualifier Series Event of 2013. After doing poorly in the qualifying round, Deaton came out swinging in the elimination round to eventually face Rodger Willett, Jr. in the bronze medal match, but Willett was a point stronger than Deaton, locking up the bronze with a 139-138 win.

“The night after the qualifying round, I was able to think about how I shot and what was going on,” said Deaton. “I was able to correct it, and come out strong next day to make a good finish.”

Deaton hopes his knowledge-based, self-coaching style continues to serve him as he works to achieve his goals. He wants to finish this season in a position to make next year’s USA Archery’s Senior Team. In addition to this short-term goal, Deaton aims to participate in more international events where the pressure may be greater than what he is used to.

“Even though I have been shooting for 14 years, I never felt I’ve been in high-pressure situations,” said Deaton. “I definitely feel the pressure at the national and world championship events, but there’s a little more leeway in making shots at those tournaments. I need to build experience in situations where a single shot can affect my career – like if I make a certain shot I will be on the team or will win an event, and if I miss I won’t be or won’t win. I am trying to get myself in those high-pressure situations and hoping to come out on top.”

Whether or not he meets these goals is still up in the air, but one thing is for sure: A self-coached 18-year-old archer who was ushered into competitive target archery by a love of hunting and 3D-target shooting can be a major talent on the archery trail. Deaton’s story stresses the fact that anyone who wants to take up archery, can.

“Always have fun with it, is my advice,” said Deaton. “Whether you are in high school or college, treat archery like any other sport. Practice when you can and get involved with the many clubs and teams out there. I know plenty of people who do it for fun, and are excellent shots. You can take it up as a fun activity, or you can set goals around it like I do. How serious you make it is up to you.”

By: Steve Miller

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Yankton, SD - The Easton Foundations and the National Field Archery Association Foundation are pleased to announce the 2012 Archery Scholarship Recipients. $23,500 in total scholarships was awarded to 17 student athletes in middle school, high school, or higher educational programs.  All recipients compete with a compound or recurve bow.  The individual scholarships awarded ranged in amounts from $500 to $2,750.  Top scholarships were awarded to Michelle Gilbert, Paige Pearce, Riley Whiting and Daniel Cunningham. Click here for a complete list of winners. 

Michelle Gilbert, a Recurve shooter from College Station, TX, stated, “Receiving this scholarship gives me the opportunity to attend college and continue pursuing my dream of making the 2016 U.S. Olympic archery team.” Gilbert was a member of the Junior World Team in 2009 and 2011 and has competed at shoots around the World.  She will begin attending Texas A&M in the fall and plans to major in Aerospace Engineering.   “Archery is a huge part of who I am and I cannot imagine my life without it. It has given me unbelievable opportunities to travel and meet amazing people,” praises Paige Pearce of Red Bluff, CA.  Pearce, currently the youngest NFAA Professional Female Freestyle archer, has been involved in the sport of archery since the age of two.  Pearce was a member of the Junior World Team in 2008, 2009 and 2011. She currently attends Shasta College in Redding, CA and plans on continuing her education at Cal Northern School of Law.    “Michelle and Paige are both elite athletes in their respective divisions. They have continued to excel in the junior and professional programs and we are proud to award them two of our top scholarships,” commented Bruce Cull, NFAA President.   NFAA Scholarships were first awarded in 1990 to student athletes that compete in archery and excel in academic and intellectual achievement.  In 2009, the Easton Foundations partnered with the NFAA Foundation to create the current endowment.  “The Easton and NFAA Foundations share the goal to support student athletes that compete in archery. We believe these scholarships will help us to develop strong college archery programs and strengthen future Olympic and World Championship Teams. By combining our respective Foundation programs, we can award more student scholarships and increase the scholarship levels,” quoted Greg Easton, President Easton Foundations.   The Easton Foundations, NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Complex and donations from both individuals and companies fund the scholarship program.  Robert Romero, Easton Foundations, states, “In order to grow the sport of archery, we need to encourage and support our youth archers.  Awarding our best archers and student athletes will allow them to focus on their education while competing and training in archery. I encourage everyone to make a donation to the Easton/NFAA Foundation Scholarship Program.”  Individuals or companies interested in donating to the scholarship fund or learning more about the program are encouraged to contact Bruce Cull, NFAA President. The NFAA Foundation is a 501(c)3 Public Charitable Foundation and all donations meet the IRS requirements as charitable donations.   Scholarship applications, program requirements, and additional information is available on the NFAA website, http://www.nfaausa.com/, or from the NFAA Headquarters, 800 Archery Lane, Yankton, SD 57078. All applications for the 2013 scholarships must be submitted to the NFAA office by December 31, 2013.  For additional information, contact Natalie Vollmer, NFAA Executive Secretary, at 605-260-9279 or at info@nfaausa.com.  

Like most beginners, 12 year old Trenton Cowles’ first exposure to archery was watching the London Olympics on television. Unlike most archers, Trenton Cowles started out by constructing his own bow and arrows and has access to all sorts of tools and materials that his father Matt, a general contractor, stores in his garage.

 Matt spoke of their family’s Halloween tradition where his 5 children dress in costume and come complete with a vehicle to ride on as they go down the neighborhood to trick or treat.  In the past, these vehicles have included a free rolling X-Wing Fighter or the Space Shuttle.  Trenton being the eldest of the brood regularly assists his father in constructing the new ride.

For his personal project and under close supervision, Trenton built a bow out of plywood and arrows made from wooden dowels.  During a trip to Yellowstone National Park, he fashioned a bow from a large branch and arrows from twigs with nothing but a souvenir knife. This time he used a bungee cord as a string. Trenton was disappointed to learn that it was not powerful enough to drive the arrows more than a few feet in front of him. 

Curious as to the proper materials needed to launch an arrow, Trenton sought the advice of a manufacturing engineer who was on the team that developed the Mars Rover at NASA’s Jet Propulsion lab in Pasadena, CA.  Engineer Antonio Fonseca, was just too happy to answer the questions of his grandson. 

Antonio has a gift of teaching concepts in physics so anyone can understand. The young boy learned how the limbs store energy using the string to transfer that energy to propel the arrow.  Mystery solved!  Trenton was now ready to learn the proper technique to maximize the science of archery.  Since that day, archery has provided a bonding between grandparents and grandchild. At this year’s National Indoor Championship, Grandpa Antonio accompanied Trenton to Tulare, CA so that Trenton could compete in his second tournament.

His Mom, Sarah, supports activities that keep her children’s minds and bodies active rather than sitting in front of the TV. The family also rides ATVs and motorcycles to maintain an active lifestyle. Encouraging the new interest of her son, Sarah initiated a search and found the Easton Foundations Archery Center in Van Nuys and enrolled her first born. Trenton took to shooting like a fish to water.  Displaying a flair not seen since Errol Flynn, the young boy expressed his interest to shoot with a select team at the California State Indoor Championship, his first ever tournament. When asked if he felt intimidated by that level of competition, Trenton’s answer was “Why should I”?

Indeed why should he – repeated Easton Van Nuys Head Coach Rene Paguia, who was quick to point out that at this time:  “Trenton is not concerned about score. He is mindful about attaining a good form which translates to a good score”. At the 2013 National Indoor Championship he improved on the scores he set at State. He has set his goal to reach the Olympics Games. Under the watchful eye of Don Rabska, himself a National Champion and former Olympic Coach to the 2008 Beijing Games, that dream can become reality. In the meantime, Trenton is having fun at an age of discovering the magic of Archery. 

PSE Archery (based in Tucson Arizona) has donated a range of bows to the Easton Newberry Sports Complex to help grow the influx of people already trying archery in the region. The Easton newberry Complex is based in Newberry Florida (10 miles west of Gainesville) and is an arm of the Easton Foundations, a charitable Foundation that’s main goal is to grow the sport of archery throughout the country.  

Since opening in 2009 the Easton Newberry Complex has seen its facility and Archery programming grow significantly to become one of the busiest archery facilities in the area and possibly the country.

It is estimated that the complex will see some 150,000+ guests in 2013 with archery taking a front and center position in that business. The facility staff is very excited to have PSE Archery associated with the facility and cant wait for the archers to try the bows.

Facility Director and Head Coach, Robert Turner says, “PSE’s thoughtful donation will enable our visitors to try some of the latest bows on the market and go a long way to helping archery grow in North Central Florida”

The Easton Newberry Sports Complex and archers would like to thank PSE for their generous donation. For more information on Precision Shooting Equipment (PSE Archery) be sure to head to their website at www.pse-archery.com for more information. To try one of the bows donated be sure to head to the Easton Newberry Sports Complex today.

Junior Dream Team member, Amanda Tamayo, shot scores of 280 and 283 at the 2013 JOAD National Indoor Championships in February. Reaching a score of 280 at an indoor tournament secured a Bronze Olympian level award from USA Archery for the cadet recurve archer from the Easton Van Nuys Archery Center.

Since being selected to the JDT in December 2012, Amanda has increased the intensity of her training, and all the hard work is paying off.

“I feel really proud of myself,” said Amanda. “I have been striving for a score of 280 for quite a long time. To finally reach that goal at an indoor tournament and at a national tournament nonetheless, made me proud of all the work I have put into it.”

While the award is quite the accomplishment, Amanda is working hard to become better and not rest in the satisfaction of the achievement. This mentality was evident at the most recent tournament she competed in, the 2013 AAE Arizona Cup, during the first weekend of April.

The tournament’s qualifying round took place during strong winds, and Amanda thought she could of have done better, but she remained composed going into the individual round the next day.

“I felt pretty confident in my shot and was getting used to the wind,” said Amanda. “I didn’t go into the individual round with an attitude of being surprised if I won, but more of an attitude expecting to win. I don’t know if that sounds cocky, but I think you need that confidence when you shoot or you will become panicky at the target.”

That confidence sparked Amanda to earn a silver medal at the event, and finish in second place out of a field of 33 women cadet recurve archers. She was the highest medaling American in her class.

With these recent successes behind her, Amanda is looking ahead at her next goals. In order to receive a Silver Olympian level award, an archer in her division must shoot a 285 at an indoor tournament – a mark Amada fell shy of in February by two points. Earning the award and doing well in upcoming tournaments is on her mind now.

“I feel like I can step my training up a bit more,” said Amanda. “I want to feel more comfortable at tournaments, but I think I have a pretty good chance of winning the upcoming events.”

One tournament she is particularly working hard to prepare for is the National JOAD Outdoor Championships where she finished ninth in 2012.

“Going into the tournament last year, I was a nervous wreck,” said Amanda. “I feel this year is going to be different, and I will be calmer while shooting.”

With a strong work ethic and a resume to back it up, there are reasons to keep an eye on Amanda’s performance at the JOAD National Championships this summer and beyond. She just may be the next JDT member to represent the United States at the Olympics. 

Ground Breaking Ceremony

3.12.2013

It was a very exciting day at the United States Olympic Training center in Chula Vista, California. Attending were members of the Olympic Training Center staff, Easton Foundations, the archery Resident Athlete Program members, USA Archery, construction crew and New Hope Community Church, all gathering for a milestone event as The Easton Foundations broke ground on the new Olympic Archery Training Center.  This new archery facility will be a state-of-the-art archery complex featuring an indoor 70 meter range, 18 meter indoor range for hosting large competitions, an indoor/outdoor training section, plus two outdoor practice and competition fields.  Additionally, the project includes brand new athlete housing that will be constructed at the same time as the archery center. The new housing will comprise some 60 bedrooms and is conveniently located a short distance from the indoor facility.

Tracy Lamb, Director of the OTC, gave some enthusiastic opening remarks about the excitement he and his colleagues feel over for the new center and the impact it will have on the sport of archery in the US.  Words were also shared from Bob Easton, architect for the project as well as the USA Archery National Head Coach Ki Sik Lee.    This archery center will give our athletes the best possible training environment and resources to reach their Olympic Dreams.  While the goal is to have the facility completed before the 2016 Rio Games to allow our current elite athletes better opportunities to train for the supreme event of sport competition, the center’s main impact will be on the many generations of archers to come. This Center reflects Jim Easton’s vision of creating long-term, sustainable success for our sport.  The center has been designed to support archers and programs on many levels, from our Olympic teams, to our youth development programs.  The ceremony was a tremendous kick-off for what is to be one of the premier archery training facilities in the world. In closing, Pastor Cox, Senior Pastor from New Hope Community Church prayed for the construction crew’s safety and God’s blessing on the project and the many lives it would touch.

Click on the picture to access the archery pre-oscar show.

Click on this link: NewsFlash-Victory or click the Picture.

Members of the Cal State Northridge Archery Club practice in their coach’s backyard. The team ran out of room for archery practice at Woodley Park due to an influx of interest in the sport after the movie “Hunger Games” was released. (John McCoy/Staff Photographer) (John McCoy)

There was just one problem for the nearly 300 students who hoped last week to join a world-class Cal State Northridge archery club.

For the full article please go to:  http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_22556902 or click on the picture above.