Registration Now Open for 33rd Biannual Pope and Young Convention

Pope and Young recently announced that registration for its 33rd Biennial Convention is officially open, and spots are already starting to fill. The event will take place April 12-15, 2023, in Reno, Nevada, at the Nugget Casino and Resort.

If you register for a Full Convention Package by Oct. 31, 2022, you’ll receive $100 in raffle tickets. If you’re not a member, you are still in luck; select Full Convention Registration - Non-Member and receive a complimentary 1-year membership in addition to your $100 raffle tickets.

With an incredible vendor space to spend time in, a large selection of world class outfitters to visit with, an amazing lineup of speakers to learn from, shooting lanes, virtual shooting, contests, raffles, silent auctions, live hunt auctions, and more, there is something for the entire family. Enjoy the day attending seminars, exploring Reno with off-site tours, chatting with vendors/outfitter and testing the latest and greatest the archery industry has to offer. In the evening, the dinners will bring everyone together as bowhunters, united under one roof, for a common cause: Preserving, Promoting, and Protecting our passion for bowhunting.

The Pope and Young Convention is open to everyone. You do not have to be a member of Pope and Young to attend. You do not have to have any animals in the books to attend. You do not have to be a bowhunter exclusively.

Registration is now open; click here for more information.

 

ATA Announces Federal Excise Tax Milestone

Recently, federal excise tax (FET) contributions from archery equipment sales, which go directly to funding conservation projects and initiatives, reached more than $1.1 billion all-time and totaled $65 million in fiscal year 2021.

Your FET contributionssupport state wildlife agencies that use the funds to benefit wildlife conservation, acquire land and ensure Americans have outdoor recreational opportunities, which in turn, generates more business for you. ATA members can download important FET information and documents, including quarterly FET reports and the ATA's comprehensive FET guide, from the ATA's Resource Library. The ATA also shares the unofficial arrow shaft tax rate with its members. You can find FET data on the Sportfishing and Firearms industries on the Resource Library if you want to compare trends from other industries. These resources, and many others, are free. For FET assistance, work with a verified MyATA service provider, such as FORVIS (formerly BKD CPAs & Advisors), a full-service certified public accounting firm ready to meet your business needs.

Join the ATA to access all ATA-member exclusive benefits. For more information or to join, visit the ATA’s membership category page. Click the appropriate link to apply for a membership in your business category. You will need to create an account to apply for membership. Your application will be reviewed and approved by ATA Staff within 7 business days. ATA reserves the right to change your membership category based on the verification documents provided.

For membership questions, contact John Lewis, senior manager of membership, at johnlewis@archerytrade.org or (507) 233-8147. For other questions, contact Allison Jasper, senior director of marketing and communications, at allisonjasper@archerytrade.orgor (866) 266-2776, ext. 118.

 

Pearce and Cousins Win Compound Mixed Team Gold at 2022 World Archery Field Championships

Team USA’s Paige Pearce and Dave Cousins won compound mixed team gold recently and the United States secured two bronze medals for the men’s team and recurve mixed team at the 2022 World Archery Field Championships in Yankton, South Dakota.

The course featured four targets set on varying declines, inclines, and on a lift in the trees. New for this rendition of the Championships was the mixed team competition.

Reigning World Field Champion Pearce and two-time World Field Champion Cousins added another medal to their collection. The acclaimed duo maintained control of the match until the very end, ending with a score of 92-86 against Julia Boehnke and Henning Luepkemann from Germany.

“It was amazing shooting the first-ever mixed team round at the World Field Championships with Dave! He is such an accomplished archer that I had a lot of confidence in us as a team!” said Pearce. “They had a beautiful finals venue with some tricky shots, but we were able to remain calm and shoot strong throughout the entire match. It feels so good to win the gold medal on home soil! Both of us love field archery, and I’m happy we were able to make our country proud in the final!”

Savannah Vanderwier paired with world number-one ranked Brady Ellison for the recurve mixed team bronze medal match facing two-time Olympian Patrick Huston and Bryony Pitman of Great Britain. Vanderwier was on fire posting three 6s over the challenging course. The recurve mixed team went into the last target with a two-point lead over Great Britain. Ellison sealed the bronze medal after posting a 6, so Vanderwier’s last arrow only made the win official 76-72.

Vanderwier said, “The most challenging shot of the day was definitely the last target in the trees. It was a pretty steep angle and trying to keep my bow level was a challenge. But thankfully, I had Heather Gore coaching and Brady watching for me. Those 6s felt great! I actually had a bee flying around my face on the first shot and all I was thinking was, ‘Just ignore it, shoot a good shot’ over and over. When the arrow hit the target, I heard everyone from the U.S. start screaming, so I knew it was a six, which definitely felt good!”

Matt Yacca teamed up with 2018 World Field silver medalist Fawn Girard for the barebow mixed team finals. The U.S. team faced Christine Gauthe and David Jackson of France in the bronze medal match. Yacca and Girard led by a single point all the way to the final end where they locked up the scores with only two arrows left per team. The final target was extremely challenging posted in the trees and with the sun in the athlete’s eyes. Unfortunately, a 3-4 to 4-4 wasn’t enough to maintain the lead putting the U.S. team in fourth place overall.

When it came time for the men’s team bronze medal match, all three archers had shot the course earlier in the day. Unique to this competition, the men’s team is comprised of three divisions - Yacca shooting barebow, Ellison shooting recurve, and Cousins with the compound component. The U.S. led the match against Great Britain for the entirety finishing 58-52.

Individual Gold

Team USA’s Dave Cousins and Paige Pearce also won individual compound gold medals at the 2022 World Field Championships. These wins came a day after they won gold together in the mixed team competition. Team USA’s Matthew Nofel brought home the silver medal from the men’s recurve division, his first podium finish at a Field Championship.

Defending World Field Champion Paige Pearce faced 2014 World Field Champion Toja Ellison of Slovenia. After starting with five 6s from each archer, Pearce dropped a single point that trended through the third end as well. Going into the final target, Ellison had a two-point lead before two 5s opened the match up for a tie at 70 points. Both athletes nailed the 6 in the shoot-off, but Pearce came in closer to the center for the gold medal.

“I can’t believe that it worked out that way, but I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Toja,” Pearce said. “I honestly went into this thinking we could have a shoot-off. We’re so neck and neck; she’s amazing. Honestly, I was thankful that was the last target because I knew we needed something tough if I was ever going to have her give me two points. I just told myself, ‘I have to hit all 6s to even have a chance,’ and I pretty much thought I was done even then. So, I did what I needed to do, and she happened to give me the two points that made it possible for us to have a shoot-off. I’m just so excited. Field is truly my favorite part of archery. Obviously, I shoot indoor, target, all of the above with World Archery, but this title means more to me than any of them because this is what I love.”

Cousins, who has multiple world championships to his name, faced Nico Wiener of Austria in the finals. The wind started played a factor in the final match of the day preventing the higher scores that spectators would expect from the top compound archers. Cousins had a two-point lead going into the final target before extending to win 65-62, adding yet another world title to his collection.

“My last world championship individual win was in 2013 at the World 3D. I went to the World 3D with one purpose in mind – to go win that tournament and be the only one that’s ever-won gold in all of them,” said Cousins. “So now to come here and win at a World Field on home soil – 24 years after my first World Field Championships – it does feel pretty good. The medal around your neck is great, but when you stand there on the podium and they play your anthem, there’s no better feeling.”

Matthew Nofel defeated teammate Brady Ellison in the semifinals 65-59 to advance to the finals against Florian Unruh of France. It was looking to be a tight match until the third end when Unruh began heating up. While Unruh was able to win the match before Nofel fired his final arrow, Nofel recovered with a 6 to cap off the match 54-57, securing the silver medal.

Two-time individual World Field Champion Brady Ellison faced Patrick Huston of Great Britain for the recurve men’s bronze medal. Ellison had already won two bronze medals prior in the mixed team and men’s team events. Archers went into the third end locked up at 30 points before Huston took a two-point lead. While both archers struggled on the final target in the tree line, Unruh was able to nail a 6 claiming third place overall 60-57.