By Bob Garrett
Concentration and focus, follow-through and enjoyment.
According to Terry Butler of the U.S. Crossbow Team, these are the main ingredients to become a world-class crossbow shooter.
Butler should know, because last year he brought home the bronze medal from the World Crossbow Championships that were held in Portugal.
An Old Forge resident, Butler was in our area to make presentations on crossbows and competitive shooting at the Early Bird Expo that is being held through this afternoon. The expo is being held at the Bloomsburg Fair Grounds. Admission is $6 for adults and children under 12 are free.
Butler had a perfect archer along with him to demonstrate the finer skills of using a crossbow. Brandon McDermott, his seven-yearold grandson, was more than eager to demonstrate his shooting abilities using a junior-sized “Horned Eagle” crossbow.
According to his grandfather, “Brandon is too young to pick up any of the bad habits that us old folks have from years of not shooting correctly.”
Much like a T-ball player of the same age, McDermott uses a tripod to insure that he gets a sure shot every time.
When asked what he enjoyed most about the sport of crossbow target shooting, McDermott replied that, “It’s fun and I like the sound that arrows make when they hit the target. I’ve made lots of new friends and my pap’s eyes light up every time I hit a bulls eye, which happens a lot now.”
The U.S. Crossbow Team uses Australian-made Ausobows.
Butler explained, “These are lighter bows that are capable of meeting the ninety-five-pound draw limit that’s set for international competitions.”
The Australian bows weigh about half the weight of the heavier Americanmade crossbows. No sights or magnification is allowed during the international competition. Arrows must be at least 12 inches long, but no longer than 19 inches.
The most recent World Champion Crossbow shooter is Brent Hankins, from Cincinnati, Ohio. The world champion silver medal winner is also an American. The five U.S. team shooters were able to bring home 12 medals, in all, last year. Eight of these medals were gold.
The strongest competition for the U.S. Team came from the Polish National Team.
Crossbow shooting is a big sport in Poland. In fact, the Polish government subsidizes their national team and is lobbying for crossbow events to be added at an upcoming World Olympics.
“During the world events, having fun is ninety percent of the game and actual competition only counts for about ten percent of the activity,” said Butler, who was speaking between shooting demonstrations. “Crossbow shooters are like a big family and our competitions are like a reunion of old friends.”
He reported that during the medals award ceremony, one of the Polish shooters who was receiving the team silver while the Americans were received their gold medal said, “I love you mens!” “While his English was a little choppy, we all knew exactly what he meant.
Imagine, world peace being achieved through crossbow shooting — not a bad idea,” Butler said.
-- E-mail comments to rgarrett@state.pa.us
