Archery competitions aren’t just for athletes. They’re also exciting for spectators. Watching the world’s top archers compete head to head is inspiring and exhilarating. Even non-archers get sucked into the drama of battling bull’s-eyes. If you’re already an ultimate fan or just curious about archery, here are some tips for watching tournaments.
Archery TV
You can watch live and past World Archery events on Archery TV, which is World Archery’s YouTube channel. World Archery is archery’s international governing body. Its events include the Summer Olympics, Paralympic Games, Archery World Cup, and World Archery Championships.
Archery World Cup
The Archery World Cup is held annually and consists of four rounds at stunning venues around the world. The best individual and mixed-team performers compete in the World Cup Finals. The format is a 72-arrow ranking round followed by match play.
2019 Hyundai Archery World Cup Events:
Stage 1: Medellin, Colombia, April 22-28 (watch recorded results on Archery TV).
Stage 2: Shanghai, China, May 6-12 (watch recorded results on Archery TV).
Stage 3: Antalya, Turkey, May 19-25 (watch on Archery TV).
Stage 4: Berlin, Germany, June 30 to July 6, (watch on Archery TV).
Finals: Moscow, Russia, Sept. 6-7, (watch on Archery TV).
World Championships
The 2019 Hyundai World Archery Championships takes place in s’-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, June 9-15. You can watch it on Archery TV.
The World Championships are biennial events that feature the best compound and recurve target archers. They include youth, outdoor, indoor and para-archery events. World Championships are also held every two years in 3D archery and university sport. The World Championship format is the same as World Cup events.
The U.S. compound team includes Kris Schaff, James Lutz, Alexis Ruiz, Cassidy Cox, Paige Pearce and Braden Gellenthien. The U.S. team is the defending world champion, and has won seven of 12 titles since compounds were introduced in 1995. Paige Pearce holds the World Archery Field Champion title.
Team USA’s recurve team features three-time Olympic medalist Brady Ellison and newcomer Casey Kaufhold, and they’ll be joined by Jack Williams, Tom Stanwood, Erin Mickelberry and five-time Olympian Khatuna Lorig.
Para World Archery Championships
The 2019 Para World Archery Championships take place June 2-9 in s’-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. Paralympic Champion Andre Shelby, Paralympic silver medalist Matt Stutzman, and Ben Thompson will compete in the compound men’s open category. The lineup also includes Michael Lukow, Eric Bennett, Timothy Palumbo, Jason Tabansky, Lisa Coryell, Emma Rose Ravish, Lori Dupree, Martha Chavez, Erev Richards and Tink Wallace.
Competition Archery Media
Rob Kaufhold created Competition Archery Media 10 years ago. “Competitive archery really needed a professional platform and (high) broadcast quality to enable mainstream media to discover the sport and present it to a wider audience,” Kaufhold said.
CAM broadcasts archery events live on its website and Facebook page. The company partners with USA Archery, Archery Shooters Association and the National Field Archery Association. CAM uses former TV sportscasters/archery enthusiasts and broadcast-quality equipment to provide high-quality coverage.
The company and its major sponsors, Shrewd, Mathews, PSE Archery, Hoyt Archery and T.R.U Ball Archery work to make the coverage exciting for fans and those new to the sport. You can expect the same quality of coverage you find for televised football or soccer games.
“There’s truly something magical about competitive and recreational archery,” Kaufhold said. “Our mission is to demonstrate that, and make people interested so more people get involved.”
A complete list of CAM events is on the website, but live-event coverage includes:
ASA T.R.U. Ball/Vortex Pro/Am, May 16-19, Appling, Georgia.
ASA Mathews Pro/Am, June 20-23, London, Kentucky.
McKenzie ASA Classic, Aug. 1-4, Metropolis, Illinois.
USA Archery Outdoor National Target Championship, Aug. 14-17, Dublin, Ohio.
The season’s first live event was January’s Lancaster Archery Classic, which can be viewed on CAM’s YouTube channel, as well as other previous tournaments.
Since January, over 1.2 million people have watched archery tournaments on CAM, but millions more could soon tune in on their TVs. CAM is working with major cable companies to broadcast events to over 17 million people. Kaufhold hopes that exposure will strengthen archery, create a fan base for the athletes, and encourage viewers to try archery.
“It’s a great sport to bring your kids up in, because it teaches discipline and concentration skills,” Kaufhold said.
Attend an Event
Attending a competition is more exciting than watching events on a screen. Rules vary by tournament, so if you’re interested in attending, look at the website for spectator rules.
Each event designates spectating areas. As a courtesy to competitors, silence your cellphone and all electronic devices. Avoid talking while archers shoot. Bring a chair, drinks, snacks, binoculars/spotting scope, and sunscreen and rainwear.
The next time you need a little inspiration or excitement for this great sport, tune in and watch the world’s best archers show everyone how it’s done.
