If I flash back in time, I see myself at the beginning of my journey into competitive archery, and I’m brought back to the Anheuser Busch plant in Merrimack, N.H. That’s where I began to learn the best names in the region. Roger Thibault and Al Lane were the ones who were mentioned the most as the ones to beat. If anyone could come close to them, they had a future in the game.
A few years later, I found myself in a peer group at the third leg of the Northeast IBO Triple Crown in Rhode Island with the two of them and another guy from the Plattsburgh area named John Breen. At the end of the tournament, I had made up a lot of ground on Al Lane, but Thibault increased his lead. I finished in third overall, and it drove me to get better. Thibault won it, and Al Lane beat me by a few points. I was all in. I had the bug. All of these men where at least 20 years older than me.
After that year, there were a lot of us that battled back and forth, and we all helped each other improve. Dave Gravlin, Darren Eisenhaur, Bill Romanchick, Wade Chandler, Dave Smeade, Brian LaLeme, Scott Tozier, Ted Butler, Roy Ware, Jeff Alderman, Pete Swanney, Brian Visco, Jon Giguere, Steph Hamner, among many others. Everyone knew these guys, and all these guys had the ability to win at any time. Then, we had the youth who were beginning to lay it down, including Eric Griggs and Dave Cousins, who would be followed by Mike Parker, Ryan Rowe, and Sean Rice a few years later. Many of us respected each other and shared in the victories and defeats of each other. We were putting our region on the map.
Our Current Archery Family
Currently, many of us in New York and New England find ourselves rooting for each other at every event. While many of us are in different classes, some of us compete against each other. However, we all cherish the small victories everyone achieves, whether it’s a podium finish or a personal best. I want to take a minute to share a few of my thoughts about the IBO World Championship and my archery family. Please don’t be offended if I forgot to mention you. I can promise it wasn’t done intentionally. Instead, I’m going to write about the first things that pop into my head and see how much I can recall. Here goes nothing. I hope you enjoy the ride.
The Vermonters
Where do we even start with this one? A lot of big things happened with the boys from Vermont. When I began shooting back in the ‘90s, Stanley Parker was always competitive and shot in the MBR class. He and Bob Rowe had some epic battles. Then, he and Bob Rowe decided they would take over the Northeast Triple Crown when the Nystroms bailed out and went in another direction. I’ll be forever thankful that they carried on the tradition.
Well, Stanley finally put three days together this year and ended his journey of trying get the biggest prize one can get when they attend the IBO World Championship. Stanley claimed the IBO World Champion title this year in the Master Hunter Class. Congratulations, Stanley on a long-overdue title.
It’s not often that a father and son both walk away from a national tournament with bragging rights. However, which Thygesen gets to brag more this off-season? I’ll have to scratch my chin for a bit before I decide, but I think I’m going to have to give it to Old Man Thygesen this year. Tom struggled a little in the beginning of the year, but he put it all together when it mattered the most. Throughout the year, he switched between bows a few times, but he headed to the event with his Darton Veracity 35. That bow just seemed to work better for him. After Day 1, he found himself near the top of the MCBH class, which is for guys shooting moveable equipment who are 60 or older. Tom had quite the field to compete against, including our own Wade Chandler, who found himself on the podium multiple times last year but battled a bad ankle injury this year that prevented him from reaching top form this year. He still put up a respectable showing, though. When all was said in done, Tom made it to the dance and headed into the shoot-off in fifth place and stayed there until the end. Great job, Tom. You made all of us proud, and I’m glad I can say you’re my buddy and a father to a great son. Congratulations on an accomplishment that very few people ever achieve.
That brings us to Thygesen 2, Tom’s son Tyler. After making the cut in SPM last year and taking a podium spot, Tyler had big shoes to fill. Although he didn’t have the year he had last year, he also found life getting in the way. He spent most of his summer doing everything other than archery, and we must give him credit for that. However, on Friday evening, he showed us that he still has, game when he plowed his way through the Eagle Eye shootdown to earn a victory. When you’re shooting against the best of the best on and even playing field, it says a lot when you can come out as the winner. This was amazing to watch, and we all enjoyed every minute of it, especially when the photographer captured all of us celebrating Tyler’s achievement. Very few people can ever say they won the Eagle Eye at the World, but Tyler will now be known as the official Eagle Eye of New England. Congratulations Tyler.
The Maniacs
Maine has produced phenomenal shooters since I started this crazy game and continues to be home to some of the best shooters in our region. There seems to be a never-ending string of great archers who call Maine home.
This year, John “Easy Rider” Freeman moved into the Masters Class. Dad and I figured he would dominate the class this year. Well, John did what John does and went out and stomped everyone. Although I’ve never been lucky enough to shoot with John, I’ve watched him from afar on many occasions. I often wish I had his ability to shoot a bow. He makes every shot look effortless, and he has won everything you can win, including his latest achievement… IBO World Champion. Some shooters excel in every game they play, and John is that guy. If you ever get a chance to watch him shoot, I’d highly recommend it. I’m inspired every time I watch him. His effortless shots inspire me to find more ways to be calm at the center and strong in the process. Congratulations, John, on your win. I feel sorry for the guys in that class.
While talking about John, we can’t forget another John from Maine, John Libby. Libby has been a major contender for as long as I can remember. He goes into every big event with a chance to win and has done his fair share of winning. Well, the IBO World this year was no different. When the dust settled, John walked away with yet another podium finish, finishing in 3rdplace in the MCBH class. Congratulations, John. I can still remember the first time I met you when you and your boy shot the IBO tournament with me and my dad in Merrimack, N.H., on the course along the river. I believe your wife was walking with you, too. It seems like that was just a few years ago, and it was probably about 25 years ago.
While we are on the topic of the Maniacs, Payson Reinhart is making a name for himself in the IBO. Last year he won the event in BBO, and this year he decided to jump into the semi-professional class. Once again, he held his own against some of the big dogs who have been playing this game longer than he’s been alive, and he also landed on the podium. As I personally know, that is no easy feat in that class. I have plenty of experience in the class to draw from. Congratulations, Payson, on another unbelievable performance. I wish you all the luck in college and the years to come. It will be the best four years of your life and it will pass before your eyes before you know it… don’t blink.
The New Yorkers
Although New York isn’t part of New England, I have always considered myself a New Englander when it comes to shooting. I spend more time in New England shooting, so I consider most of those shooters as my family.
Brian Dibona, from central New York, put a post on Facebook about a month ago looking for someplace to shoot Rinehart targets so he could get practice for the IBO World. Although many of you have come up for the Mead Spring Challenge and the World Warmup Challenge, Brian had never attended. All I can say is that I hope his trip out helped him on his journey to securing a second-place finish at the event. Not only did Brian land on the podium, but he also won the IBO National Triple Crown this year. Congratulations, Brian, on a year that many people only get to dream about.
Sticking to central New York, it’s impossible not to mention the Yamins. The Yamins travel the IBO circuit and always seem to be in the hunt at every event. If consistency had a name, it would be Yamin. Zach Yamin put on a shooting clinic in the YMR 12-14 class. However, he got edged out by another fierce competitor from New York, Joey Stevens. I’ve learned that it is incredibly difficult to beat one of Mike Price’s students, especially when it comes down to crunch time. Mike’s resume speaks for itself, having a multitude of champions who have taken is coaching and gone to the next level with it, and Zach came up against one of Mike’s students in Joey.
Joey won, and Zach finished in second
They duked it out and both probably deserved to win. I’m sure this event will motivate Zach to continue working. Everyone should watch this young man. The sky is the limit for him. He also found himself as the winner of the Bowhunter Defense Shootoff at one leg of the National Triple Crown. Congratulations, Zach, on a phenomenal year.
Zach’s big sister, Haylee, couldn’t let him have all the glory. She shot her butt off to get into the shootdown round the final day. Then, once there, she put up a stellar score to close the gap. When all was said and done, she fell a point short of the big prize. Haylee never quits and is always in the hunt. She’s a shooter that can never be counted out. She will always give herself a chance to win. We can never predict the future, but I’d be willing to bet that we might see Haylee in the professional women’s division at some point in time. She has what it takes. Every year, she takes every challenge head on and seems to surpass all expectations. She’s a true champion. Great job, Haylee. We are all proud of you. You make New York proud.
While we are still in New York, I have to say that the kids from my hometown make me proud. The first time Aron Stevenson attended the world championship, which was about 29 years ago, he walked away with a runner-up belt buckle for the youth barebow class. Well, this year, Aron carted his entire youth shooting team to the event for the first time. They got to experience something he experienced in West Virginia three decades ago. Although his son Logan didn’t one-up his dad, he still accomplished something to remember by getting himself a 3rd-place finish and standing on the podium at the IBO World Championship. Not many youth shooters get to do that, and many youth shooters who have done it have gone on to accomplish great things after doing it. Congratulations, Logan. You still have a way to go to beat your dad, but you have a good start. Work in trying to remain humble. It will only help you in the long run and attract others to you. When you’re good, you don’t have to tell people you’re good.
I guess we will move on from the New Yorkers by mentioning Aiden Pfitze, who performed in the Cub class. Last winter Aiden had a meltdown on his way home from the NFAA Indoor State Championship. He decided to cut up his wrist strap and listen to what everyone had been telling him. That’s when he took on the challenge of learning how to shoot a hinge. It was tough at first, but we worked tirelessly while no one was watching and continue to do so today. We learned how to draw the bow, anchor, and execute shots without worrying about where the arrows landed. Then, came the few different bows. Aiden performed with every bow put in his hand, but he really began to excel when Whitney’s Archery Supply put him on their staff, and he began shooting a PSE Supra RTX. Aiden had a solid first day and backed it up with a great second day. At the end of qualifying, he found himself headed to the shootdown round in the fifth spot. He had beaten some of the titans in the Cub class to gain entry to the final day. I had the pleasure of working on the range he shot on the last day, and I found a lot of enjoyment in watching him go arrow for arrow against his peers. The sky is the limit for Aiden, and I hope he finds a path in life that will resemble the flight of every arrow he shoots. The flight of the arrow is peaceful, quiet, thought-provoking… and majestic. Work in silence and let the results speak for themselves, buddy.
The last New Yorker we can't forget is David Poppo. I met Dave many years ago at the IBO World when I was getting back into the game after shoulder surgery. I believe it was in 2014. He was in my group at the IBO World and I was just recovering from aniplasmosis. We were both shooting in the MBR class, and we had two guys from Australia in our group. One of them whined nonstop, and I had all I could take before lecturing him. I'm not sure why, but that moment sticks out. Dave and I have both put a lot of work in since that time, and I was glad to see Dave's hard work come out at the IBO World. Dave made the shootdown round in Semi-pro, and he also won the coveted buckle for the Bowhunter Defense Shootoff Champion for the year. Congratulations, Dave, on a great ending to the year. I hope you carry your success into next year. Great job!
The Massholes and the Connecticut Lady
I’ve always enjoyed shooting in Massachusetts, and some of my best friends come from the state. Jake LaFontaine and Cole Bromley are two young guys whose presence I really enjoy. I hope they stay in this sport as long as I’ve been in it. I enjoy being around them and watching them improve every year. Although they have chosen different paths to get to where they want to go, I support both of their choices.
Cole had a great year and improved a lot from last year. He was in the hunt this year in the SPM class and made a name for himself as a contender. That is no easy feat. I was impressed when I shot with Cole this year, and I was impressed when I watched him from afar. His constant progress is a reminder that the road traveled is never easy and there will be potholes that must be avoided along the way.
Jake struggled a little bit this year, but he kept working. He knew he was on the edge of a great performance and never quit. Jake came over for the Mead Spring Challenge and the World Warmup. He was on a different level than everyone else at the warmup shoot a few weeks before the world. We could tell he was on the edge of something special.
He was right near the top after Day 1, and he held it together going into Day 2 to find himself in the shootdown round. Although the shootdown round didn’t pan out the way Jake would’ve liked it, he still showed all of us that he has some game when it matters most. I can only hope his trips to my range gave him the confidence he needed to get over the hump. Jake and Cole are class acts. If more people followed their example, we would have a better world. I appreciate your support all the time, and I love supporting you guys and cheering for you to get the job done. Nice work this year!
It seems that the Lady from Connecticut always finds a way to be on top. Is she the modern-day Wonder Woman or is she the female Robin Hood? Sara Kay amazes me in every way when it comes to competing with a bow and arrow. She takes on every challenge and heads after titles with a killer instinct. She knows she’s the best and says, “Come and take what’s mine if you think you can.” Her fierce competitive fire drives her to succeed, and a lot of people could learn a lot from her. In many ways, I hope I helped birth this two-headed monster that lives inside her when she steps on the range. I can recall having a conversation with Sara about having a mental edge. I’m not sure if she was put off at first when I told her I thought I could beat anyone I shot against, but that is honestly how I feel. Heck, I’ve beaten all of them at one time or another. I’ve never lacked confidence when it comes to my ability. Although I’ve had times that I lacked confidence in a set-up, I’ve never lacked confidence in myself. Sara hasn’t lacked any confidence after that discussion, and I think that is what puts her a step ahead of everyone else. She knows what it takes to win, so she just goes out there and shoots her bow like she knows how to shoot it. That is what impresses me the most about Sara. She can come off the course and be a hot mess and not let it bother her one bit. The next day she gets after it and makes up any ground she might have lost. This year, she continued doing what she does… win. She repeated as the IBO National Triple Crown winner and the IBO World Championship winner. She is dominant and not many people can ever say they dominated anything at a national level. My only hope for Sara is that she throws all her chips in next year and shoots in Female Pro for what is supposed to be her last year on the tour. She shoots a good enough shot, and she has a strong mental game. I’d love to see her on my range competing against the best of the best… because she is surely one of the best to have played the game. Congratulations, Sara. You’ve accomplished everything you can in that class. Come play with your two 4-year-old friends. We would love to have you.
My Gang
Although all the people I mentioned above had incredible performances, some of us others came up a little short. Dad fell fall short of what he wanted to do on Day 1. However, on Day 2, he laid it down and made an incredible comeback, falling just short of making the big dance. He was the first guy out. That’s still quite a run after being near the bottom after Day 1. Great job, Dad. I’m sure your bad back and problems with your vision don’t help matters much. There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not thankful that you are my dad, and I am your son. I wish others could experience what you and I have experienced together. I’m the luckiest son in the world. Some days I pinch myself to make sure I’m living a real life. You’ve made it better than I ever could’ve imagined. I’m not wealthy, but I’ve lived the richest life I ever could’ve lived up to this point, and all of that is because of the incredible parents I have been blessed to have.
Wags and Wade always make our trips enjoyable. I’ve shot with Wade for the better part of 30 years, and Wags became a regular after winning everything he could win while shooting with his fingers. Wags couldn’t shoot much this year, but we had an awesome time in Alabama at the second ASA. Unfortunately, Wags was shooting well until his clarifier decided to launch itself into the woods after one of his shots. He found it incredibly hard to see the target after that, but he held his own and somehow limped to the finish line. Although we aren’t sure what we will do next year, ASA seems to be a better fit for him. Only time will tell what he will do. After all, he banged out a 656 Lancaster round this winter and consistently hung around the 650 mark. He’s got game. He just needs to figure out where he wants to play.
Wade had a rough year with his messed-up ankle. We all know it’s difficult to shoot well without a solid base. It’s basically impossible to do the things we need to do with a bow if we only have one foot that is working properly. Wade still managed to rack up a few good finishes. It’s never easy to shoot with pain, and it’s difficult to do anything if you can’t stand evenly. Great job this year, Wade. You fought the battle valiantly. I’m sure once it gets fixed, you’ll be right back on track.
Jacob also came up a little short at the World. Just like me and Dad, he barely missed the cut. We all felt like we were looking in the candy shop right as the closed sign hit the window. We were ever so close, yet so far away we wanted to jump off from a building. If you shoot long enough, you’ll experience the highs and lows. You must ride the river and see where the water takes you. Hopefully, we can all redeem ourselves in the coming year.
Final Thoughts
I apologize for leaving many of you out, but these things were the first things that came to mind. Hopefully, we will all share in each other’s highs and lows next year. I’d like to thank every one of you for your support, whether you give me a call or send me text messages. I appreciate all of you, and your support never goes unnoticed or unappreciated… Thank You. You guys are all my archery family, and I could never do what I do without all of you.
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