Although I had no intentions of going to the Lancaster Archery Classic, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to attend as a spectator and offer all of my friends some support. In doing so, I would also try to network in an attempt to find work.
While I would like to talk about my experience as a spectator for the first time in 30 years, that will have to wait until the next blog entry. If you have to ask why, then you obviously didn't see the show that Jacob Slusarz put on at the event. Having traveled to many events with him over the years and seeing many of his previous victories, I was there to see this one too, so I figured I would share a little about it from my perspective.
Who is Jacob Slusarz?
So who is this phenom who stormed into the Lancaster Classic and walked away with the 2025 title of Open Pro Champion? Anyone who has been attending national tournaments, whether they're ASA, IBO or NFAA tournaments has probably noticed he's in the hunt at every venue. He never stands out among a crowd and seems to always blend into the backdrop. He prefers to be around his close-knit group of friends and family and loves entertaining them just by being himself.
After getting settled into the venue, he had a job to do on Thursday afternoon, the first day of the tournament, and it had nothing to do with preparing for his round on Friday. Jacob volunteered to act as an arrow agent for another shooter. Since many people reading this have no idea what an arrow agent is, I'll explain it so you can get a glimpse at what makes Jacob so much more than one of the best professional archers on the planet.
Handicapped archers sometimes require arrow agents to score and retrieve their arrows every end. This keeps the lines running on time and doesn't create issues with getting wheelchairs back and forth every time arrows must be scored. Chris Hall, Jacob's friend and fellow GAS Bowstrings staff member, requires an arrow agent due to his inability to walk. Jacob could've easily turned Chris down and told him he had other things to do, but he took it upon himself to lend a hand and make Chris' life a lot easier. Around the 15th end, Jacob said to me, "This is starting to get pretty boring," and we laughed about it, all while Jacob continued busting on Chris.
When the round finally ended, Jacob told me Chris shot really well except for a few ends. Besides those ends, Jacob said he shot way better than the score, once again, supporting his friends and finding the positives of the day. These are the things that nobody sees when looking at professional archer Jacob Slusarz, but his friends see it at every event. In the picture below, I'm visiting with Chris while Jacob is scoring and retrieving arrows. Unfortunately, nobody got a photo of Jacob in action.
Friday
I arrived at the venue early on Friday morning because I had friends shooting on every line, and I wanted to be there to support them. It wasn't very long before Jacob showed up to see how many of his friends from back home were doing. After offering his support, he headed to the practice range to get ready for his round.
When the middle line started on Friday, I'm sure nobody in the crowd imagined Jacob would be the one to shoot a 660. With Jacob in the middle of the floor and Jeff Wagoner (Wags) about 20 bales down from him, I tried to keep an eye on both of them. As the round progressed and got to the halfway point, Jeff and Jacob were both doing well, and Jacob hadn't dropped an X. However, unconcerned about his own round, he continuously asked about Wags and how he was doing.
Around the 15th end, word began spreading and the crowd started getting larger. Cameras began rolling in, and any type of normalcy was gone. It was almost as if the people running the cameras were told to be as distracting as possible to hinder perfection. Although it sounds like a conspiracy theory, I found the encroachment from all sides to be a little over the top.
Knowing Jacob practices regularly while being surrounded by distractions, I laughed and knew they were probably bringing his killer mentality to the surface. In between ends, Jacob would come back to his friends who were standing behind his mom and wife and crack jokes like nothing unusual was happening.
Finally, in the 18th end, Jacob laughed and said, "I think there are going to be a lot of disappointed people if I miss one. He said he was feeling good and knowing he has always been a closer, I felt confident he was going to get to the finish line without any hiccups.
When he fired his last arrow of the round, the crowd cheered when the arrow struck the target, and he walked back to his circle of friends, and they all congratulated him. Then, saving the best for last, he was congratulated by his mom and his wife. His mom had been on edge since about the 10th end, and the stress was able to find a new home. The day was over... until the shoot-off for $20,000 later that evening.
The $20,000 Shoot-off
As expected, the three archers who shot 660s shot perfect rounds for the first two scoring ends. The final arrow would determine who would walk away with $20,000, as the closet arrow to center would declare a winner. Once again, all three archers shot their arrows into the X. Although Jacob's arrow was in the X, it wasn't close enough to the center to be the winner, so he ended up heading into the elimination matches in the number three seed.
Elimination Day
Elimination Day is always a tough day, especially for the people who lose matches after shooting perfect scores and leaving it up to the result of one last arrow being closest to the center. Jacob has seen his tournament end in Lancaster in the past after shooting a 132 in a match, then hitting the X in the closest to center and still being sent home. This year, that was not the path he would travel. Instead, he continued his dominance in his first match and made quick work of his opponent.
His second match would not be as easy as the first one, as he finally dropped his first X of the tournament . However, his opponent dropped one on the next end and another in the last end. He would move on to his third match of the day, which would send him home or into the final eight.
His opponent would be Robert Householder, who has won a few events of his own along the way. When Householder dropped an X, it was up to the Closer to seal the deal and punch his ticket to the final. That's exactly what he did, shooting yet another perfect game. Looking at the scoreboard, the other two 660s were no longer standing, leaving Jacob in the pole position for the next day. He would only be shooting one more match to determine if he would go home the winner or the runner-up.
The Easton Kids Tournament
After taking a short break, the guy with the 3D bow whom not many people picked to be at the top was walking around looking for kids from his friend circle. He didn't waste any time finding them and giving them the support they needed. In the process, he consoled Jeff Wagoner (Wags) for once again missing the cut by one point in the Masters Professional Division, and he found Rory LeFevre and Aiden Pfiitze to help them stay upbeat during their rounds... the things people don't know about or see Jacob doing. He's doing his part as a professional, and it rarely gets noticed because he has a way of blending into the crowd without bringing any attention to himself. He's not Superstar Pro Archer to his close friends, he's just Jacob Slusarz, a guy who loves to hunt and shoot his bow, and he's pretty damn funny too. That's also a side many others never get to see.
Jacob gives Aiden some support
Jacob gives Aiden and Wags a little pick-me-up
The Grand Finale
I sat quietly in the smaller of the two practice ranges near the volleyball courts as Jacob began practicing for his final match. Sitting in the chair watching one of the best in the world can be humbling and inspiring, but it can also make you question your own sanity. How can one person shoot nonstop and never miss? Is he really a machine and I'm in an alternate reality, or is it really possible for a guy to shoot a 35 inch axle to axle hunting bow with a 6 1/2 inch brace height at 73 lbs and never miss? I'm still not sure what to think, but to me he's just Jacob, and Jacob does his own thing and sings to his own tune. That's what makes him who he is.
After shooting a few arrows, he took a break and decided to head down to the area set up just outside of the stage where he would shoot his final match. As we marched down the hall, we chit-chatted a little and I got a good laugh when Jacob mentioned the next day, saying "I can be Superman today, but tomorrow I'll be on my hands in knees in a crawl space somewhere working." And that right there is the problem with professional archery. How can you be one of the best in the world, yet nobody except archers know. We both laughed and continued to the practice area.
Not having practiced shooting at 12s one time, he decided he better shoot at a few of them before his match because he thought he would probably have to shoot one to win. I'd say the practice went well. I'm not sure how many arrows he shot at the 12s in practice, but he only missed one, and I'd say that was probably because the white dot was gone due to other people hitting it previous to him shooting at it, so there wasn't much to aim at.
As the final eight started disappearing from the practice area to shoot against each other, we sat below bright lights, yet surrounded by darkness, while watching the match between Jacob Petite and Jimmy Lutz. When the match started, the man running the show in the practice range talked with Jacob and made reference to all of the cameras on him when he was about to shoot his 660 on Friday. Jacob told him it didn't bother him, but with as close as they were getting to him, he was hoping they wouldn't bump into him. Secretly, I wanted to tell the guy that if they were truly trying to distract him they would have had better luck by telling him hunting season was still open and he could skip the last few rounds to go shoot a big buck in the woods behind the venue. That's probably the only thing that would've worked. Jacob does not get distracted. He's The Closer, or as Rob LeLacheur calls him, The Gatekeeper. When it's time to finish the job, he finishes it and punches out.
When the dust settled, Jacob learned he would be shooting against Jimmy Lutz in the final. He would be facing another guy who has had all sorts of success in different venues. It would be an all-out battle to see who could claim the title.
After walking to the stage and getting on the platform, he was ready, and it didn't take long for the match to start. His first arrow hit a tad left. Since he had favored the left side of the X throughout the weekend, I figured it probably didn't concern him. He made quick work of the next two arrows, stuffing them in the 11s.
When he finally missed an X in the second end, it didn't seem to phase him. Knowing him as well as I know him, I also knew he had 100% confidence that wouldn't happen again. With two ends left, I got the arrows from the arrow runner and handed them to him, offering a quick comment or two but nothing of any relevance.
After they both skated through the third end with 33s, it would come down to the last three arrows to declare a winner. It's never fun when you're trailing because you have to rely on your opponent to make a mistake, but pressure also comes with it to finish the deal.
Before Jacob began his last end, I gave him his arrows once again and told him to do what he does because I had a feeling something might happen. Then, I stepped away and saw that he had pushed the 12 button. He was going to put the pressure on with the first shot. It would either force Lutz into having to think about it for the next three arrows he had to shoot, or it would be game, set, match and Lutz was most likely going to be the winner. When I saw him push the button, I knew he was going to hit it. It reminded me of the day in the ASA shoot-off when he said, "I'm gonna end this right here and smoked a 14-ring."
Seconds after pushing the button, his arrow was sitting nicely in the 12 ring, and he had momentarily taken the lead. Lutz responded with a pinwheel 11. Without any hesitation, Jacob drew his bow, made a perfect shot and stuffed the 11. Then, Lutz pushed the 12 button. Jacob looked down and listened. When the arrow struck the target, the room was silent. You could've heard a mosquito buzzing from 100 yards away; it was so quiet. Jacob slowly picked his head up and glanced at the screen. We looked at each other kind of dumbfounded, and Jacob said, "I just effen won."
The handshake after the win
With it still being quiet, it was odd. Finally, they announced he had won and stuck the microphone in his face. I stepped away and watched the quick interview. When he walked away after the interview, I gave him a hug and patted him on the back. An indoor win has been a long time coming, and in my opinion, he won the one that might me the hardest to win of all of them. I can't imagine what it was like in the 1700s when people were made to run through Indian gauntlets, but the Lancaster Archery Classic winner must run through a gauntlet of established worldwide champions to survive and end up on the top. The Closer did just that and closed the deal yet again.
Some Final Passing Thoughts
This was a unique tournament for me, especially since I wasn't shooting. It allowed me to relax more than normal, take in the surroundings, support all my friends, and see how it is from the other side of the line. I don't have any experience with that at all, so I learned a lot from it and will be writing about it in the near future.
I did get to watch Jacob's mom the entire weekend. Jacob's mom is like our entire group's mom. She watches out for all of us, and she always offers a kind word or some guidance when we need it. She also is able to make people laugh and makes the most out of some stressful situations. I've always had stomach issues due to stress, and I can't imagine how she does it without having ulcers. After the halfway point of the 660 round, she couldn't bear to watch and would peak to see if he got the X. It was fun to watch, but I could also feel for her because all parents want their children to be successful and happy. They live the highs and lows with their kids. Finally, when Jacob shot the last arrow, a ton of relief was let loose and I witnessed a moment that most people might miss. After walking through his friends and getting a bunch of fist bumps and handshakes, he walked to his mom, and she extended herself over the chair between them and hugged him. It was nice to watch, and I wished all the parents in the building could've seen it, and trust me there was one parent I had to deal with on Saturday afternoon at the Easton shoot that could've learned a lot from that moment. I'll touch on that in the next entry.
Although that was an incredible moment to watch, the best thing I saw all weekend was after Jacob won the event, his mom was waiting for him in the walkway a little ways from where he fired his last arrow, and she embraced him. You could see the pride displayed, and I cherished the moment. It brought a quick tear to my eye that I made sure nobody noticed, and it also made me realize how quickly life really does pass. I can remember my mom hugging me like that on a few larger-than-life occasions when I was in my 20s, and now my mom is just shy of 80. It seems like yesterday when we were both young and the entire world was in front of us. I guess that's why you have to cherish every moment you can with your kids or your parents.
Being in the box at this event was unlike anything I've experienced at ASA events with Jacob. In those shootdown rounds, we have time to crack jokes and pretend we are in the backyard. I've had my fair share of big moments in my archery career, and like anyone else, I get nervous. However, in all of the pressure situations I've ever been in for myself, I've never felt as many nerves as I did while standing behind Jacob. When I felt my knees shaking, I suddenly realized what his mom goes through at almost every event. I think it comes from having absolutely no control of the outcome and it's out of your hands. That's the only thing I can surmise. I was nervous for my buddy and wanted him to win no matter what, just like all of his other friends and fans throughout the archery world.
There were a few moments from the weekend that made me smile, and I'll share one of them with you because it still makes me smile today. As we were watching Jacob Petite on the TV in the warm-up area, Jacob said, "He has an awesome shot. He just makes it look so easy, just like Dave Badgely always does." I sat there and smiled and agreed with him. Having spent a lot of time with Badgely on the range, I always thought his shot looked effortless and wished I could be like him. I also smiled because I'm sure the vast majority of people think his shot looks effortless too. I do know I enjoy watching him shoot a bow.
On one last note, the highlight of the weekend was when our buddy Rob LeLacheur asked AI a question about Jacob the night before the final and this was the response. At least AI knew he was going to be the champion of the Lancaster Archery Classic, but I'm not sure many people knew Jacob was a professional strongman athlete.
Congratulations, Jacob. I'm proud to call you a friend, and I appreciate your ability to stay grounded and remain humble. You will always just be Jacob to us, and we all value your witty humor, quick comebacks, and ability to tell everyone exactly what you feel without any filter. That's what makes you who you are and that's why we all support you and cheer for you.
