West Henrietta, NY – It was a story of perseverance and determination for Elite Archery as they took the podium three times this past weekend at the ASA Leupold in Augusta, Georgia; Jacob Marlow was first place in the Men’s Known Pro Division, Cara Kelly was 3rd place in the Women’s Pro Division, and Michael Braden was 3rd place in the Men’s Senior Pro Division.
“Placing on a podium at a national archery tournament does not happen by accident,” said Elite Pro Staff Coordinator Darrin Christenberry. “Hard work, persistence, and confidence are some of the contributing factors. A team coming together to support products that they believe in and trust will produce winning results. Watching the ‘sea of blue’ at all of the archery events had been really exciting to see. I am proud of the team we have assembled and I look forward to working with all of the shooters to further develop the success of our brands!”
Augusta was packed over the weekend with over 1,600 shooters in attendance. The first day of scoring brought a complete downpour for two hours. The dark and wet conditions kept scores a little lower than normal, but Team Elite held their own and managed to pull through.
Marlow, shooting a black Victory 37, led day one by four points. Day two brought challenges for the young professional, but he managed to stay in the lead tied with a fellow competitor. In the shootoff, Jacob hit a ten on his last target to seal his first place win.
“My bow performed great in both rain and sunshine,” said Jacob. “I never had to change a thing despite the unpredictable weather. It’s amazing how solid my V37 performs regardless of the conditions.”
Braden, shooting an Canyon Orange Victory 37, has been a consistent shooter for Elite this year and continued his streak in Augusta by placing third in the Men's Senior Class. After mentally preparing for difficult weather, Braden’s focus and consistent training kept him near the top of the pack the entire weekend. His work landed him in the top five and a spot in the shootout. Braden found himself in fifth place after five shots of the shootoff, and with nowhere to go but up, took a chance and shot a 14 for his sixth arrow, placing him in third for the event.
“The moral of my story is to never give up and to fight with every arrow you have!” said Braden. “I’m proud of the arrows I shot in the shootoff round and could not be happier with how my V37 performed this weekend, even in the pouring rain.”
Cara Kelly, shooting a purple Impulse 31, also placed third in her class, Women's Pro. Saying that she could have "taken the crown for comeback queen this weekend," Kelly persevered through difficult conditions and a difficult course, not letting her mistakes get in the way of her goal.
"Bad shots and yardage mistakes happen, but it is how we overcome those mistakes that make us champions," said Cara. "My Impulse 31 shot amazing all weekend long. From rain to sun, I knew that if I did my part, my equipment would keep me in the game by hitting 12's when I needed them."
