Over the weekend in two locations across the globe, Team Elite dominated the tournament circuit, first in Shanghai with a Team USA gold medal and again in Appling, GA at the fourth Archery Shooters Association 3D shoot of the year.
The weekend kicked off in Shanghai, China for the first stage of the World Archery World Cup, featuring Reo Wilde and Kris Schaff. The duo battled through qualifications and eliminations and ended the weekend in the top qualifying positions to represent the United States in the team compound shoot against the Republic of Korea in the gold medal match.
The match between the two countries came down to the last end, which the US team (Wilde, Schaff and Braden Gellenthein) delivered a X-10-X to the Korean’s 9-9-X to secure the title.
“It was an honor as always to represent the United States, and to bring home a gold medal is always the cherry on top,” Wilde said. “This time was even more special winning it in a close match with my Elite teammate (Schaff). Having two Elite Archery shooters on the number one ranked team in the world is awesome, and it just shows we have the most shootable bows in the world.”
This gold medal was especially memorable for Schaff, who was expecting the arrival of his daughter upon his return to the States.
“Being on Team USA is a huge accomplishment in and of itself, but being able to win the gold medal for the USA and also having a fellow Elite shooter on the team is an even greater feeling,” Schaff said.
Photo via World Archery
Seven thousand miles away in Appling, GA, Elite shooters took to the woods for the fourth ASA tournament of the year. After the first day of shooting, Team Elite’s Nathan Brooks and Garrett Ayersman found themselves in the top five of the Men’s Known Pro class, with teammate Jacob Marlow following close behind.
Day two introduced a tougher course, which was a welcomed challenge for Brooks (Victory X), Ayersman (Echelon 39) and Marlow (Echelon 39), who earned their spots in the shoot down, with some of the highest ASA scores to date. The nail-biting shoot down resulted in a first-place finish for Marlow, and a third-place finish for Ayersman.
“With needing super high scores this weekend, my Echelon hit behind the pin every time – giving me the utmost confidence,” Marlow said. “Even in winds, it was able to hold like a rock and seal the deal with a ten on the last target for the win. I couldn’t be more happy with a bow.”
Tyler Marlow finished in the top 10 for the weekend, after shooting the highest score on the range on Saturday with his Elite Ritual, and Tommy Gomez finished sixth in the Men’s Open class.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my team this weekend, and the hard work they put in to represent the sport of archery and Elite,” said Darrin Christenberry, Elite Archery pro staff manager. “Jacob, Garrett and Nathan continue to push their game to the next level, while Reo and Kris continue to put the world on notice. These guys define what it means to be Elite, and we’re excited to get them all in one place next week in Redding.”
Other notable podium finishes for Team Elite as of press time are: