# archery a career?



## jh7187

hi all i have a question that has been on my mind for a while. i just picked up my bow after a 4 yr leave of absence due to my daughter being born and not being able to find a good place to shoot where i moved to. i just started shooting again and im very surprised with the scores im shooting they are better than when i was 4 yrs ago my highest so far is a 447 with 31x and i know it will get better. now i was just wanting to know if there are people who actually can make a career out of just shooting archery doing somthing they love, and it be enough to support a family if so i would really like to go that route because i love the sport so much. if anybody has any advise for me on where i should start im really interested in getting started i just dont know where to. 
thank you for your advise and feedback


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## Big Johnc

We all would love to do that.All the pros I know have a (Real Job) too. Some are in the archery field like a bow company, Release company,or Pro shop. That does make it EZ for them to shoot more, Rep the company and shoot. They still go to work every week.I know some that work M-F just like the rest of us.


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## 60Xbulldog60X

There are only a handfull of people that are shooting archery for a living? It could definitely not be done on winnings alone for most.


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## AT_X_HUNTER

Only a few are doing it full time, but the travel and time away from your family would be considerable. The guys that do it full time don't have kids and travel all over the world. Plus, aside from shooting they put on seminars. It truley is a full time job for them.

Some of the best shooters out there still have day jobs. There is some money that can be won shooting but there are a lot of really good shooters out there hunting hard for that cash. Take a look at the NFAA web site and check out the results from Vegas and Nationals. Them boys ain't playin' around.


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## ol' Bow Bender

*Paid for Shooting Archery? Not in the USA!*



jh7187 said:


> hi all i have a question that has been on my mind for a while. i just picked up my bow after a 4 yr leave of absence due to my daughter being born and not being able to find a good place to shoot where i moved to. i just started shooting again and im very surprised with the scores im shooting they are better than when i was 4 yrs ago my highest so far is a 447 with 31x and i know it will get better. now i was just wanting to know if there are people who actually can make a career out of just shooting archery doing somthing they love, and it be enough to support a family if so i would really like to go that route because i love the sport so much. if anybody has any advise for me on where i should start im really interested in getting started i just dont know where to.
> thank you for your advise and feedback


I have only been involved in Archery since 1958 and I am sorry to report that as far as our nation the USA is concerned... except for the a few of the MANUFACTURERS of ARCHERY EQUIPMENT there is NO!... that's NONE! Money for the want to be real professional archers to depend on. PERIOD!

Oh yes! A $25,000. check every now and then if one wins some special tournament. But, not enough for anyone to or group to say they have reached the big times. 
ONLY a few manufactures make any type of REAL money! And, it is their name they expect the professionals or wanna be's to wear on their shirts or hats and equipment... NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! 

This is not baseball, football, golf nor even volleyball where the equipment suppliers expect the names of the pros to be placed on their products. There is just toooooo big of a turn over .... so it's best to say team this and team that! Or our product was used to place here or there and then name the shooters second... ALWAYS (most of the time) the products! Just the sales is what it is about... has been and always will be... until true professional and all ARCHERS stand up and make the changes a demand... they be treated as the professional and clients they really are! 

Will it happen? Yes! Yes it will! It just takes a group of professionals acting like they truely are... PROFESSIONAL and Clients! 
And, the Manufactures treating them and paying 

*And, setting up a weekly TV Program to cover competition archery... and all this is easier to do than one thinks. * 

*It just takes a little effort to make it happen and it will take off immediately!*

Jim Easton by himself could buy the commerical time..
at least 1/2 hour once a week just to kick it off 
And it would pay back millions spread amongst every archery shop and all other manufactures and himself an anyone else that kicked in with Easton 
to start *CHAMPIONSHIP PRO ARCHERY on the AIR*... 

It is a way to get another MILLION ARCHERS participating in the sport within a years time... let them see what they can do... SHOW THEM! 

NOW! In the mean time the shows starts with paying pro archers a basic salary and get at least 50 of them out there shooting for prize monies??? Make the sport WORLD KNOWN! 

Meant with the deepest of respect, 
Ye
Ol' Bow Bender


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## Beastmaster

ol' Bow Bender said:


> I have only been involved in Archery since 1958 and I am sorry to report that as far as our nation the USA is concerned... except for the a few of the MANUFACTURERS of ARCHERY EQUIPMENT there is NO!... that's NONE! Money for the want to be real professional archers to depend on. PERIOD!
> 
> Oh yes! A $25,000. check every now and then if one wins some special tournament. But, not enough for anyone to or group to say they have reached the big times.
> ONLY a few manufactures make any type of REAL money! And, it is their name they expect the professionals or wanna be's to wear on their shirts or hats and equipment... NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!
> 
> This is not baseball, football, golf nor even volleyball where the equipment suppliers expect the names of the pros to be placed on their products. There is just toooooo big of a turn over .... so it's best to say team this and team that! Or our product was used to place here or there and then name the shooters second... ALWAYS (most of the time) the products! Just the sales is what it is about... has been and always will be... until true professional and all ARCHERS stand up and make the changes a demand... they be treated as the professional and clients they really are!
> 
> Will it happen? Yes! Yes it will! It just takes a group of professionals acting like they truely are... PROFESSIONAL and Clients!
> And, the Manufactures treating them and paying
> 
> *And, setting up a weekly TV Program to cover competition archery... and all this is easier to do than one thinks. *
> 
> *It just takes a little effort to make it happen and it will take off immediately!*
> 
> Jim Easton by himself could buy the commerical time..
> at least 1/2 hour once a week just to kick it off
> And it would pay back millions spread amongst every archery shop and all other manufactures and himself an anyone else that kicked in with Easton
> to start *CHAMPIONSHIP PRO ARCHERY on the AIR*...
> 
> It is a way to get another MILLION ARCHERS participating in the sport within a years time... let them see what they can do... SHOW THEM!
> 
> NOW! In the mean time the shows starts with paying pro archers a basic salary and get at least 50 of them out there shooting for prize monies??? Make the sport WORLD KNOWN!
> 
> Meant with the deepest of respect,
> Ye
> Ol' Bow Bender


Unfortunately, I am going to compare archery to the other shooting sport - firearms.

In the firearms realm (a world that I have been heavily involved with as well), you are looking at a manufacturing process and sport that is reaping very little if any gains for every change and difference that you see. The tooling processes and everything else is so paid for that nearly everything is pure profit. Let's face it - if Glock can force dealers to set their pricing nearly standard across the board across all 50 states, and the dealers are still able to make a profit, you know the tooling and R&D has been long paid for.

In the archery realm, you also have all these manufacturers pushing limits for a minimal gain. I'll pick on PSE since I've recently compared the 2010 Vendetta and Axe to my current 2009 Bow Madness XL. The supposed minor gains that the Vendetta XL and Axe provide aren't enough for me to sell of the BMXL and buy a 2010 PSE.

With this minimal gain comes the tooling and R&D costs that have to be recovered within a 2 year timeframe. And all the marketing. And whatever else goes on.

So, you have money going towards this nasty cycle of R&D/Marketing/new product push/quick sales, only to repeat it again, and again, and again. 

There will come a point in time (possibly soon) where archery will totally hit a plateau. Once that occurs, then you will see marketing change their tactics.

Once marketing changes their tactics, you will see archers get paid a permanent stipend for their work.

However, just like the other shooting sport, you won't see an archer being a full time only shooter. I will pick on Randi Rogers, a Glock professional shooter. She makes the majority of her money by teaching at a shooting school. She also has to shoot both Cowboy Action Shooting and IDPA/IPSC to keep up her sponsorship side to where it's cost effective for her. On top of that, she has to model (she's a Dillon Precision model as well).

Even Gunny R. Lee Ermey hasn't been able to quit acting to be a Glock sponsored shooter. He has to still act in various shows to make ends meet....not that he's hurting for money, but he isn't getting oodles of cash thanks to the Glock sponsorship.

So, even with the whiz/bang stuff that we see with various shooting stuff that's good for TV, you still don't have full time shooters who can do anything but shoot for one company. If the firearms side can't do it, you definitely can't make it on the archery side either.

Just my two cents...having seen it on both sides of the fence.

-Steve


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## ol' Bow Bender

*Archers vs Gun totun Sales people?*

partial quote: "So, even with the whiz/bang stuff that we see with various shooting stuff that's good for TV, you still don't have full time shooters who can do anything but shoot for one company. If the firearms side can't do it, you definitely can't make it on the archery side either.

Just my two cents...having seen it on both sides of the fence."

Steve... hundreds of millions of DOLLARS... that is $$$$hundreds of millions are made around the world in sales commissions alone off small arms.. firearms! And, those sales people are behind counters or out in the field. Whew!!! I really don't even want to go there! Just millions is being made off of sales commissions from amo alone that is a problem alone for many sporting good stores to keep on hand right at this very time. 

What I am trying to point out is *the ARCHERY MANUFACTURES and ACCESSORIES SUPPLIERS are dealing themselves out as well as ALL archers and future archers by not gaining the advantage as a force *and simply putting together a well advertized 
*CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION ARCHERY TV SHOW* 

How a* simple promotion showing the thrill and expertise involved in CHAMPIONSHIP ARCHERY COMPETITION* and how to become involved as and individual or family will bring on *a great new FORCE in sales and CLUB membership across the NATION... *
Just think of what a new 100,000 archers in one single year could mean to all the MANUFACTURES??? To the CLUBS... To all the ASSOCIATIONS... 
and 100,000 new archers is just a beginning at scratching the surface! 

Jim Easton... better known as Easton ARROWS or HOYT... MARTIN... PSE.. CABELA's... PRO BASS.. the list goes on and on... for them to sponsor at least 50 PRO ARCHERS with a basic yearly full time salary and then have a MAJOR tour.. with given prize money each week... and where at the end of a certain time... there is a GRAND PRIZE AMOUNT OF MONEY in a SHOOT OFF! This will create followingggggssss! MANY PEOPLE... OLD TIMERS AND THE New Comers World Wide... Archery needs them and We Will Love It! 

This will interest millions of viewers... and make ARCHERY WELL KNOWN! 

Give the World a chance to know about archery instead of hiding it! 

Sincerely,
Meant with the deept of respect,

Ol' Bow Bender


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## Beastmaster

Ol' Bow Bender -

I think you and I agree on one main point (which is really *the* most important one....) - Marketing.

I came up with one thing on another thread that is a sure fire method to get shooters not only on TV, but on something even on ESPN.

I mentioned it on the FITA sub-forum a few weeks back. 

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showpost.php?p=1055691403&postcount=50

The short version:

Play Nock Nock. People on TV are horridly fascinated by destruction. So - let's give it to them.

4 Arrow Ends. 4 Ends. Alternate archers. 

Easton can take a reject Fat Boy Carbon and stick it on a FITA face. Put the FITA Face 40 meters out.

Add a time limit. 2 minutes for 4 arrows should be sufficient.

Rules:

Simply put - whoever blows up the most arrows wins. Destruction can be anywhere from blowing a nock off to robin hooding it, to arcing it into the shaft like a makeshift cross. Merely messing with fletchings doesn't count. 

After 16 arrows, you bring the target face in, but the targeted arrow gets smaller. Say - a Carbon Storm at 30 meters will be your new target. Then an X10 at 20. 

Do pro-ams. Get Brady Ellison to dust off his Mathews Compound (although, that may change for 2010 since Mathews got rid of their recurve group) and pair him up with Chris Brackett (Arrow Affliction). Pair Reo with his Dad for a father/son competition. Dave Cousins and Ted Nugent for a rock and roll variant. 

Sports figures? Sure. Chipper Jones (Buck Commanders) with Olympian Khatuna Lorig. MLB Pitcher Clay Zavada paired up with USAT Recurve specialist Kari Jill Granville. 

Battle of the ladies? Get Tiff Lakosky paired up with Chris Brackett's fiancee Jodi Barnes. Or Jodi Clark paired with Brenda Valentine.

Spice it up even further? Pair up Nicole Jones against Byron Ferguson. Barebow longbow vs compound shooter...that would be cool.

Husband/wife teams? Sure - Jodi vs. Wes Clark. Lee vs. Tiff Lakosky. Jackie vs. Kathy Caudle. Jay vs. Tammi Gregory. Don vs. Kandi Kisky. You get the picture.

If the archer wants to use fixed broadheads? Sure. Rage Expandables? Sure. Flaming arrow of death? (Well, maybe...)

I guarantee that this format would fit in a 24 minute segment (30 minute airtime plus commercials).

As mentioned in the other thread - this was said here first (by me). It'll attract attention, draw viewers, and keep viewership. I get credit for it if this or any other variant like it comes to fruition. 

-Steve


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## ol' Bow Bender

*Archery business - MORE than they could handle*

How does one take this past a joke? 
Should anyone want to take all the credit in the world for doing it the correct way go right ahead. 
It's about time some qualified individual or group of people did. 
_But, please... don't make a joke out of it?_

*The making of CHAMPIONSHIP ARCHERY COMPETITION TV is not a joke nor should it be taken lightly. *

Credit is something we never expected when countless thousands of us have spent many years helping to clean up their areas of lands with mountains or deserts or whatever types of possible swampy lands and clearing brush, limbs, rocks and trash by the tons to build a target NFAA range -3D and then ..or.. FITA range and sometimes right next to the NFAA Ranges... keeping records, putting on tournments and or teaching (for free) many a thousands of new comers, both young and old about archery. 

Credit? No.. no credit is needed when it comes to bringing greater life and recognition to a sport that deserves the love we share for our fellow archers and to bring on hundreds of thousands of new comers and the great sport of Archery.

I do not need credit... take all you want... but please don't make a 
joke out of something that can be GREAT! 
*CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION **ARCHERY** shown on TV *

Getting a basic full time paid salary for at least 50 Professional Archers... is not that far out of line! 

*The Manufactures supporting this... WILL make MILLIONS and MILLIONS*... 
They will have a rough time even trying to stay up with ALL the BUSINESS they will be getting ... there is no way any single one of them can supply the demand for equipment! NONE! PERIOD!


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## Beastmaster

But see - I've said before (in another thread in the FITA sub-board) that Archery is a very insular society. 

To make a change requires someone to literally take a good idea and shove it down someone's throat to make it succeed. And the whole while, it will tick off those who want the status quo. 

My real job is in the high tech field. Marketing in that realm is literally "Adapt and change or die". Grow stagnant, your company goes away. 

Until archery gets to the point where it's a commodity item (impossible due to the amount of fitting needed), change won't happen readily. 

And - we need to clean up the sport. I, for one, am all for a dress code of sorts. 

You don't see karate competitors show up without a uniform of the day. You don't see football players show up without pads and helmet. You should see archers compete in at least a solid color polo shirt and shorts. Archers should look presentable. 

And before anyone starts cranking on me about that because of 'cost', people can go to Old Navy or Walmart and snag a cheap solid color polo shirt and tan colored shorts for all of 30 bucks if its *not* on sale. No one balks at dropping bucks on a bow or arrows, yet I've seen some show up to a shoot looking like a ragamuffin. You can't get sponsors if potential employees look like absolute crap. 

Frankly, we do need more paid archers. Its bad for the sport if we don't evolve it. And I don't see much evolution coming down the line. 

-Steve
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## ol' Bow Bender

*Agree on Dress Code!*



Beastmaster said:


> But see - I've said before (in another thread in the FITA sub-board) that Archery is a very insular society.
> 
> To make a change requires someone to literally take a good idea and shove it down someone's throat to make it succeed. And the whole while, it will tick off those who want the status quo.
> 
> My real job is in the high tech field. Marketing in that realm is literally "Adapt and change or die". Grow stagnant, your company goes away.
> 
> Until archery gets to the point where it's a commodity item (impossible due to the amount of fitting needed), change won't happen readily.
> 
> And - we need to clean up the sport. I, for one, am all for a dress code of sorts.
> 
> You don't see karate competitors show up without a uniform of the day. You don't see football players show up without pads and helmet. You should see archers compete in at least a solid color polo shirt and shorts. Archers should look presentable.
> 
> And before anyone starts cranking on me about that because of 'cost', people can go to Old Navy or Walmart and snag a cheap solid color polo shirt and tan colored shorts for all of 30 bucks if its *not* on sale. No one balks at dropping bucks on a bow or arrows, yet I've seen some show up to a shoot looking like a ragamuffin. You can't get sponsors if potential employees look like absolute crap.
> 
> Frankly, we do need more paid archers. Its bad for the sport if we don't evolve it. And I don't see much evolution coming down the line.
> 
> -Steve
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


*A big yes to a proper dress code!* I could not agree more! 
If we want respectable (Wealthy) Sponsors to back our Professional Archers ... _*Give them reasons.*_ 
One being, there is nothing wrong with being decently presentable to the general public!
When an individual steps up to the line in view of the general public they are not just representing themself 
but... in reality *they are representing ALL archers *
and our sport before the World... and it is of utmost importance how we present ourselves. 
If we want our sport respected then *we must in return show the same*. 

I recently view some great film work and a magnificant competition ...but... the archers themselves (many) had never been given any directions in or on how to present themseleves... *or if so forgot*. 

It was ashame to see what looked like the results of the morning after a long night before 
at the *local beer bar *as many of the finalist lined up 
in a major shoot off for a championship archery tournment showed no decent dress code. 
*GULP!!!* That film is going to.. or is being shown around the world! 

A simple dress code could have made a GREAT difference: *For an indoor championship...*All it would have taken was something as simple as a slacks and a polo shirt... 
But... Many of these folks... well, enough said. You get the picture.

I can see archers watching the film with interest... but... the general public having interest and outside 
*Sponsors coming on board *with Archery such as Banks, Airlines, Auto, Tool Manufactures, etc.,??? *NOPE!* 

*But, that doesn't mean, if we are willing to change a little, that we can't change their minds. *


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