A unique event is coming to Noblesville for the first time next month.
USA Archery and the Indiana Archery Corp. are bringing the Field Archery National Championships and the Field World Championships to Koteewi Archery, 11909 Koteewi Dr., in Noblesville. The event will take place over four days beginning June 2.
The occasion marks the first time the events have taken place in Indiana. Nationals were in Washington, D.C., last year, and the World Trials, which are conducted every two years, most recently took place in Yankton, S.D.
According to Jessica Shearier, community liaison to the Indiana Archery Corp., hundreds of archers will vie for national titles and the chance to represent the U.S. at the September Field World Championship event in Lac La Biche in Alberta, Canada.
“Field archery, while one of the lesser-known formats of the sport, is arguably the most physically grueling and exciting,” Shearier said. “Fans of field archery are hoping the excitement of a national event and team trials in our area will spark a revival.”
In the competition, participants must use either a barebow (recurve), compound or recurve crossbow when shooting targets.
The competition features men and women, with divisions determined by age, gender and equipment type. As of press time, 129 archers, including five-time Olympian Brady Ellison and top female compound archer in the U.S., Paige Pearson, are expected to compete.
Shearier said this year’s location was chosen because the event needs to take place on property that has never been used for archery. During the first day of scoring, archers must shoot at targets without knowing the distance.
“While there is already an existing archery range at the park, and some archery that takes place in the woods, the location is huge, and they are going to allow us to use the horse trails and some other parts of the property that don’t have permanent archery facilities or ranges,” Shearier said. “If there are existing landmarks or an existing range, it’s kind of impossible to make the first day completely unknown.”
Shearier said the national championship is a two-day competition, with competitors shooting 24 targets along a “rugged” course each day.
“Because the competition takes place in a previously unused area, typically archers are going into a field or wooded area where somebody has roughly cut a trail through the woods,” Shearier said. “There is kind of a ravine on the property in Noblesville that we’re going to be able to use, so there will be some elevation.”
The first day of the event will be from noon to 5 p.m. June 2, with check-in, equipment inspection and open practice. Beginning at 7:30 a.m. June 3, Day 1 of scoring, competitors will be challenged with 24 targets set at unknown distances.
“They must use what they know about their equipment and the competition rules to judge how far the targets are and then shoot them accordingly, without the assistance of any range-finding electronics,” Shearier said. “We are going to have two separate ranges set up, and based on the bow competitors use, they will be divided into divisions accordingly.”
On Day 2, June 4, Shearier said the archers will benefit from knowing how far away the 24 targets are but will be challenged to shoot from further distances.
Shearier’s daughter, Anna Shearier, 17, of Plainfield, will compete in both competitions. She said she is excited to shoot on a field course in her home state.
“Field archery is such a rare format, and I am just excited to get to do a competition here at home,” Anna said. “I wanted to compete in the World Trials because I would love to earn a spot on the national team and have a chance to represent my country while getting to shoot my favorite format.”
Shearier said the 48-target National Championship event will be followed by an awards ceremony June 4 for the National Championship divisions. Following the ceremony, the World Trials competition will begin.
“The top eight competitors in each division will begin shooting again along a never-before-seen course designed to challenge them even further,” Shearier said. “This challenge will help prepare them for the difficult World Championship competition. Based on the total scores for that session, the bottom four people will be eliminated, and then the next four competitors will continue competing on June 5.”
At the end of the World Trials, three athletes of each gender, age group and bow style will be named to the national team. Those archers will then have the opportunity to travel to represent the USA on the archery field in Canada in September.
Spearier said USA Archery and the Indiana Archery Corp. are excited to host this event for the first time in Indiana.
“Indianapolis does this all the time, with football, baseball, swimming and basketball, so we are excited that many professional archers are coming and can see that central Indiana is a great place to visit,” Shearier said.
Admission is free. Although spectators are not allowed in the woods the first two days, the World Trials will be in a separate part of the park with space for viewers.
For more information, visit indianaarchery.org.
EVENT SCHEDULE
June 2: Noon to 5 p.m.
- Open practice
- Equipment inspection
- Check-in
June 3:
- 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.: Open practice
- 8:40 a.m.: Opening ceremony,
- 8:45 a.m.: Group targets, disperse.
- 9 a.m.: Day 1 competition begins
June 4:
- 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.: Open practice
- 8:45 a.m.: Group targets, disperse.
- 9 a.m.: Day 2 competition begins
- Awards to follow after everyone finishes
- Following awards: Start of World Field Trials for Top 8 archers
June 5:
- 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.: Open practice
- 8:45 a.m.: Group targets, disperse
- 9 a.m.: Completion of trials begins
- National team announcements to follow competition
