The sport of archery is growing at an incredibly rapid pace, as a staggering number of new archers pick up a bow for the very first time, with each passing year. This rapid growth has spurred on a wealth of change and development within the world of archery itself, as competition of every imaginable type takes shape, and the latest industry news is handed down.
This is a point that has been illustrated quite clearly during the final days of February and the earliest days of March. During this span of time, a major industry acquisition has taken place, several announcements have been made regarding the continuation of formal competition, and a true champion of conservation has lost his battle with COVID-19.
Bass Pro/Cabelas Awards Grant To USA Archery
For a number of years, USA Archery has sought to increase the recruitment rate of youth into the sport of archery, by any means necessary. This is a mission that the organization has been relatively successful at, on multiple fronts.
However, the future of this mission now looks even brighter, thanks to contributions made by one of the nation’s largest outdoor retailers.
Bass Pro Shops, which also owns Cabelas, recently pledged its support for USA Archery’s youth initiative by awarding the organization with a $20,000 grant. The funds provided by this grant will be directed toward USA Archery’s Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) program.
USA Archery plans to purchase various archery-related goods to prepare welcome kits for new, upstart clubs within their JOAD program. These kits will be used to provide new clubs with all that is necessary for start-up.
Second Stage Of Archery World Cup Relocated To Lausanne
When preparing for 2021 competition, World Archery announced that they would give preference to the relocation of events, over indefinite postponement, should an event’s host city be forced to drop-out.
Now, for the first time this season, this official protocol has been put into practice.
World Archery recently announced that the second stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup would be relocated from Shanghai, China, to Lausanne, Switzerland. The date of this competition will remain unaffected, as all is scheduled to proceed on May 17-13. Ironically, Lausanne also holds the distinction of being the Olympic capital of the world.
Though the exact reasoning behind this move has yet to be discussed, World Archery has stated that Shanghai is expected to return as a host city, for the year 2022.
Additionally, Swiss health officials must provide final authorization, in order for the proposed event to take place as anticipated, though this confirmation is expected to be given in the near future.
“Flexibility will be essential in delivering a world-class calendar for our athletes and stakeholders this season. We are working hard to ensure we have the processes and contingencies in place to run a successful circuit of international events in 2021,” stated World Archery secretary general, Tom Dielen.
GSM Outdoors Acquires TRUGLO
GSM Outdoors, a premier developer and manufacturer within the hunting/shooting sports sector, has now acquired legendary optics company, TRUGLO. For more than two decades, TRUGLO has served as a leading producer of top-tier fiber-optic sights, for bows, crossbows, and firearms. The company was founded in 1993, by the competitive archer, Paul LoRocco.
“The LoRocco family has done a tremendous job pioneering the way in fiber optic and tritium sights while building a diverse product base for their customers in both the firearms and archery industries,” stated Eddie Castro, GSM CEO. “It is such an honor to continue the legacy they’ve built by adding such an iconic brand as TRUGLO to our portfolio of premium outdoor products.”
This acquisition is set to strengthen GSM’s already sizable portfolio of house brands.
These brands include Big Game Treestands, Muddy Treestands, Hawk Hunting, Stealth Cam, Walker’s Game Ear, New Archery Products, Hunter Specialties, Boss Buck Feeders, and Scent Slammer.
Pure Fishing Purchases Plano Synergy
Sycamore Partners, the parent company of Pure Fishing, recently announced their acquisition of Plano Synergy. Plano Synergy is the parent company of such hunting industry giants as Barnett Crossbows, Wildgame Innovations, Ameristep Treestands, Bloodsport, and Flextone Calls.
At the current moment, there has been no indication regarding whether or not Sycamore Partners intends to retain Plano Synergy’s hunting brands within their portfolio, or resell them while keeping a stake in the organization’s fishing-related brands.
At the very least, the merger between Pure Fishing and Plano Synergy presents an excellent opportunity for the development of top-tier bow fishing gear. However, little has been voiced in regards to such collaborations.
Pope and Young Club’s Eli Randall Passes Away
In rather somber news, the hunting and archery world has lost yet another great. Eli Randall, Records Director for the Pope and Young Club, passed away on March 8th, following a 3-week long battle with COVID-19.
This is a loss that has rippled across the hunting community as a whole, as others within the industry express their sadness at the news of Randall’s passing.
Among those to share their thoughts on Randall’s passing, was Kyle Lehr, who serves as the Assistant Director of Big Game Records for the Boone and Crocket Club. Lehr stated the following.
“As some of you may know, Eli Randall, Pope and Young Club’s Director of Records passed away this weekend leaving behind a wife and three kids. Eli held almost every title for Wisconsin Buck and Bear (Club) throughout his tenure, and was instrumental in the creation and development of the joint Official Measurers Manual between the Pope and Young Club and Boone and Crockett Club, and did more for both clubs than could ever be covered in a paragraph.”
Eli Randall first took over as Pope and Young’s Director of Records in 2017, where he ultimately served until his recent passing. Prior to his death, Randall had been hospitalized for a period of time at a facility near his home in Chicago, Illinois.
