Sep 27, 2016

Unexpected Gold: Paralympic Archery Champion, Andre Shelby

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2297260.jpg>
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - U.S. Navy Veteran Andre Shelby of Jacksonville, Fla. made his Paralympic debut in Rio de Janeiro last week and shocked the world when he climbed from a 7th place seed to the gold medal finish and Paralympic Champion title.

Shelby joined the Navy in 1985, just one week after his high school graduation, and served for nearly two decades before retiring in 2004 after a motorcycle accident confined him to a wheelchair. Shelby was not going to let this stop him from chasing his dreams. A recent breakout on the international archery scene, Shelby quickly racked up the 2015 Parapan American Games Champion title and won team gold at the 2015 World Archery Para Championships. He also won bronze at the 2016 SoCal Showdown competing in the combined division with some of the top able-bodied competitors in the nation.

"This is unbelievable. I worked really, really hard, and this has been a goal of mine for about four years now. Things have really come together," Shelby said after his Gold finish in Rio. "My teammates really helped me out, and just to take this home and share it with them is very special. More people had faith in me to win this than I did, but the people back home have really been cheering me on the whole way."

Now that he is back in the U.S., Shelby still feels overwhelmed by the support and excitement from his hometown and family.

http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/image_archive/2297262.png>
"I have a thousand things running through my head-to meet everybody's expectations and not let anybody down was one of the big ones. Back in Indiana, where my family is from, it's crazy from what my mother has been telling me. There was a lot of support from home and from what I understand they're presenting my mother and father with something at the high school homecoming game, it's really crazy."

Shelby's wife and two daughters watched his competition online through live scores.

"I think they realized once I got through a couple matches and saw that I was going for the gold medal, I think they recognized I wasn't doing this for recreation, like 'he had a purpose, this was his goal and he's finally going to have a chance to achieve it.' My wife was really happy about that."

While competing in Rio, Shelby shared that his biggest challenge was the changing conditions on the field.

"Rio was really nice, the venue was a very good field to shoot on. It was tricky with the wind, and the real tricky part was shooting all the matches one at a time on one field. We started shooting in the morning and by the time we finished it was nighttime. The lights played with you so you really had to make good shots and trust in it."

To stay calm and confident during his matches Shelby said he relied on his process and advice from Paralympic Coach Randi Smith.

"During my matches, I was just constantly talking myself through my shot and my process. I wasn't focusing on the crowd or my opponent; I rarely knew what they were shooting. Randi would say, 'Stay focused, go through your process, it's all going to come together.' In between shots when my opponent was shooting, I was just like 'OK, here's my next step, let's do this, make sure of this,' went through my checks and balances so that when I made the next shot it was the best possible shot I could make at that time."

His advice to others who are thinking about taking up adaptive sports: "Whether you want to be recreational or if you want to try shooting for the Paralympics or whatever the case may be, you have to stay focused, you have to know who God has put in your path to help you along the way, and if you can remember that and your focus and your dedication, know good things are going to come out of that. I just remembered all the people that helped me along the way because if it weren't for their support, there is no way I would be where I am today."

Shelby's amazing win caught the attention of many fans across the nation and his accomplishments earned a spot as a finalist for Team USA's Best Male Athlete of the Paralympic Games Award, presented by The Hartford.

- USA Archeryhttp://www.usarchery.org.