Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Inaugural OPA Summit Invitational Draws More Than 300

Uniontown, PA – After months of anticipation, over 315 of the best archers from around the world had their opportunity to claim bragging rights and big money at the Organization of Professional Archery (OPA) Summit Invitational, presented by Mossy Oak. In the end, it was Chance Beaubouef taking top honors and $30,000 in the Men's Expert category. Paige Gore shot her way to victory in the Women's Expert category and Duane Price took home a win in the Masters 50 category.

The inaugural event, held at the historic Summit Inn, in Farmington, PA, May 20th and 21st, proved to be a tough challenge for the professional archers across all three categories. The steep terrain, paired with windy conditions on Friday's opening round, meant shooters were tested to their limits from start to finish. And, with rain predicted for Saturday, Pros were forced to develop an early course management strategy for the two-day shoot.

"The wind was brutal at times throughout the first day," said OPA founder and 9x ASA Shooter of the Year, Levi Morgan. "And when you're shooting down a steep drop at a 74 yard elk, having the patience to pick your window between gusts of wind proved a challenge for a lot of these Pros, but they still managed to make it happen and shoot some impressive scores. Plus, with bad weather coming in for the second round on Saturday, shooters had to decide whether they were going to push it and be more aggressive during their first round, knowing conditions would be even less forgiving the next day. It made for some exciting action on the course, which is what we were hoping for with the OPA format."

Pros in the Men's Expert, Women's Expert and Masters 50 categories shot 20 targets Friday and 20 targets on Saturday, from known distances ranging from 4-80 yards. The top 5 shooters from each of the three Pro classes after 40 targets went on to a five-target shoot-off for the final standings.

After Friday's first round, Chance Beaubouef held the lead with a 226 on the board in the Men's Expert category; with Kyle Douglas, Nathan Brooks, and local favorite, Garrett Ayersman, tied at 220. Ultimately, it was Lewis Holmes III that followed up his first round of 213 with an impressive 224 to head into the final shoot-off with a two point lead over Beaubouef, who had suffered a tough second round of 209. The final shoot-off for the Men's Expert included: Louis at 437, Beaubouef at 435, Ayersman at 434, Jesse Broadwater at 431, and Brooks at 430. Ultimately, the title came down to the final target between Broadwater and Beaubouef, with Beaubouef hanging on for the win and $30,000. Broadwater took second place and $20,000, with Ayersman taking third spot on the podium and $10,000.

In the Women's Expert category, Paige Gore held a commanding lead after Friday's first round, turning in an impressive 214 on the card, eight points up on her nearest competitor, Renee Hornbuckle, who finished at 206. After Saturday's second round, the final top five scores in the shoot-off for the title included: Gore at 416, Crystal Gauvin at 412, Emily Veyna at 408, Hornbuckle at 408, and Brittany Lorenti at 398. Gore took home a victory and $10,000 with a final score of 474, with Veyna taking second with a 470 and Gauvin, third place, with a 463.

In the Masters 50 category, Allen Connor posted a first round 218, giving him a four-point edge over Art Brown and Duane Price, who were both in at 214. After Saturday's second round, it was Price, turning in a 212 and combined total of 426, who headed into the final shoot-off with a 10-point lead. Rounding out the shoot-off was Art Brown with a 416, Michael Leiter with a 410, Collins with a 408 and Tony Tazza with a 402. Price never took his foot off the pedal and took the win by 14 points in the final shoot-off with a final score of 476, which also netted him a check for $10,000. Collins would take home second place honors, finishing at 462 and Leiter, third place, with 458.

Pros were not the only shooters having fun, as sponsor teams took to the course for their own Manufacturers' Bowl. This was a team event, pitting brand against brand, for some enjoyable and exciting competition. In the end, it was the team from New Breed Archery that took home bragging rights for the win.

The OPA Summit Invitational, was born from Levi and Samantha Morgan's desire to help grow the sport of archery and build awareness for tournament archery, itself across all categories and ability levels. It brought archery to an elevated level, never before attained, that all archers can aspire to reach. The Morgans' goal was to have both spectators and shooters, alike, walk away from this event feeling that they've just witnessed a positive experience and the pinnacle of competitive 3D archery.

"We weren't perfect but we did our very best to put on one of the coolest archery tournaments anyone has ever been to," said OPA co-founder, Samantha Morgan. "Thank you to all the shooters, spectators, friends and family that came out and supported us and believed in us! Your trust meant the world to us! And a huge thank you to our sponsors, who recognized the need for this style of archery event and stepped up and partnered with us to build the sport of archery."

2016 OPA Summit Invitational Sponsors Included:

Mossy Oak (Presenting Sponsor)

Elite
Mathews
Bowtech
Rinehart Targets
Swhacker

Gold Tip
Lancaster Archery Supply
Hoyt
QAD
Prime
New Breed Archery
Shrewd
PSE
CBE
Excalibur
BCY Bowstring
Scott Releases

For more information on the OPA Summit Invitational, please visit http://oproarchery.com .

For more information on sponsorship opportunities or consumer show space at future events, please email: levimorganopa@gmail.com

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ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION OF PROFESSIONAL ARCHERY: Established by Levi and Samantha Morgan, the Organization of Professional Archery was created to provide a premier competitive platform for the recognized professionals in the sport of archery, and in doing so build awareness for the sport of archery at all levels. The OPA currently acts as the governing body of the 1st Annual Summit Invitational and future OPA tour events.

ABOUT LEVI MORGAN: World renowned archer, Levi Morgan, is a 11x World Champion, 48x National Champion, and has won the ASA Shooter of the Year title a record setting 9x in a row. He is the Host of the popular hunting show, Name The Game, currently airing on the Sportsman Channel. For more information please visit http://namethegametv.com .