RA Program Enjoys Major Success at 2009 U.S. Nationals

Hamilton, Ohio – The Resident Athlete Program enjoyed major success at the 2009 U.S. Nationals. Brady Ellison and Emily Blake won National Championships in the Senior Men’s Division and Junior Girls Division respectively. Heather Koehl and Jake Kaminski also had a great competition and won the Bronze Medal in the Senior Men’s Division and Women’s Senior Division.

The intense four day competition was actually cut down to just three days of competition after lightening storms deemed competition too dangerous for the first day. On the second day, Brady Ellison quickly developed a large lead that would prove the difference maker. On the first distance, Ellison broke Rick McKinney’s 22 year old record at 50m with an outstanding score of 345. Ellison said, “It feels good to beat that record. When records are that old, they need to be broken, I just wish I would have set the standard even higher than 345.” The record setting start would prove to be a valuable, as Ellison went on to win the competition. “It feels real good to be able to win 2 in a row and that I’m able to continue to push myself to do better each year,” explains Ellison.

Jake Kaminski shot extremely well finishing in third place just a few points behind Ellison. Kaminski explains, “I feel happy because I wanted a podium finish, but I’m not yet satisfied because I know I am capable of higher scores. Next year will be an even better year for me.” Kaminski went on to explain, “Next year I need to improve my focus, and I want to really push Brady and have him push me more in training so we can elevate our performance to the next level.”

In the Junior Women’s Division, Emily Blake won her first National Championship in two years. The final result was very surprising for Blake considering she switched from left to right handed in late November. Blake said, “I’m extremely happy with my performance, but next year I need to develop a more consistent mental routine so I can maintain better focus.”

Heather Koehl also won the Bronze Medal in the Senior Women’s Division. On the final day of shooting it was a close battle between Koehl, fellow Resident Athlete Megan Carter, and National Team Member Stephanie Miller. The final result ended with Koehl in 3rd, Miller in 4th and Carter in 5th.

Both Men’s and Women’s Teams won Gold in the Open Team Event. Shooting on the Men’s Team was Jake Kaminski, Josh Smith, and Tyler Schardt. Emily Blake, Megan Carter, and Heather Koehl competed for the Women’s Team. This marks the 5th time(out of 5) that the RA Program has won both the Men’s and Women’s Team events at competitions this year!

Head National Coach, Kisik Lee said of the results, “I’m very pleased with the results this year for the RA Program! This is very promising for our program because many of the athletes are so young. I think in order for us to continue to have successes like these, we will need to increase our physical strength and become mentally tougher, and this will be our focus for the next 3 months.”

We would like to thank our sponsors, including Easton Foundation and TaxMasters for lending financial support helping to cover travel and registration costs, Nike for the apparel, and Easton, Hoyt, Doinker, Beiter, Range-O-Matic Spinwings, BCY, and Limbsaver for their support in providing the Resident Athlete Program with equipment.

Ellison and Koehl Win U.S. Open Titles!

Hamilton, OH – Brady Ellison and Heather Koehl won Gold Medals at the 2009 U.S. Open over a field of extremely qualified competitors. Fellow Resident Athletes Jake Kaminski and Kristin Braun made it to the medals matches as well and finished 4th in their respective divisions.

Brady Ellison shot impressive scores throughout the day as he won his 3rd consecutive U.S. Open Title. Ellison said, “I feel like I got lucky this year, although I shot my best average ever. I need to shoot more and train harder. My last 2 matches were my lower matches, and next year I need to shoot 114 or higher all the way through.” Ellison will compete at the World Championships in Ulsan, South Korea next month. According to Ellison, “I think this gave me a lot of confidence. In the Olympic Round, I was able to step up and shoot the way I need to be successful at the World Championships. It gives me a lot of confidence and I’m excited for the

Heather Koehl had her best competition of the year winning the U.S. Open in the Women’s Division over 2 time Olympian Jennifer Nichols. In the semi-final match, Heather defeated team mate Kristin Braun 111-105. Heather then went on to defeat Nichols 109-106. When asked about her performance for the day, Heather explains, “It was fun! It felt like I was able to apply my training to the competition. When I got to the Gold Medal match I was just focused on shooting one arrow at a time. I wasn’t listening to what everyone else was saying or what Jenny was shooting. It feels so good to finally get something out of my hard work.”

Kristin Braun finished 4th overall and was defeated by Khatuna Lorig in the Bronze Medal Match by 1 point! Kristin will be competing with Brady Ellison at the upcoming World Championships. Kristin was excited about the competition and says, “The competition has highlighted the things I need to work on, and I have a plan of action from now till the time I leave. This performance has definitely left me hungry for more!”

Overall, the Resident Athlete Program Coaching Staff was extremely impressed with the performance of the athletes in the U.S. Open. Assistant Coach, Guy Krueger explained, “This year was all about developing a strong foundation in our archers for the next Olympics. I think it’s safe to say that they exceeded expectations. We really weren’t focused on the outcome of events, just preparing them technically and mentally to become champions in the next few years.”

Most of the Resident Athletes will now enjoy some time with their families before beginning training September 1st for training for the next year. Coach Lee says the next 3 months will focus on increasing physical strength and improving mental toughness!

We would like to thank our sponsors, including Easton Foundation and TaxMasters for lending financial support helping to cover travel and registration costs, Nike for the apparel, and Easton, Hoyt, Doinker, Beiter, Range-O-Matic Spinwings, BCY, and Limbsaver for their support in providing the Resident Athlete Program with equipment.

Ellison and Braun Make 2009 U.S. World Team

Conyers, Georgia – Brady Ellison had his best competition of the year and makes the 2009 U.S. World Team in style by setting 2 new U.S. National Records! Kristin Braun also made the 2009 U.S. World Team by finishing 3rd in the women’s division. The two will compete on the U.S. Team at the 2009 World Championships that will take place in Ulsan, South Korea in September later this year.

On the Qualification Round, Brady Ellison started the day off by smashing the previous 90m National Record with a score of 331, just 7 points off the World Record! He went on to demolish his previous record of 1357 by 7 points with a total of 1364. His new record is now the highest score shot in the world by a non-Korean archer!Jake Kaminski also shot extremely well. In the qualification round he shot a very solid 1320 which bested his previous personal record by 30 points! He also shot a personal best of 114 in his final match on Sunday which moved him into alternate position. Jake just missed making the team by a fraction of a point.

Kristin Braun also gained a position on the 2009 U.S. World Team by finishing 3rd in the women’s division. Braun had a solid competition and was followed closely by team mate Heather Koehl. Koehl finished 4th overall and is the alternate for the team as well.

Several other Resident Athletes did well in the competition. Megan Carter finished 8th followed by Emily Blake who finished 10th and shot a personal best of 1187. Barbie Cyin shot a season high score as well.

In the men’s division, the two 16 year olds, Josh Smith and Peter Kelchner, just missed making the final cut by posting personal best Fita scores of 1260 and 1256, respectively.

Most members of the Resident Athlete Team will now enjoy a little rest and recovery with their families for the next few days. Brady Ellison left immediately following the competition to attend the third leg of the World Cup which is held in Antalya, Turkey.

We would like to thank our sponsors, including Easton Foundation and TaxMasters for lending financial support helping to cover travel and registration costs, Nike for the apparel, and Easton, Hoyt, Doinker, Beiter, Range-O-Matic Spinwings, BCY, and Limbsaver for their support in providing the Resident Athlete Program with equipment.

Ellison Qualifies #1 in Porec – Finishes 4th

Tuesday May 5, 2009 - Individual qualification day for recurve at the World Cup Stage 2 in Porec (CRO).

Brady Ellison posts a 1342 and secured a #1 ranking during the qualification rounds on Tuesday. Ellison also has registered and shot in the Compound division in order for the USA to field a full three person team and compete in the team competition.

USA Recurve Men Qualification Results:

• Ellison #1 – 1342
• Wunderle #23 – 1304
• Kaminski #53 – 1259
• Domenech #58 – 1240

USA Recurve Women Qualification Results:

• Koehl #45 – 1255
• Braun #57 – 1206
• Carter #59 – 1190

Wednesday May 6, 2009 – Individual qualification day for compound at the World Cup Stage 2 in Porec (CRO).

Jamie Van Natta continues her dominance of the World Cup circuit with another #1 ranking and a score of 1410. Braden Gellenthien lead the compound men with a 1406 for a #5 rank headed into the elimination rounds.

USA Compound Men Qualification Results:

• Gellenthien #5 – 1406
• Ellison #25 – 1385
• Gato #36 – 1378

USA Compound Women Qualification Results:

• Van Natta #1 – 1410
• Johnston #35 – 1351

Thursday May 7, 2009 – Individual eliminations day at the World Cup Stage 2 in Porec (CRO).

Recurve Men – Ellison will shoot for the bronze on Saturday, May 9th in the finals as he knocked off Satir (TUR) 111-107 in the 1/32 round, Havelko (UKR) 112-109 in the 1/16 round, Abramov (RUS) 108-105 in the 1/8 round and Marusau (BLR) 111-109 in the 1/4 finals.  He was upset by 2004 Olympic Champion, Galiazzo (ITA) 111-113 in the semi-finals.  Ellison will go up against Valladont (FRA) for the Bronze medal on Saturday. Kaminski, Domenech and Wunderle were all eliminated in the 1/32 round. Kaminski was defeated by 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist, Ruban (UKR) 100-110, Domenech was defeated by Banerjee (IND) 102-112 and Wunderle lost to Pertlik (CZE) 108-112.

Recurve Women – Kristin Braun had a incredible day as she finished 10th overall, an impressive finish considering her rank of 57th going into the elimination rounds.  Braun pulled a major upset during the 1/32 round beatting #8 ranked Zhu (CHN) 102-101. During the 1/16 round she tied with her competitor Buitron (ESP) 96-96 and shot a 10 during the shoot off to Buitron’s 7 to advance.  She nearly won her 1/8 match with another tie, this time with Zhang (CHN) 107-107. However, Braun shot a 7 to Zhang’s 9 in the shoot-off. Koehl and Carter were both eliminated in the 1/32 round.  Koehl was defeated by Marusava (BLR) 101-105 and Carter lost to Lionetti (ITA) 90-109.

Compound Men – All three compound men were eliminated in the 1/16th round, Gellenthien lost to Hasenfuss (GER) 113-114, Ellison lost to Trillus (CAN) 111-113 and Gato lost to Jimenez (ESA) 110-117.

Compound Women – Van Natta was upset in the 1/4 finals by Weihe (GER) 112-114 and Johnston lost in the 1/8 round to Bosch (VEN) 107-109.

Mixed Team – The U.S. fielded one Compound Mixed Team of Braden Gellenthien and Jamie Van Natta.  The pair made it to the finals match where they were defeated by Italy 154-156.

Friday May 8, 2009 - Team eliminations day at the World Cup Stage 2 in Porec (CRO).

Recurve Men – Team of Domenech, Ellison and Wunderle defeated Malaysia in the 1/8 elimination 221-213 and lost to India in the 1/4 elimination 218-227.

Recurve Women – Team of Braun, Carter and Koehl lost in the 1/8 elimination to the team from the P.R. China 197-215.

Compound Men – Team of Ellison, Gatto and Gellenthien defeated Turkey in the 1/8 elimination 225-179 and lost in the 1/4 elimination to Germany after a two-end shoot-off 227T (29;27) – 227T (29;28).

Compound Women – USA did not field a team

Saturday May 9, 2009 - Individual and Team Finals at the World Cup Stage 2 in Porec (CRO).

Recurve Men Bronze Medal Match – Ellison was the only American shooting on the finals day.  Ellison shot against Valladont (FRA) for the Bronze Medal.  They had an incredible match that ended in a tie 114-114. Both of their first shots in the shoot-off were 8s. On their second arrows Ellison shat a 9 to Valladont’s 10.

For complete results, please see the FITA website at www.archery.org/

We would like to thank our sponsors, including Easton Foundation and TaxMasters for lending financial support helping to cover travel and registration costs, Nike for the apparel, and Easton, Hoyt, Doinker, Beiter, Range-O-Matic Spinwings, BCY, and Limbsaver for their support in providing the Resident Athlete Program with equipment.