1st JDT Indoor Championship Results

On February 9th, Virtual Joad and the coaching staff of the JDT, hosted the 1st JDT Indoor Championship held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. As a registered Star FITA event, archers were eligible to break national as well as international records. A total of 60 arrows were shot for score by each archer under the watchful eyes of chief judge Gary Yamaguchi and assistant judge Jen Harvey. The event was run concurrently with the February 8-14th JDT training camp.

Opening Ceremonies

Because the event is attended by nearly all the members of the JDT,  the competition is fierce.  The atmosphere was serious and quiet.  The athletes know they are competing against the best, and because they are all serious competitors, each archer also knows they had better have their game on if they expect to do well. The event is a real pressure cooker.  Added to the intense competition, the thin air of Colorado Springs also took its toll on more than one athlete. Archers found out they not only had to perform under pressure  but also had to modify their breathing  between ends so as to not become fatigued in the thin air.

On the Line

The pressure is intentional.  Each JDT member wants to be an Olympian.  Nothing builds pressure and tests the nerves as much as shooting for Olympic gold, but for these youthful archers, this tournament was a great way to learn how to manage the pressure of competition.  The tournament provides a venue to practice their game under some very realistic conditions.  Each archer will have to learn to manage their emotions and nerves while under pressure if they expect to advance and be successful on the national and international stage.

The pressure benefits the coaches also.  They get to put each archers technique under a microscope while the archer is experiencing  the pressure of a competition.  The intense competition tends to bring any form faults to the surface.  National Head Coach KiSik Lee and the rest of the JDT coaches roam the shooting line with their notebooks and video cameras, observing what the pressure does to the technique of each archer.  The video is then used by the coaches to customize the training of each archer for the rest of the week.

National Head Coach KiSik Lee Takes Notes

At the end of the day, Miranda Leek broke a STAR FITA record previously held by Michelle Gilbert with a score of 563.  Matt Zumbo missed setting a World FITA record by just 4 points with a score of 580.

A summary of the FITA results are as follows:

The event also exposed the archers to the new Match Play (set) system which has replaced OR rounds.  Each end or set consists of three arrows shot by each archer in a head to head match.  The winner of a set gets two points.  If a set is tied each archer gets 1 point. The first archer to get 6 points wins the match and moves on.  A maximum of five sets (15 arrows) and, if necessary, a one arrow shoot-off are played in a match.

Match Play Results:

Matt Zumbo won gold, while Chris Luman and Nathan Yamaguchi took Silver and Bronze respectively.

Holly Stover won Gold while  Miranda Leek and Michelle Gilbert took Silver and Bronze respectively.

Team Rounds:

Later in the week, archers also shot some fun Team Rounds.  Archers were placed into teams of three based on their performance in the FITA shot earlier in the week.  Many archers have never participated in a team round so this was a valuable opportunity to learn in a safe, fun atmosphere.  The winning team was comprised of  JDT members Daniel McLaughlin, Michelle Gilbert and Hardy Trafford (archer invitee).

Silver, Gold and Bronze Teams

For full FITA results click here: FITA Results
For full girls Match Play results click here: Girls Match Play Results
For full boys Match Play results click here: Boys Match Play Results

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 and Hoyt for their support in providing the Junior Dream Team Program with equipment.