Photos are Here, Here, and Here
The 2012 North Region FITA Field was conducted on June 9 and 10 at Chicago Bow Hunters, in Bolingbrook, IL.
The weather conditions were sunny and warm, with a bit of a breeze, which was not really a factor, as the shooters were sheltered by the cover of CBH’s wooded property.
Shooters came from 4 states, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana and enjoyed a well thought out field course. The course had some tough footing, deceptive distances, as well as uphill/downhill shots and tricky lighting on some of the targets. This year the course utilized a couple of shooting towers to add another dimension to shots taken by the archers.
Tom Havel continues to be the driving force of the event. He was the emcee and was responsible for the course design. Many thanks to our judge Michele Hansen, who also made sure the kitchen ran smoothly and kept track of the finances. Paul Schuerings did yeoman work in prepping and breaking down the course. The Fidler family also made sure we got off to a great start on Saturday.
There were several outstanding scores, first time achievements and tight matches. In male compound, Rod Menzer led all scorers with an outstanding 819. He was pushed hard by Masters 50+ Mike Hendricks, who shot an 810.
We had a nice crew of barebow shooters as well led by notables such as Randy Rutledge and Scott Antczak.
Yes, there were youth distances and Compound Bowman Andrew Hofstetterr out dueled Sean Goldwaithe for the Bowman crown.
In the Junior Compound division, Tyler Anderson continues to leave a large footprint, outdistancing his rivals.
The tightest competition was in the old boy Olympic recurve division, where Gabe Querol eked out a 1 point win over Dave Wearne.
By no means was this just a guys event. Nancy Zorn led the women into battle, with first time shooters Heather Hodge and Hunter Glowienke learning the ropes and having fun.
We continue to look forward and hope the 2013 North Region FITA Field will be on shooters calendars. Pending approval, the tentative date will continue to be the second weekend in June. Thanks to all who shot and we look to continue to improve and highlight this entertaining shooting format.
Gabe