The Vegas Shoot is an annual participation and elite archery competition held in Las Vegas, NV, USA that draws archers from all over the world. Its 2016 edition is set to be the largest ever after organisers revealed that it had received record numbers of entries.
“At this rate, we’re extremely optimistic that we will hit our goal of having more than 3,000 archers competing at the tournament,” said NFAA and Vegas Shoot President Bruce Cull. “It’s a fitting way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Vegas Shoot.”
The tournament, which was first held in 1962, has experienced incredible growth over the past few years.
“Normally we have 1,000 shooters confirmed at the turn of the year – but this time we got to that mark a whole month earlier than usual," added Cull.
In 2013, the total competitor number – across championship and flight divisions – was 1,811, and in 2014 it increased to 2,165. Last year, 2015, that jumped to 2,573 – a record for participation in the tournament, which is set to be broken yet again in ’16.
While previous increases were attributed to a growth in youth attendance, particularly in the girls’ competitions, organisers say that the upcoming event has seen interest rise across the board.
It’s also a record-setting year for payouts at the Southpoint Hotel and Casino-based event. The total prize fund across all categories in 2016 is USD$326,000, up from USD$275,000.
The Vegas Shoot runs 29-31 January and includes the fourth and last stage of the Indoor Archery World Cup tour, the Archery World Cup Final (held on the evening of 30 January) and the World Archery Gala (29 January).
