If focus was a sound, it would probably be similar to the “whoosh” an arrow makes as it flies through the air.
That was all that could be heard during the July 30-31 weekend at Kirigin Cellars in Gilroy, when the Traditional Target Archery Championships drew dozens of archers from throughout the state and beyond to the South County winery’s lawn.
Predator’s Archery of Gilroy co-hosted the event with USA Archery.
“It is such a nice, professional-style setting,” said Curtis Campisi, owner of Predator’s Archery, which provided the targets for the tournament and did the set-up and tear-down.
The annual tournament, making its Gilroy debut, is held in various states, and has taken place in Albuquerque, New Mexico for the past few years.
Participants in the tournament use equipment representative of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, before the advent of modern recurves and compound bows, according to USA Archery.
On the first day, the laser-focused archers competed in a number of rounds, attempting to hit the target at various distances. On the final day was the Clout round, where archers had to shoot arrows at a flag from 180 yards away, which is a difficult feat using traditional bows, Campisi noted.
Campisi said Predator’s Archery has been hosting a tournament at Kirigin Cellars for about 15 years. It was recently noticed by representatives of USA Archery, who wanted to bring their own event to Gilroy after checking out the spot.
He added that such an event helps put Gilroy on the map, and ties in with the city council’s 2020 declaration that Gilroy is a recreation destination.
Predator’s Archery, located at 7350 Monterey St. in downtown Gilroy, was founded in 1993, and is easily recognizable thanks to the “most famous dinosaur in Gilroy” outside its doors, Campisi said.
Campisi noted the archery community continues to grow in Gilroy and nearby, and said Predator’s Archery pulls in people from a 100-mile radius who will check out downtown after shopping at the store.
Like most other businesses nationwide, Campisi said his store is facing supply chain issues, but is now starting to get constant shipments of products that were ordered months ago.
