ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 26, 1996 TAG: 9602270022
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
Look for a truckload of deer, bear and turkey to come rolling into the Smith Mountain Lake area about mid-June.
No, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries isn't engaged in a restocking effort. The ``animals'' will be 3-D targets - several hundred of them - for use in an Archery Shooter's Association championship, scheduled June 21-23.
The event is expected to attract as many as 1,400 shooters and will be covered by ESPN, said Joyce Waugh, a Roanoke County economic development specialist who is the coordinator. It's not just a big shoot, it is a big affair for the entire region, the kind that will fill motel rooms and restaurants with up to 5,000 visitors, Waugh said. The economic impact has been estimated at $800,000 to $2 million.
``It is the Tour DuPont of archery,'' she said.
The shoot is one of six events, from Florida to Illinois, that will qualify participants for the ASA World Championship Classic from Aug.15-18 in Albany, Ga. The 1995 champion won more than $100,000.
Like the Tour DuPont, this is a community effort, said Waugh. The sponsors include Roanoke, Roanoke County, Salem, Vinton, Franklin County and Bedford County, along with several chambers of commerce and businesses.
The committee bringing it together is Archery Roanoke Valley, a nonprofit organization headed by Sherry Crumley, of Trebark Outfitters.
``It is like a festival,'' said Waugh, who has traveled to ASA shoots in Knoxville, Tenn. and Asheville, N.C. ``The Crumleys [Sherry and her husband, Jim,] told us, `You have to get it here.' We started working with them to attract it to the Roanoke Valley.''
Waugh's efforts to locate an area large enough - 400 to 500 acres - led her to American Electric Power property on the Blackwater River arm of Smith Mountain Lake. Ten ranges, each with 20 targets, will be set up for the event. In addition, there will be practice ranges, displays by leading outdoor manufacturers and a learn-to-shoot-a-bow program.
Three-D archery is one of the fastest-growing segments of the archery-bowhunting scene. It is similar in format to golf or sporting clays where participants move from target to target. The targets are full-size, three-dimensional representations of popular game animals set in their natural habitat at unknown distances.
The 1993 ASA world champion was Randy Chapel from Southside Virginia. Chapel, who has been associated with Two Flags, a 3-D range near New Castle, is expected to be a contender. He won $62,000 and a Ford Explorer. A number of local shooters will join many of the country's top male and female professional archers in the shoot. There will be divisions for amateurs, as well as pros.
``The ASA Hunter Class is a great opportunity for local archers and bowhunters to test their skills on an official ASA competition course,'' said David Foster, an ASA spokesman.
Archers gets one shot at each target at varying distances. Spectators can watch free of charge. Waugh is looking for volunteers to help with the event. Call the Roanoke County Parks and Recreation Department, 387-6086.
LENGTH: Medium: 60 linesby CNB