Published October 14, 2016 in NewsBy P.J. Reilly

Alex Wifler Hangs Out with Lancaster Archery Academy JOAD

Alex Wifler Hangs Out with Lancaster Archery Academy JOAD
Pro archer Alex Wifler, who was the 2016 Lancaster Archery Classic Men's Open Pro champion and the 2015 Vegas Shoot winner, spent the evening of Oct. 13 hanging with members of the Lancaster Archery Academy JOAD club. Also joining in on the fun were Alex's parents, Chris and Tim Wifler, who are the owners of All Tyed Up - a company that leads groups in making tie dye shirts.Wifler1fixAlex, 22, talked to the kids for a bit about his career competing with a compound bow first, then switching to Olympic recurve, before switching back to compound for good. He competed in the Men's Unlimited division at his first Lancaster Archery Classic when he was just 14 years old, missing the cut for the shoot-off by one position. At the time, that's the class that all the top pros shot in.wifler3fixAt 20 years of age, Alex was the youngest archer ever to win the Men's Open Pro division at The Vegas Shoot, which is considered to be the most prestigious indoor archery tournament in the world. He has since shot all over the world in World Archery events as a member of the USA Archery team.As a young person with lots of top-tier archery competition experience, Alex is a great mentor for Lancaster JOAD club members to interact with.He spent the evening watching kids shoot, offering tips on shooting and mental preparation and sharing lots of laughs with the club members.wifler10fixMeanwhile, small groups of kids cycled off the shooting line and made tie dye shirts with Alex's parents. Each kid made his or her own shirt, featuring his or her own design, under the direction of Chris and Tim Wifler.wifler8fixIt was a great night of archery, tie dyes and general camaraderie.Alex plans to start his indoor competition season in November and work toward defending his LAS Classic title at the 2017 tournament Jan. 27-29.