Trad Geeks Are Part of Youth Movement in Traditional Archery

There’s some young blood being infused into the world of traditional archery these days. That’s what the guys over at Trad Geeks are seeing and hoping to foster. Heck, Kevin Merrow and Mark Kephart are living proof that gray hair is not a prerequisite for traditional archery.Merrow and Kephart are two young guys who run the Trad Geeks website, tradgeeks.com - which is dedicated to traditional archery. The LAS video team caught up with the guys this past summer and asked them about the youth movement in traditional archery.It’s the challenge and joy of shooting a recurve or longbow, with no sights or other accessories, that is drawing people to the sport, the guys said. Even the best of the best traditional archers are not going to hit the bull’s-eye every time.To make the finals of the Championship Compound Open division at the big Vegas Shoot held every year, an archer must shoot three perfect rounds of 300 over the course of three days. That’s 90 out of 90 arrows in the center 10-ring. Archers who drop just one 9 are heartbroken.In traditional archery, perfection doesn’t exist. Knowing that you won’t pound tacks with your equipment is something understood and shared by all who pick up traditional equipment, which makes it a unique, bonding force.“It’s just fun to shoot the bows,” Merrow said. “Everybody misses and everybody has fun.”