Fourth on the Vegas stage

Waseca archer Zoie Thompson,16, traveled to Las Vegas early this month to shoot on the national stage at the South Point Hotel & Casino, nearly taking second place after two perfect rounds. On day three she found herself in a three-way tie for second place and a “shoot-off” ultimately ranked her in fourth among her class of 75. The event drew nearly 4,000 competitors. Only one other Minnesotan among the 75 in her class made the trip to Vegas. Taking fourth place may seem like a letdown, but Thompson's goal heading into the shoot was to place in the top 10. Thompson has a history of coming out of the gate strong; at her first Vegas Shoot in 2018 she placed second in her flight.

While this was Thompson's fifth time attending the Vegas Shoot, it was her first time advancing to the Championship Flight, where she shot against “the best of the best” in her age division with no division along gender lines. This was Thompson's first time competing in a mixed-gender class. Participating in the Championship Flight also comes with a chance for a cash prize. Thompson’s fourth-place finish earned her $1,000. With the winnings, she is buying a second bow for outdoor use, which will allow her to start preparing for the Youth World Trials taking place in Phoenix in April. A second bow is necessary for the longer distance required for outdoor shooting. Most archers keep a second bow as a backup in case of equipment failure during competition – a problem which Thompson has been lucky to have avoided during her nine-year career.

Thompson and her mother arrived in Las Vegas on Feb. 1. Following registration for the shoot, Thompson spent part of her time practicing and the remainder resting up for the competition. Throughout the weekend, she found little time for sightseeing or tourist activities. “We focus on what we're there for,” said Mitch Thompson, Zoie’s father. While Mitch didn't attend this year's Vegas Shoot, he speaks from past experience. “A lot of people don't get that, but we're there for a reason.”

The first day of competition for Thompson was Friday, Feb. 3. The rounds at the Vegas Shoot are 30 arrows, shot in 10 ends of three arrows with a maximum score of 300. The rounds take place in a large, professional arena with seating for thousands. “It felt quiet,” Thompson said after her father commented on the noise. That Friday, for the first time ever, Thompson “cleaned it” – or shot a perfect score of 300. “I was really, really excited and happy,” said Thompson about the achievement. “I met one of my goals.” Thompson and her mother noted with interest that, at the end of Friday's round, three of the four top archers in the class were female.

During Saturday's round, Thompson said she tried not to think about the score. She felt calm until near the end, when it started to set in that she could clean it again. Thompson was the last standing on the line during this round. “I was nervous, so I was taking my time,” she explained. After she shot her second 300, Thompson said she turned around and the archers she was competing with were all standing and watching, and congratulated her with high-fives on the perfect score. The atmosphere in archery competitions tends to be very friendly, in Thompson's experience. “Even though I'm shooting against them they still support me.” At the end of Saturday's rounds, Thompson was the only one in her class with a 600 score;  there was a five-way tie for second place at 599.

“I wanted to get a 900; I knew that it was possible so I thought of that the whole day,” Thompson said about the final round on Sunday. The three-way tie for second place was at a score of 898. “I was nervous, dropped one point and that led to another,” Thompson explained. “I was nervous the whole day,” as compared to the previous two when she became nervous only near the end. Both of Thompson's missed points were near the middle of her round.

All ties at the Vegas Shoot trigger a shootoff. According to Thompson, at least 6,000 people were in the stands when she settled her tie. The shootoff consisted of three rounds of three arrows – the first as a warm-up, the second scored normally, and the third requiring archers to hit the X in order to score a 10. It was during the second round that Thompson found herself named fourth place with a score of 29 out of 30. “I've never felt that nervous about anything. The shot that was a nine felt great, but I was shaking so much that it went into the nine ring.” Thompson says the judges spent a long time examining the shot, but she and her mom felt it was clear that it was a nine. By the end of the experience, Thompson said she was mentally drained and slept 14 hours that night to recover. Wyatt Dorcas of Texas took third place; Beretta McKee of Washington won second. The first place archer was Dewey Hathaway of Massachusetts, with a score of 899.

This weekend, Thompson will be one of 13 archers from the Waseca Archery Club to compete in the USA JOAD and Indoor Nationals. The competition takes place at twelve locations nationally; Waseca's archers will travel to St. Michael, Minnesota. For Thompson and many others, this competition is the first leg of the journey to earn a place on the 2024 USA Olympic team.