Big Foot Open attracts world-class archers
Black Knight Bowbenders to host competition in Jackson
BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer
One of the things that separates this weekend's Big Foot Open from other sporting events is that it allows archers on many different levels to compete with the very best.

JEFF GRANIT staff Above: Al Soden (l), Howell, and John Griffen, Toms River, members of the Black Knight archery club in Jackson, walk back to their position after retrieving their arrows during practice. Below: Gene Grodzky (r), Frank Burdi (c), and Doug Fogarty prepare to practice.

There's a little Walter Mitty in each of us, and as much as we'd like to put ourselves in the shoes of the pros, we're not going to get there. This weekend, archer Al Soden and others will have the opportunity to face their sport's very best at the Black Knight Bowbenders Club event, now in its 14th year.

"Big Foot draws world-class archers," noted Soden, a member of the Black Knight club. "It's exciting to see these guys. It's fun just watching these guys. Their scores are unbelievable."

Dave Cousins of Maine, who is rated the world's top compound archer, was at Big Foot last year and is expected back. Jimmy Despart and Randy Hinkelman, also worldclass archers, have made the trip to Jackson before and are expected to return.

Some lucky archers will have the chance to shoot with the best during the weekend, because the archers go out in foursomes. Soden noted that people like Cousins are very friendly and take time to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

The big attraction of the two-day event (Saturday and Sunday) at the club's range on Perrineville Road in Jackson is the Skins Game on Sunday, and the money the archers can win ($200 per target). This competition features the top eight scorers from the weekend in field archery shooting three arrows at nine targets. They compete for money on each target. If there is a tie at one, the money carries over to the next target. An archer can win up to $600 or $700 for winning one target. The Skins Game starts at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Soden, who is a very good archer in his own right, has his dream of being one of those lucky eight and going head-to-head with the best. He's come close, missing by just a couple of targets. He knows that he's a long shot.

Soden pointed out that of the 112 arrows they shoot (four shots at 28 targets), the likes of Cousins and others will miss the bull's-eye maybe two or three times total. A perfect score is 560. Soden has a personal best of 545, which is outstanding but puts him just on the outside looking in. Yet, he'll be there this weekend hoping to qualify for the Skins Game and get a chance to compete with the best.

"You never know, you might just get a chance," he said. "You go out there thinking maybe I might have a chance.

"Whatever sport you're in, those guys at the top, you always want to see them," he added.

Having watched them before, Soden knows what separates the top archers from the pack. It's not equipment or a physical gift. It's the ability hold the bow still.

"It's all about holding steady," he pointed out. "You know when you've made a good shot. Those guys [top level] have got it down."

Soden puts his time in at the range in Jackson, practicing two and three times a week.

"I shoot as many arrows as I can," he said.

He has his son, A.J. Soden, to thank for his interest in archery. As a youngster, Soden, who grew up in Englishtown, hunted with bow and arrow. He drifted away from the sport in his 20s but got back into 20 years later when his son went to the Black Bear Day Camp in Jackson. There was a range there and his son briefly got into archery. It rekindled Soden's interest in the sport, and soon he was joining the Black Knight Bowbenders.

"I just like shooting," he pointed out.

In field archery, the challenge is the distance and terrain between the targets. The closest target is 30 yards and the farthest is 80. The archers have to negotiate uphill and downhill shots and make adjustments.

It can take up to four hours to shoot all 28 targets, and by that time, an archer has walked close to two miles. Conditioning may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of archery, but it's there.

"There is some strength and stamina involved," said Soden. "Stamina is a factor."

The Big Foot Open will feature competition in three division-traditional (finger release), 3-D targets (animal targets) and field archery.

For the traditional shooters, the highlight is the Last Man Standing competition, which is similar to the Skins Game, only this time archers are eliminated at each target until there is just one remaining in the competition- the last man standing. This competition is Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

There will also be a Top Gun competition between 3-D archers and Dot shooters on Saturday. After everyone turns their score in, the four highest scoring 3-D and Dot shooters will shoot off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Each archer will shoot three field targets and three 3-D targets to determine the winner.

The Big Foot Open is open to shooters of all levels of archery in a multitude of classes. Registration will be held 7-10 a.m. each day. For additional information on the competition, visit www.blackknightbowbenders. com or call 732-462-2278.