HISTORY OF THE BIG SKY OPEN ARCHERY TOURNAMENT

The year, 1973, and archery had experienced changes, but nothing like the introduction of the compound bow and releases opening up a whole new world to archers the opportunity to raise their scores to near perfection.

There was a lot of talk about shooting for money and of those who were doing most of talking was Pat Norris of California. Pat was petitioning the NFAA to induct a Professional Division into the ranks of the NFAA in which the membership of this division could shoot for cash awards rather than trophies. It didn’t take long for the NFAA to add a Professional Division to their by laws. Besides the NFAA, who was going to take the first steps to organize money tournaments?

Pat Norris started the “Bonnie Bowman” Open, one in Hawaii, another in Mexico. Pete Shepley formed the “Lake of the Woods” in Illinois. After listening to all the chatter, Jerry wanted to jump on the bandwagon and hold a tournament that offered archery pro’s a guaranteed purse.

This was 1974 and since we lived in Montana, the “Big Sky Open” was born. We pro-sanctioned the tournament with the NFAA and have done so ever since.

The first Big Sky Open was held on the grounds of KOA Campgrounds Memorial Day weekend. That was the end of our river rafting, camping holiday weekend! Charter members, Don Johnson and John Chesnick of Colorado, among others, honored The Big Sky Open by coming a long way just to shoot our tournament. We gave away something like $2000 and we were on our way. However, Montana did not get to see the Big Sky Open again in their state, as we moved to Colorado that same year and picked up where we left off. We moved the tournament from Rangely to Craig to Montrose and once in Orem, Utah. Famous archers like Jim Pickering, Bill Mills, David Hughes, Larry Wise, Liz Colombo, Frank Pearson, are just a few that I can name were participating in the Big Sky Open. Fred Marks of Wyoming has been competing in our tournament since 1974 and Frank Pearson has made it every year since 1976.

In 1984, the marketing people of the new Grand Junction Hilton Hotel approached us to bring the Big Sky Open to their facility. In 1986, the Big Sky Open was host to the Professional Archery Association’s (PAA) annual outdoor tournament. By this time we had picked up other famous archers such as Katie Smith, Martha Lorence, Butch & Tricia Johnson, Mike Leiter, Michelle and Terry Ragsdale, just name a few more.

In 1995, we terminated the Big Sky Open. Attendance was lower as 3-D was all the rage.

After three years absence, the Pearson’s and the Grand Junction Hilton began pestering us to bring the Big Sky Open back. Five years had passed and it was now 2000. So with much trepidation and skeptism, we announced the Big Sky was back and scheduled it for the 4th of July holiday weekend.

Changes were everywhere. We started the Calcutta in Rangely and it lasted until 1993. This event had run its course. We started the “GoForIt” clay pigeon team event in 1992. Targets went from black & white to color, back to black & white, then back to color. The Grand Junction Hilton was sold several times, changing its name three times in 2005 and now has the name DoubleTree. What has been constant is the V-Formation the archers compete on from 20 to 65 yards and archers are still competing for money. To this date, no one has ever shot a perfect a score. There have been two recorded perfect halves, but never a complete perfect round.

Recently, I saw Pete Shepley for the first time in many years in Las Vegas and he remarked that we had to be “dumbest” people on earth, meaning that ‘no one in their right mind would hold two pro tournaments, let alone one. Of the three originals, the Big Sky Open is still around, still giving back to the archers with not just one, but two tournaments. New for 2006 – THE BIG SKY OPEN – MESQUITE, to be held in Mesquite, Nevada on November 3, 4 and 5. It will be interesting to see how it will turn out.

What can we say? Along with us, Myron and Ann Peters, and Randy, we have always felt that archers deserve more than they are getting. There are several tournaments that do have great paybacks, but the money is still short for all the hard work and practice these very good archers put out. Archery will never be in the ranks of golf or some of the other high-paying sports, but what all of us have offered them, from day one, was more than they were getting in the beginning.

-The Brabec's, Coordinators of the Big Sky Open Tournaments.