“I have been shooting a bow since I was about seven years old and I fell in love with it that second,” said Cody Miller.
Miller, 25, from Lexington, was introduced to bow shooting by his father. “He just hunted; he never was competitive with it. A lot of my family members shoot bow so I was just always around it,” said Miller.
“About two or three years ago I wanted to shoot more. I went to Handlebar Ranch in Mount Gilead and they had shooting available indoors and I just wanted to try it out. I shot a few times and I really enjoyed it,” said Miller.
Since then, Miller has competed in over 50 competitions. “I have competed in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania,” said Miller. “In order to compete in competitions, I had to be in the organization. I am in the International Bowhunting Organziation (IBO). IBO is the organization that puts on the competitions,” said Miller.
The requirement for becoming a part of the organization is to become a member. “I just paid to become a member and then I could go to competitions,” said Miller. “I shoot in the open, which right below semi-professional,” said Miller.
“I do want to turn professional eventually and there is nobody around this area that is a professional,” said Miller. In order to become a professional bow shooter, sponsors are a must. “A professional bow shooter has sponsors and the sponsors have to bring the shooter on to be a professional shooter for them and you really have to perform very well at competitions,” said Miller.
“In order to shoot pro, then you shoot in that class. It’s not recommended to just jump right in the pro class because then you won’t place well. It’s encouraged to work your way up and shoot in the semi-pro first,” said Miller. The difference in classes depends on the equipment that is used for the shoots and also on age groups.
The shooter picks which competitions to compete in and which class to shoot in. The professional shooters do not have to pay to go to competitions because their sponsors pay, but in the other classes the shooter must pay to compete. “I shoot the same ranges as the pro class, but I’m not in that class. I shoot up to 50 yards, which is the same as the pro class,” said Miller.
Miller will compete in the IBO World Championship and Archery Festival in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. The competition will be held from August 7-10 at Seven Springs Resort. “I am going to compete in Pennsylvania and so is my friend Joe,” said Miller. “In order to compete at Worlds, you have to qualify in the top 10% within your class at a qualifying event,” said Miller.
Joe Cyrus, who is a friend of Miller’s, enjoys shooting bow, too. “I have been shooting a bow since I was 13,” said Cyrus. “Most people do not know about the local shoots around this area but once you get involved you see just how big it really is,” said Cyrus. Miller and Cyrus became acquainted with one another at Handlebar Ranch. Cyrus hopes to eventually become a professional, too.
This will be the third Worlds competition Cyrus will compete in and it will be Miller’s second. “You really have to be committed in order to be successful in this sport. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work,” said Cyrus.
“I shoot the same ranges as the pro class, but I’m not in that class. I shoot up to 50 yards, which is the same as the pro class,” said Miller.
