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SIUC student earns alternate for U.S. Olympic archery team

SIUC student Lucas Alstat's coach recognizes there are some born with the skill and form necessary to succeed in the sport of archery. He also recognizes the fact that Alstead is not one of these individuals.

Alstat's coach, Mark Williams, first met him when he entered his archery shop, T.L. Archery, three years ago and does not recall anything in particular that stood out about him. He would soon discover Alstat to be an extremely hard worker; an attribute that would take him just as far as in the sport as natural ability and form.

"Some kids you can look at and say he's got potential because he's got great form, but Lucas wasn't one of those people," said Williams, who is also the owner of T.L. Archery, where Alstat works. "Lucas is one of those people who puts in the work and makes themselves a better shooter.

"When he first came in the shop three years ago, I said we're going to have to work on proper form for shooting, and there are several different things with mental training form and cardiovascular stuff we needed to work on."

The training that Williams put Alstat through recently paid off. He performed well-enough in the All-American tournament to be named the alternate on the U.S. Olympic team. He received this honor after competing for a position on the All-American College World Team. In this challenge, individuals competed in March and May in two locations in Michigan and Virginia. The competitions were challenges for the indoor and outdoor championships in the sport.

Following the two tournaments, the cumulative totals were tallied, and 10 finalists were named to the Olympic team.

Alstat placed 11th overall, making him the alternate for the team that will venture to Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympic Team.

"He's an extremely hard worker," said Christa McCuan, a shooter on the John A. Logan archery team who practices with Alstat in addition to working with him at T. L. Archery. "We all knew that he was going to do well. He practices an extreme amount of time and he's really dedicated to the sport, so it was so great to see him do as well as he did. We all knew that he was going to do well. But to place as high as he did, that was so awesome."

Alstat will not get to travel with the team unless one of the 10 members is unable to participate. But the De Soto native said he was indeed grateful to be chosen from the more than 200 individuals who competed in the tournament, 6o of which were in his division.

"My only expectation was to shoot well and end up in the top 10," said Alstat, a junior in pre-dental and zoology. "I ended up 11th but I was pretty happy 'cause I actually thought I was shooting kind of bad that day. I couldn't see the scoreboard for a while, and I remember moving my bow and seeing that I was in fourth. After I saw that I was doing that well, I was able to pick up some speed."

Alstat said there was much more to his accomplishment than the actual performance, where he obtained alternate status. He emphasized the importance of accuracy in the sport, but also pointed out there are several additional aspects that must be overcome to succeed. He said he regularly performs cardiovascular exercises and practices as many as two hours daily. Still, he acknowledges that the challenge behind the game is much more mental than physical. According to Alstat, it breaks down as "15 percent skill and the rest mental."

Though he only recently became familiar with the recurve bow he now uses, he said his fascination with the sport has existed since he played with toy bow and arrows as a child. He said he began participating at a more organized level when he began hunting with his uncle at the age of 16. It was only a year and a half ago that he switched to the recurve bow, which he uses to compete recently. The switch, according to Alstat, was a change he was inspired to do by Williams.

Alstat said he quickly became interested in the form of shooting he was introduced to by his boss. He said the initial switch from the compound bow used in hunting was a difficult one, with the shot from a recurve bow requiring a "different muscle group and more of a challenge." In his first year of competition he did not do as well, placing 25th in his rookie competition.

"The consistency of the shot with the recurve is different because every shot has to be the same," Alstat said. "Mental and body consistency between each shot is very important."

Alstat said another discipline he has picked up is the importance of not getting discouraged while practicing. He said motivation from his coaches and fellow shooters have helped him in his journey as a shooter.

In addition to practicing with his mentor, Alstat also has the encouragement of other members of the Saluki Shooters, the campus-registered student organization for those interested in shooting. The RSO has been around since 1985, but only re-surfaced on campus a few years ago. The small organization requires no prior experience. In fact, Alstat said the organization does not mind individuals with only a little experience,

"You don't have to have even shot a bow before," Alstat said. "It might be even better if you haven't because that way you don't have any bad habits."

Above all, Alstat encourages those interested in the sport to ask questions and remain motivated, even after less than stellar performances.

"He's smart to have only been shooting the recurve bow for a little over a year, and to make All-American, he had to beat guys who have been shooting for over 10 years," Williams said. "He's come so far just doing hard work."

Factoid: For more information about the Saluki Shooters contact Alstat at T.L. Archery at 351-1510