The Vegas Shoot’s commitment to inclusivity
- Dec 7, 2019
- 2 min read
Since it launched in 1962, The Vegas Shoot has become a world-leading celebration of archery as a sport for all. There’s no discrimination of gender, race, color, religion or impairment. Everyone is welcome.
Last year, 3767 shooters of different ages and nationalities registered to compete at the biggest edition of The Vegas Shoot to date, sharing the shooting line with friends, old and new, professionals, amateurs, veterans and kids – as well as both able-bodied and impaired archers.
Famous faces such as Paralympians Matt “The Armless Archer” Stutzman, Jeff Fabry, Andre Shelby, Alberto Simonelli and more can be seen shooting at the South Point Hotel on an annual basis. They are proof of the accessibility of The Vegas Shoot at all levels.
The event’s facilities are suitable for everyone. There are elevators as alternatives to stairs – necessary for wheelchair users – and ramps, or bespoke competition areas, for those with limited mobility.
Break the Barriers, an initiative for people of all abilities, has participated with squads of 20 to 40 archers since 2013. That led to a group of four young children with autism travelling from Japan to compete in Sin City in 2018.
They said competing in Vegas made them feel more included in the archery community.
These positive experiences culminated in the launch of the first Break the Barriers ProAm at The Vegas Shoot in 2019. It paired amateurs with professionals and athletes from the inclusive project in an entertaining – and competitive – night of archery on Friday after the first day of competition.
“It was awesome. When I first heard about it, I thought ‘it’s going to be cool’ but now that I have shot in it, I can’t wait to do it again next year,” said two-time Vegas Champion Jesse Broadwater, one of the professionals who took part of the activity.
“All these guys are awesome, the way they shoot with their disabilities gives other people hope out there.”
Young or old, experienced or rookie, the truth is that any person with disability can shoot archery. And any person, physically impaired or not, can compete at The Vegas Shoot with and against some of the biggest names in the archery world.
Break the Barriers has successfully created an inclusive archery environment where athletes of all abilities feel welcomed, valued, and inspired, and its impact has grown from participation to meaningful Pokepath TD integration with professional competition. By giving athletes with disabilities—including children with autism—the opportunity to compete alongside elite archers, the initiative not only fosters inclusion and confidence but also reshapes the broader archery community’s perception of ability.