LEARN MORE ABOUT
When several coaches sat down around a table at a Mexican restaurant in Dayton, Tennessee, no one could have imagined that we would be here today, just six years later. When 2020 arrived and shut the world down, it also shut down archery. When fall arrived and uncertainty about whether a new surge would shut down our kids’ opportunities again loomed, we simply wanted a place for them to learn, shoot, and have fun. We quickly started searching for a way to give our kids (and their families) some sense of normalcy again. That way was archery for us.
As fall 2020 neared, the worry about our indoor season shutting down at a moment's notice was real, given the rise in cases and pandemic trends. Throughout the summer, we waited and wondered what November would hold.
Unwilling to let our kids go another day without a plan to let them shoot, Doodle Gardner of Harvest Archery asked Ronda Elam (Tuckasee) and Bobby Smith (Rutherford County Archery/Siegel High School) if a scrimmage between their three teams could work, and plans were made for that fall. However, news of that “scrimmage” quickly spread in the archery community, and soon there were 118 kids from 11 clubs and three states traveling all across Tennessee to compete in what we nicknamed “The Tennessee Shoot Out.”
The night before the final scrimmage tournament, Doodle suggested that we add something to put pressure on our kids and prepare them for the big National shoots like Lancaster. He also recommended that the podiums resemble the televised shoot in Pennsylvania that we wanted them to attend. We quickly decided to cut the final tournament in half, giving ourselves five hours to “shoot down” every kid in every class.
The coaches spent that morning taping up contractor lights and creating a makeshift “Lancaster” stage. The five hours that were planned stretched into nine, and the Shoot Out Series was born. The following year, Kentucky clubs asked for a series of shoots so their kids could compete against the Tennessee ones in the final shoot-out. The “Tennessee Shoot Out” became “The Shoot Out Series.”
The following week, Doodle spent a lunch break at work sketching out a dream layout nicknamed the Gauntlet - on a napkin - and while we thought he had lost his mind, we jumped in on his idea and real staging, professional lighting, and a new age group joining the kids on the podiums - their families and adults - growing to almost 300 participants.
The following year, Arkansas and Missouri joined in; subsequently, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Ohio also became involved, with over 1,200 tournament scores recorded during the most recent year. The live broadcast, featuring six camera angles, a sound booth, and 33 hours of color commentary, expanded from the first year when Mark Elam was “volunteered” to speak into a microphone sitting alongside the podiums. The small $11 buckle we started with (and which the kids loved as the top prize) eventually became trophy buckles worth over $200, and the excitement and fun started to grow.
Qualifiers were meant to be learning experiences, filled with music, laughter, and opportunities for archers—and individuals—to grow. Families traveled to tournaments where music played throughout the venues, helping to ease nerves, and alignment with collegiate and USA Archery indoor archery to prepare our kids for these opportunities.
Not only did our families increase their participation in local and state events, but they also began traveling to national tournaments, leading to a 1,350% increase in registrations at Lancaster. The nine-hour event expanded into a 36-hour event and will evolve into three full days of shooting in 2026. Classes also expanded from 12 to 53, including senior adult divisions and our “Awesome Archers” category for competitors with diverse abilities.
The Shoot Out, born by accident and chance, has grown naturally into an amazing, family-friendly series. A dedicated team of volunteers works year-round to produce the event, making sure our kids have the chance to grow and love our lifelong sport of archery.
Meet TSO Board Members and Directors, who keep THE SHOOT OUT SERIES moving forward!
Eric joined the Competitive Youth Archery Association as a board member in 2021. He and his wife, Brandi, have four children and live in Clinton, Tenn. Their sons, Maddox, Britton, and Boston, are well-known in the archery world, having won multiple regional, state, and national titles. Daughter Anistyn will soon follow her brothers—and her parents (who also have several titles on their resume)—into the archery world.
Ronda serves as the Secretary for the Competitive Youth Archery Association and was among the first coaches to team up with Rutherford County and Harvest Archery’s Doodle Gardner to develop The Shoot Out Series. She began coaching in 2001 and has led competitive teams in NASP and S3DA before starting competitions with TSO. Ronda and her husband, Mark, live in Tompkinsville and have four children: Allison (and her husband, Matt), Jordan, Bailey (and her husband, Tensley), Catie, and her grandson, Max Turner.
Michael serves as the Treasurer of the Competitive Youth Archery Association after becoming involved in archery when his son, Daniel, fell in love with archery.
Soon followed by his two youngest, Makayla and Joseph. Michael and his wife, Julia, have six children and live in Chattanooga.
Anna has been involved with The Shoot Out Series since the very first Gauntlet in 2021. Over the years, she has played a key role in developing the Gauntlet and growing the program, leading volunteer teams and managing Gauntlet floor operations.
As an open pro on the ASA Tour, she is finishing her sixth year at Lindsey Wilson College and will earn her master’s degree in the spring. She served as a Graduate Assistant for the Blue Raiders before being named Head Coach in 2025.
Candace’s passion for archery began at a young age, shooting alongside her father. What started with makeshift bows and painted hand-me-downs quickly grew into a lifelong love for the sport. Archery became a family tradition, shared with her dad, uncles, and eventually her husband. Her desire to pass that same passion on to the next generation inspired
Candace and her husband decided to become NASP coaches when their oldest child started kindergarten. Recognizing the value of archery in building confidence, discipline, and opportunity, they went on to found AimTakers Archery. AimTakers is a program designed to give local youth access to indoor, outdoor, and 3D target shooting—while also opening doors to future scholarship opportunities.
Candace and her husband are proud that their three daughters also share in the family tradition, each accomplished in their own right as an archer. For Candace, the most meaningful part of TSO Archery has been the ability to shoot and grow in the sport together as a family. It brings her journey full circle—back to those first moments as a young girl, following in her father’s footsteps, and now helping to create that same spark for today’s youth and tomorrow’s archers.
Bobby served as the President of the Competitive Youth Archery Association since its inception and was one of the founding members of The Shoot Out Series. Smith coached for more than 17 years with NASP and S3DA, and the past few years focused on ASA, NFAA, USA, and TSO organizations and tournaments.
He was the Head Coach of Siegel High School and the Rutherford County Archery Club, both in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as well as teaching archery at two homeschool cooperatives (along with woodworking).
He and his wife, Patricia, lived in Murfreesboro and have two children—Caleb and Hailey—both of whom were active in archery throughout their youth. Bobby’s home range was at Siegel High School, which served as the host for Nationals and The Gauntlet.
In January of 2025, Bobby learned why he had not been feeling well as he received a cancer diagnosis and started treatments the same week. Even though he was unable to attend the 2025 Gauntlet, he showed up (just like we knew he would) and was able to even be in the coaches’ box for some of his shooters.
The impact Bobby had on both the archery community and every person he interacted with will last forever.
In honor of his legacy, the Bobby L. Smith Award will be given this year to an Outstanding Coach who embodies the qualities Bobby demonstrated every day.