35th Annual Great Lakes Longbow Invitational

[JBuchin3]

I know August is quite a ways off,  but I was wondering if anyone had some cool memories from GLLI in the past. 

Mr LaClair has a wonderful crowd picture from one of the first, and the image really sticks with me to this day.  You can hear that crowd, the wood shafts rolling around each other in the back quivers, the fletchings popping against each other as archers slipped by each other, enroute to diffent destinations during the event.

Any particular events and competitions that hit those memory strings from "back in the day"?

[Ron LaClair]

This is the first GLLI at Marshal Mi in 1985 The white thing in the background is my ariel practicing rig,a canvas sheet hung from a frame that you tossed targets in the air in front of and shot at them with arrows with HTM rubber blunts

We had called everyone together that day for a group photo, there are some faces in the picture that are no longer with us. The big ugly mug in the center is me..... A quote from the movie The Mountainmen when the Indian chief Iron Belly says, "Beaver gone, soon I be gone too"

[danbow]

What are the dates for the 2019 shoot?

[JBuchin3]

Ron, that is the picture!  I really like that one!  I appreciate you sharing that one!  Do you have any fond memories of some of the old competitions then?

Dates for 2019 are August 8, 9, 10, 11.   

[Ron LaClair]

The GLLI in those days was a very different kind of archery event, unlike the normal  shoots of the day. It came about at the beginning of the archery "revolution" and was an inspiration to others to start their own traditional shoots.

Some of the things that made the GLLI different was Longbows and wood arrows only were allowed to be used.

We had a Canoe shoot where targets were laid out along the shore of the pond and  two people at a time were guided by a club member around the coarse. Then we had the long shot across the pond at the big bear which was a competitive event with the winner in each group getting half of the cash that was paid by the others.


We were one of the first clubs that used 3-D targets on the main coarse which in it's self was a novelty.

[Fishinglink]

I'll be there ready to shoot this year. Hopefully camping there with my wife and kids too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Trenton G.]

Last year was my first time going. It was a lot of fun!

[finkm1]

So..... This year's GLLI will be a 4 day event? I've heard talk of it. GLLI is my favorite shoot, looking forward to August

[David Mitchell]

Ron, I well remember those shoots.  Such a unique event it was.  Loved the canoe shoot.

[Ron LaClair]

This picture was from either the first year or the second year of the GLLI at Marshal. It was a very popular novelty round, something that no one had done before...another first for the MLA's GLLI