Braden Gellenthien at the 2006 World University Archery Championships

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2006 Compound Men World Champion, Braden Gellenthien, on the medal stand.

2006 World University Archery Championships

By Braden Gellenthien

The trip to Slovakia and the World University Archery Championships was the most memorable experience that I have ever had with archery.  The team was by far the most unified of any that I had ever been on, and although not all of the results were as spectacular as we had hoped, the way that the team responded to the adversity was perfect.  When matches were close, or just beginning, every member that could be present was there, and was cheering for success.  The only way to describe the true unity of the team is through example.

The moment that we met at the airport, it was apparent that we were a team.  We had more unity and friendship create itself while in Munich than I had ever seen built on any other trip.  Spending countless hours at the foosball table, eating our first foreign meal together, and just sitting around talking all showed that we were more than just competitors striving towards a similar goal.  We were a true team.  This bond carried onto the field, and is something that we will each keep with us from this day forward. 

When we were at the field, we walked to the targets as a team, and walked back as a team.  The men’s compound team moved through the rankings together, and helped each other along the way.  After seeing that we were in second for the team qualification at the half, we “manned up” and helped each other to perform at our best during the second half, and won the team qualification handily.  This was a great showing of how our team got along and overcame the competition, but is nothing when compared to our performance and bonding that occurred during the team round.

The men’s compound team was confident from the get-go about our performances.  We knew that the gold medal was ours to win, and all we had to do was perform like we knew how to.  We took the opportunity to enjoy where we were, and live the moment to its fullest.  Our most influential moment as a team though did not involve our own achievement. 

The men’s recurve team was struggling in their first match.  They had been speaking of winning the division since the beginning of the trip, and were not performing the way they wanted to.  The men’s compound team walked down after their second end, and had a talk with them.  I told them, “Last night, you guys were talking the talk of a championship team.

Today, you are doing everything but shooting championship form.  Let’s get it together, and show us championship form.”  The very next end, they shot a perfect score for the round, and pulled out the win.  It felt great to be able to help them through their match, and is exactly the kind of thing I hoped to do as a member of this team.  Luckily, I was able to be involved in a similar situation the next day during the mixed team competition.

Compound Mixed Team Champions - Braden Gellenthien and Brittany Lorenti

I was teamed with Brittany Lorenti, and together we claimed the gold medal for the compound mixed team division.  This was her first world championship event, and during this round, I did all that I could to help her feel comfortable with the competition.  We had a different approach to this round than the other team rounds.  Instead of being jacked up on adrenaline like we had been during the men’s compound team round, Brittany and I took a much more relaxed approach.  She performs her best when her emotions are even, so we worked on that during our matches.  When she was shooting, I helped her pick a place to aim, and talked her through her shot the best that I could.  I kept a softer, more relaxed voice, but it was the only one that she could hear when she was shooting.  Afterwards, she told me that she didn’t think she would have been able to perform as well had anyone else been on the team with her.  I felt honored.  I want to see my teammates perform to the best of their ability, and being able to see that I had brought out Brittany’s top competitor was a perfect ending to the tournament. 

Going into the tournament, I had never imagined every aspect to go as well as it did.  My own personal achievement took second priority to the overall team’s success.  I feel honored for having been a member of the team, and can’t thank your foundation enough for helping provide me with this opportunity.