Archery Blog
Garcia Shoots 719/720 Near-Perfect Score | Archery Weekly Mar 10-16
Jul
Sebastian Garcia came within a single point of perfection, a 16-year-old from Italy stunned the European Indoor Championships, and school archery programs across America saw record participation. Here’s your archery weekly roundup of the biggest stories from the past seven days.
Garcia Shoots 719 Out of 720 — One Arrow From Perfection
Mexico’s Sebastian Garcia delivered what may be the most remarkable single performance in compound archery history during phase three of Mexico’s national selection trials in Mexico City on March 5.
Garcia shot 719 out of a possible 720 in the compound men’s outdoor 50-metre round, landing 71 of his 72 arrows dead center in the 10-ring — a circle just eight centimetres in diameter at half a football field away. The score sets a new Mexican national record and actually exceeds the current recognized World Archery world record of 718, set by Braden Gellenthien at the USA Archery National Target Championships in Decatur, Alabama back in July 2016.
There’s a catch, though. Because Mexico’s national selection trials were not registered on the international calendar, Garcia’s score cannot be ratified as an official world record under World Archery rules. It remains, however, the highest score ever recorded for the 72-arrow outdoor round at 50 metres — unofficial or otherwise.
The inevitable question: who will be the first archer to shoot a perfect 720 outdoors? Garcia came closer than anyone ever has, and he’s still in the middle of Mexico’s selection process. The fourth and final phase is scheduled for March 16-18, where the top eight men and women in both recurve and compound will be determined.
For deeper analysis on Garcia’s historic performance, check out our full breakdown of his 719/720 score.
16-Year-Old Linda Grezzani Wins European Indoor Barebow Gold
Sixteen-year-old Italian archer Linda Grezzani pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the European indoor season at the 2026 European Indoor Archery Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. (See our look at the barebow records broken in Rome for more on the discipline’s rising stars.) She defeated compatriot Cinzia Noziglia — one of barebow’s most decorated athletes with over 50 international medals — in a shoot-off to claim the barebow women’s gold.
“It wasn’t nerve-racking, it was more fun,” Grezzani said. “Knowing you’re at the same level as someone so important and so good as Cinzia, enough to tie with her, was beautiful.”
Grezzani entered the tournament as the number two seed and already holds the under-21 and under-18 world records at 25 metres. Her mental composure in pressure situations appears almost preternatural — she described finals as “relaxed and playful” and said she actually enjoys the sudden-death format of shoot-offs.
The victory adds to Italy’s growing dominance in barebow archery. Just the week before, three new barebow world records were set at the Italian National Indoor Championships in Rome. Italy’s pipeline of young talent, combined with veterans like Noziglia who remain competitive, suggests the country’s grip on the discipline will only tighten.
This is Grezzani’s third international gold from just three career appearances — a perfect record that announces her as the future face of women’s barebow archery worldwide.
NASP State Tournaments Draw Record Numbers Across the Country
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) continues its remarkable growth trajectory. Multiple state tournaments took place this past week, drawing thousands of student archers and demonstrating the program’s expanding footprint across America.
In Montana, the state tournament at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in Helena drew over 400 student archers from 22 schools. Helena’s North Middle School swept the competition, winning all five tournaments they entered this season before claiming the state title. The team — led by eighth grader Emily Canine, who placed first in both events she entered — now heads to the NASP National Tournament in Utah this April.
“The kids are pretty stoked to go,” said archery coach Jeff Rieger. “The coolest part is to see all of the growth and to watch kids go from never touching a bow one year to being able to score rounds of 100, 200 points in just a few months.”
Arkansas hosted its 18th annual Archery in the Schools State Championship on March 6-7 at the Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs, with over 1,900 students from fourth grade through high school competing across bullseye and 3D divisions.
Meanwhile, preparations are underway for the big one: Kentucky’s NASP State Bullseye Tournament on March 13-14 at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville. A staggering 9,241 student archers from 415 schools are registered — making it the largest annual school archery tournament in the nation. Kentucky’s NASP program, launched in 2002 with just 21 pilot schools, now reaches over 160,000 students annually through physical education curriculum. Top scorers will advance to the NASP Eastern Nationals in May.
For background on getting started with proper form, see our beginner’s guide to archery form.
New Turkey Hunting Gear Drops Ahead of Spring Season
With spring turkey season approaching fast, gear manufacturers have released their 2026 lineups and bowhunters are starting to take notice. Several products stand out for archers heading into the spring woods.
The Avian-X Ridge Runner Turkey Vest ($179) addresses one of bowhunting’s biggest comfort challenges with a thicker, more supportive fold-down seat and weight distribution engineered for long sits over roosted birds. Pocket layout separates mouth calls from strikers and tools, and the construction uses abrasion-resistant materials built for thick brush.
For mobile hunters who prefer to travel light, the Finisher Chest Pack ($99) takes a minimalist approach. The front-facing design reduces noise and bounce while hiking, with silent magnetic closures and intuitive storage. It’s built for aggressive, run-and-gun turkey hunting rather than high-volume gear hauling.
On the broadhead front, G5 collaborated with outdoor content creator Chris Bee to develop the Dirty Bird — a three-blade decapitation broadhead designed specifically for turkey hunting. The head is being touted as the go-to option for bowhunters who want to maximize their chances with the razor-thin margin of error that turkey bowhunting demands.
Bowhunting.com also published a timely breakdown of the 10 critical differences between bowhunting and shotgunning turkeys — required reading for anyone crossing over from firearms this spring.
Outdoor Life Releases 2026 Archery Target Rankings
Outdoor Life published its comprehensive 2026 archery target testing roundup this week, with staff writer Scott Einsmann (who works at Lancaster Archery Supply) testing nearly every consumer target on the market.
Top picks include the Delta McKenzie Big Daddy Buck for backyard 3D shooting, the BigShot IronMan Kinetic 650 for crossbow users, and the 365 Archery XL High Performance Trio 48 for archers who want maximum target size. Budget-conscious shooters got a nod with the Morrell Yellow Jacket Swarm.
The review emphasized that personal archery target quality has improved dramatically in recent years. Where shooters once needed to join clubs to access durable targets, today’s options handle compound bows, crossbows, and broadheads at home with increasingly longer lifespans.
If you’re building a home range, pair a solid target with the right bow setup. Our essential gear guide for beginners covers everything else you need to get started.
Crossbow Technology Deep Dive: Understanding Limb Design
Bowhunter Magazine published an in-depth look at crossbow limb technology this week, breaking down the practical differences between recurve and compound limb designs that affect every crossbow purchase decision.
The core trade-off hasn’t changed: recurve crossbows (championed by Excalibur, who spent decades refining the design) offer simplicity, reliability, and field serviceability. Fewer moving parts mean fewer failure points, and string replacement doesn’t require a press. They tend to be wider and longer but are favored by hunters in remote areas where a broken string needs fixing on the spot.
Compound crossbows deliver speed, compactness, and cam-assisted cocking. The cam system reduces peak draw weight, stores more energy, and produces faster bolt speeds for flatter trajectories. The trade-off is complexity — more parts, more maintenance, and string replacement typically requires a bow press.
Excalibur’s new Hybrid X stands out as a bridge between the two philosophies, combining iconic recurve limbs with a reverse-draw configuration and rail-mounted cam system. It’s an attempt to capture the durability of recurve design with the compactness hunters demand from treestands and blinds.
The Archery Weekly Wrap: What Came Next
The days that followed were packed. Kentucky’s NASP State Tournament (March 13-14) became the biggest youth archery event of the month, with more than 9,200 students competing in Louisville, and Indiana’s state tournament followed on March 21 in Indianapolis.
Mexico’s national selection trials moved into their fourth and final phase on March 16-18, where Sebastian Garcia carried his form through to the finish. The eight archers chosen — four men and four women across recurve and compound — went on to represent Mexico internationally through the rest of 2026.
Spring turkey seasons opened across the southern states from late March into April. South Carolina ran April 3 through May 3 under new rules, including a ban on jakes and a one-gobbler limit before April 10 — the kind of setup bowhunters had been scouting for well in advance.
For those working on bow setup, our arrow spine selection guide will help you match the right arrows to your draw weight and length.
Watch: Inside Archery Country — Building a Texas Bow Shop That Lasts
This week’s featured video takes you behind the scenes at Archery Country, a Texas bow shop with four decades of history. Tyler “V” walks through how the shop rebuilt its culture, handles celebrity customers, and keeps a brick-and-mortar archery retail business thriving in the age of online shopping.
Sources:
- Infinity Sport Asia — Garcia One Shy of Perfect Score
- World Archery — Linda Grezzani Latest Barebow Phenomenon
- KXLH — North Middle School Advances to Nationals
- The Lake News — Kentucky NASP State Tournament
- Hot Springs Sentinel Record — Arkansas Archery State Championships
- Bowhunting.com — New Turkey Hunting Gear for 2026
- Outdoor Life — Best Archery Targets of 2026
- Bowhunter — Understanding Crossbow Limb Technology
