FOLEY, Ala. (WALA) – Nearly 500 college athletes are in Baldwin County this week, competing in the Collegiate Archery Nationals at Graham Creek Nature Preserve. Foley Sports Tourism has now hosted nine of these events and it’s grown every year.

Less than a decade ago the tournament only drew 75 shooters. This year, there are 35 teams and... — Less than a decade ago the tournament only drew 75 shooters. This year, there are 35 teams and a total of 484 athletes.(Hal Scheurich)

Foley’s Graham Creek Nature Preserve is hosting top archers from across the US to shoot it out in the HotelPlanner USA Archery collegiate 3D Nationals. For a tournament that hosted just 75 shooters less than ten years ago, the growth and popularity has been tremendous with 35 teams and a total of 484 athletes competing this year. A big part of that growth has been scholarship opportunities in the sport.

“I don’t know how I got mine, but I mean I grew up doing it,” said Will Timmerman. “I’ve been shooting a bow since I was six and you just kind of meet the right people and get the connections and you just be a good person out on the range. Don’t be acting a fool. Treat people with respect and that’s how you get noticed.”

Timmerman shoots for Lindsey Wilson University in Kentucky and has been shooting in this Foley event for the last few years. For him and many other student athletes, these tournaments are family affairs and Foley is the favorite tournament of the year.

“We’re going to make sure and hit certain restaurants around, between Foley and Gulf Shores both to get some good seafood and yeah, stuff we just don’t get back home,” Timmerman’s father Brad said.

That’s exactly what city leaders hope for. Sports tourism continues to pay off in Baldwin County, especially in the shoulder seasons.

“Last year, this event brought in about three-hundred and thirty thousand dollars in economic impact which is over twenty-thousand dollars in local taxes, so that’s a pretty big deal for us to be able to fill that need in the October time-frame.” Executive Director of Leisure Services for the City of Foley, David Thompson said.

Back on the range, the shooting had begun and the last thing on these competitors’ minds was the impact of their sales and lodging taxes. Instead, it was what impact they could have on the scorecard. Unlike the soggy 2024 tournament, the weather this week was welcoming and it’s a course these shooters love.

“I love the venue here. Compared to where we shoot at home, it’s flat and it’s open here. So, the terrain’s better. You can see a lot better,” explained Anna Jo Rush of the University of the Cumberlands. “I love the warm weather when we come down here in October, but the venue’s just been great.”

“This one’s just honestly, I wouldn’t say the easiest, but like the best conditions to shoot in are here. it’s stout,” Timmerman said of the competition. “You better be on your game, especially this weekend. There’s plenty of professional archers out there but I wouldn’t say that a third of these collegiate kids aren’t shooting professional archery. They’re all in with the mix of it.”

The competition runs through Saturday, October 6, 2025, culminating in the finals Saturday afternoon inside the Events Center at OWA. All competition is open to the public and free to attend.