After a successful collegiate and amateur career, our GAS Bowstrings customer tech representative Aaron Adams will be starting his rookie year in the pro class! During his collegiate career, Aaron took All-American four times and has achieved Academic All-American status as well. Aaron has totaled several national collegiate titles individually and in team matches both in the bowhunter and compound divisions. Outside of collegiate archery, Aaron has garnered a few podium finishes in K50 along with several great division finishes which helped him decide to go pro.
As an employee of GAS Bowstrings, Aaron has been a huge asset! As a man of many talents, Aaron helps out on the phones answering tech questions and taking down orders; he works on any warranties that come through the office; he stocks and runs the GAS trailer that visits the ASAs; Aaron has been seen a time or two in our tech videos; he helps out in the GAS Bowstrings indoor range; and helps out on the production floor when needed. Without Aaron, many of the processes that we currently have in place here at GAS Bowstrings would not happen. To congratulate him on his success at Vegas and his recent switch to the pro class, we thought it would be a great time to ask Aaron a couple of questions about his work and archery career!
What got you started in archery? When did you start competing?
I started archery when I was in 4th grade, but it was just for hunting purposes and then my school started a NASP program when I got to 5th grade where I joined and competed through middle school. I just hunted after that until the bow shop I went to (Bo’s Backyard Archery) started an S3DA team and asked me to join it when I was a junior. That’s when I got addicted to the competition side of archery!
Have you only shot compound, or have you shot other forms of archery?
I have only shot compound bows, but I shot in the bowhunter division for four years before I moved to the open class. I have played with some recurves for hunting but that is about it.
What are you most excited about going into the pro class?
I am excited about trying to go and hang with the best in the world. This has been a goal of mine since I started competitive archery.
Why did you start shooting GAS Bowstrings before becoming an employee? Why did you want to join GAS Bowstrings as a customer service tech representative?
I have been shooting GAS strings since the business started. When GAS started, I knew they were a local company and I wanted to run their product. Ever since my first set I have been very happy with the strings and have confidence in the product. That is a big reason why I wanted to come to work here because I believe in the product, and it allowed me to do what I love for a company I believe in.
Which string set do you shoot and why?
I have shot every set that we make, and I like all of them, but I am currently shooting High Octane at the moment. I am shooting High Octane so that I can play around with colors a little more.
What is a goal you have set for this year? Both in archery and your career?
One of my goals in archery this year is to make a shootdown in the ASA and I would like to make the shoot-offs at Indoor Nationals as well. I feel like I have the ability to shoot with the best and that is what I want to prove to myself this year.
In my career, I would like to better myself and increase my knowledge base so that I can better help our customers.
What shoots are you planning on attending this year? Which one is your favorite?
For the rest of this year, I plan on attending all of the ASA’s and Indoor Nationals. I will probably shoot a USAT this year and am going to try to go to an IBO event this year as well. My favorite shoot is probably Foley because I get to see a lot of good friends for the first time in the season, and we usually get some better weather when we go down.
Who do you look up to?
When I first got into archery, I started watching BowJunky videos to try and match my form to the way I saw a lot of the pros doing it at the time. One pro in particular that I watched and tried to replicate was Chance Beaubouef. He was probably the first pro I looked up to and followed. Once I started working at GAS, I started listening to Eric talk and took in all the information that he had to offer. He has accomplished a lot in archery and his knowledge base is even bigger than what he has accomplished. I am learning from him pretty much every day. In life, I have always looked up to my father Tim as I have always watched the way that he carries himself and the man that he is. I have always tried to follow in his footsteps because he has been the most influential person in my life and a role model for everyone around him.
What is one piece of advice you could give about archery?
“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” My growth in archery has been a long and slow process. In high school, I used to work at a sheet metal factory during the summer. I would work 12–14-hour days, and then I would come home, back my parents’ cars out of the garage, and blank bale for a couple of hours before I got up and did it all again the next day. This journey has taken a lot of work and I think that if you are willing to put in the work you can get to where you want to be.
What are some of your favorite hobbies outside of archery?
I have always loved the outdoors and grew up fishing and hunting all the time. I still love to do both of those things but as of recently I have also taken up golfing and enjoy going out on the course with good friends.
Bonus Aaron Questions!
This is your rookie year in the pro class! What did it feel like to shoot your first competition as a pro at The Vegas Shoot? How did it feel to shoot a 600 with 56xs in the arena?
The Vegas Shoot is different than any other shoot I have been to. I have shot a few 300s in flights and other big tournaments like Lancaster and Rushmore but the nerves that I felt in the arena when the first end for score was called out was unlike anything I had felt before. I normally don’t get very nervous, but I did in the arena. I was very happy to shoot a 300 29x and a 300 27x mostly just for personal motivation to know that I can do it with the nerves, but I will always try to strive to do better and focus on the positive but acknowledge my shortcomings of the other round to fix what I can and move on.
What is one question you get asked the most as a GAS Bowstrings string tech?
I get asked pretty much any and every question you can imagine, but most of what I get is material questions mainly and the differences between different materials.
What is your favorite part about your job at GAS Bowstrings?
My favorite part is the people I work with because we are a big family and support each other. I do also enjoy meeting new people and helping people in any way I can.
What are you most excited about this year at GAS Bowstrings?
I am most excited about seeing the company grow and do well. I think that the GAS family as a whole is excited about trying to move us and the industry forward.
You are an archery alumnus of the University of the Cumberlands. How do you think your experience at the Cumberlands set you up for success both in your professional and archery career?
Going to the University of the Cumberlands has taught me a lot. The professors allowed me to learn the way I needed to and were very beneficial to me. I can’t say enough good things about all the professors and people there.
On the archery side of it, being on an archery team benefited me a lot and I don’t think I would’ve grown to where I am in my shooting without going there. Internally on the team, I have made lifelong friends and we all pushed each other to get better and would help each other work on things. When you have pro archers on a team with you it gives you a goal to reach and to try and climb. That along with the practice schedule that Coach Strebeck and Coach Kirby have in place, you get a good arrow count so that you can continuously grow. That along with practicing the match play that happens in collegiate shoots was a big help to me.
Congratulations Aaron on your switch to the pro class! From all of us here at GAS Bowstrings, we are ecstatic to see you achieve your goals and move up to the pro class! We wish you continued success and all the best as you go head-to-head with some of the best in the world!
