Andy Griggs' Celebrity Archery Tournament

Andy Griggs' Celebrity Archery Tournament Photos

Now in it's fifth year, Andy Griggs' Celebrity Archery Tournament never fails to pack the stands long before the first bow is removed from it's case. Most fans know that if they do arrive early, they will get to see some of the competitors warming up prior to the event, such as John Michael Montgomery was.

Even though the Sports Zone was moved, to the other side of the river this year, Griggs' tournament remained in Lot R of the Titans Stadium lot. It also enabled fans to get an extra treat as you could hear the sounds of Little Big Town drifting through the air as Jimi, Kimberly, Karen and Phillip rehearsed for the big stadium show for the night.

Fans got an extra perk this year when they were able to see the U.S. Navy Parachute Team "Leap Frogs" demonstrating their jumps. The U.S. Navy Parachute Team is a 15-man group comprised entirely of U.S. Navy SEAL and SWCC commandos. Each member comes to the team from a three-year tour from one of the two Naval Special Warfare Groups located on the East and West coasts.
On completion of the tour, the members will return to operational units. The team was also on hand at the Nashville Superspeedway Saturday night, for the Nextel Cup Busch race, to further demonstrate their skills including two members locked together at the legs separating just seconds before their landing.

Michael Waddell, RealTree, was on hand to emcee the event and explain exactly how the point system (perfect shot = 12 points) and the rotation of competitors so each takes a shot at each of the targets.

A surprise guest, Kix Brooks, joined Rhett Akins, Tracy Byrd, Daniel Lee Martin, John Michael Montgomery, Blake Shelton, Griggs, Rusty Tabor, Neil Thrasher, Aaron Tippin, and Bryan White. As everyone got into place to start shooting, two country artists were notably missing, Rhett Akins and Bryan White were no where to be found. The tournament started without the two gentlemen and it was decided that they could start upon arrival.

Andy Griggs and Blake Shelton continued their friendly rivalry throughout the tournament and with arrows in his back pocket, Shelton even sulked off the field at one stage in the game, right past a happy group of fans ready to console. Bryan White walked in, took a first shot and didn't appear happy with the results so he decided to just bow out of the game.

Eventually, Akins also appeared and was greeted by an applauding Blake Shelton. Akins, an avid sportsman, quickly got his position and started trying to play catch-up. At the end of everyone's shots, Akins was allowed to rotate amongst the targets so he could have a fair chance in the tournament. Much to everyone's surprise, it didn't take long until Akins was tied with tournament host Griggs! Rusty Tabor took the big prize leading the pack with 112 points. Akins and Griggs took 2nd & 3rd with a point total of 105 and John Michael Montgomery came in fourth with 102 points.

Competitors remained following the competition to sign autographs and for fan interaction. The event was sponsored by RealTree and the Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA.

Article Written & Submitted by Michelle Durham