Letter from Jerry

Jerry Dishion 2005

Letter from Jerry Dishion, President/ CEO

In regards to RCA's attendance at the Northwest Expo in Boise, Idaho,

Attention to all RCA customers who plan to attend the Boise Expo and expect RCA to be there with our normal great buys on shafts, completed arrows and cedar oil products.

I would love to attend the Expo, but with the changes that have been made to the format I can no longer justify the expense for the trip. In the past I have attended to promote and support traditional archery in the North West and to visit with the folks who we have come to know over the years who attend.

We enjoyed the atmosphere at the Ontario site; it was warm, friendly and secure. There were safe shooting areas for bow testing, OK food and a banquet that drew everyone together on Saturday evening for a good time.

In Boise we felt like the red headed step kid that was put in a closet when the relatives showed up, no food, no bathroom facilities, shooting arrangements sucked, no real place for seminars and it was mucho cold (inside). The people running the Sportsmen Show treated us as if it was an imposition on them that we were there.

The draw was the same folks who came every year and I would bet that attendance was way down from years before. I believe that if there is really a desire to have a North West Traditional Archery Expo then the location should be changed to somewhere like The Dalles, Oregon or some other place close to Portland, Oregon. This would give the folks in Portland, Seattle, Boise and even Northern California and the entire Northwest the opportunity to attend. Let’s face it, the show as put in Ontario for the convenience of the folks at Traditional Bowhunter Magazine and that was fine, they were doing all of the work in setting up the show. Now they are gone and there is the opportunity to expand the show and have the travel distance where the entire northwest can attend, for instance it was about 2500 miles round trip through the ice and snow to get to Ontario every year for us, now it is further.

The reality of the situation is that if there is to be a Northwest Traditional Archery Expo that it is going to have to start anew. I would think that it would be better to begin the Expo where there are some people. I think with some advertising it could be a very good event and raise the future of Traditional Archery in the Northwest to some new, higher levels. I believe that the Expo needs to be put on for the convenience of the show attendee’s and not the promoters.

So there you are; if you go I hope you have a good time, but we won’t be there.

Good Hunting,

Jerry Dishion Pres/CEO