A personal best for Scott Rissinger has gone into the record books.
Rissinger, a recurve bow archery enthusiast and Schuylkill County native, recently won first place at the National Senior Games, setting a record in the process.
There were 21 sports and approximately 11,000 athletes who were scheduled to participate in the National Senior Games held in Cleveland, Ohio, this year. Archery events ran July 19-24.
Rissinger said he wasn't sure what to expect at the national event.
"Bob 'Hokie' Hoke, from Lebanon, talked me into going and he went out with me," said Rissinger, who now resides in Palmyra, but was a former Valley View businessman and Hegins Township supervisor.
Athletes shot 900 rounds Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21. In that round, competitors shoot 30 arrows at three distances of 40 50 and 60 yards, each, for a 900 possible perfect score.
"I took the gold and set a new national record by shooting 858 out of 900, beating the old record by 19 points.
"I had some strong competition," Rissinger said.
Some of the that competition came from Glenn Meyers, who was on the 1984 USA Archery Olympic Team.
"I also had an interesting reunion with a guy named Tom Stevenson, who I shot with when I was a kid and have not seen in 30 years. We shot on the same target both days," Rissinger said.
Stevenson now resides in Oklahoma.
According to results posted on the National Senior Games Association (NSGA) website, Rissinger shot an 836 in the first round, and an 858 in the second round, for a first-place finishing total score of 1,694 for the 2013 men's, recurve, ages 50-54 division.
The next closest archer in second place was Myers, with 1,673; in third place was Robert Mulcahy, with 1,642; in fourth place was Tom Stevenson, with 1,608; in fifth place was Mark Stiller, with 1,539; in sixth place was Ray Bridenbaugh, with 1,464; and in seventh place was Steven Newcomb with 1,391.
Rissinger is no stranger to record-breaking. He had set the Pennsylvania record in 1995 on the 900 round with a score of 846 (which still stands in that age division). He went to the Pa. State Target Championships in June, beat that score with an 853 (setting a record in the Senior Division), and then went to the Senior Games and shot an 858 (setting the national record).
"This was my personal best on the 900 round," Rissinger said.
This record-breaking performance comes on the heels of another national title for Rissinger. This March, he won the 2013 U.S. National Indoor Archery Championship in the Master 50-Plus Division.
To be able to participate in the National Senior Games, athletes must be at least 50 years old and must qualify the year before through an NSGA-sanctioned state qualifying event. Rissinger qualified for the National Senior Games last year at the Keystone State Games.
To follow other senior athletes, go to www.nsga.com for a complete list of winners and upcoming events.