Rural Missouri - June 2024 - 21

LONGBOW LEGACY
T
Neelyville man gains international acclaim
by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
he 4-pound bow seems as if it weighs 20 pounds
in the archer's hands. As he nocks his fi nal arrow,
his heart feels like it's beating out of his chest and
he's dripping in cold sweat from nerves and the
Argentinian heat. Time stands still as that arrow pierces
the target. He hears his teammates cheering and knows he
just secured a spot on the medal stand for his country.
Joshua Miller of Neelyville has taken his love for archery
and competition to an international stage competing for
Team USA in Italy and Argentina during the past two
years. He's endured trials, tribulations, heartbreak and
redemption in competition culminating with a bronze
medal at the 2023 Pan American Field Championship.
Joshua moved to Neelyville at a young age and grew up
on the family farm. Basketball was his passion growing up
and that transitioned to cage fi ghting as he got older. He
eventually gave up mixed martial arts to attend nursing
school and found a new outlet with his brother, Mychael.
" He's a very avid bow hunter, so I fi nally went out and
joined him, " Joshua says. " This gave me that challenge
and competition I like. I fell in love with it from the fi rst
moment I pulled back that string. "
Joshua decided his specialty was going to be longbow
archery. He and Mychael found a competition in nearby
Poplar Bluff and entered. The event was in the winter
and Mother Nature
had brought snow and
ice to the area. " We
were the only two that
showed up, so we won
by default, " the Ozark
Border Electric Cooperative
member says with
a smile. " But man, we
had so much fun. I told
my brother I wanted to
see how far I could get
with this. For the next
two years, all I did was
eat, breathe and sleep
traditional archery. "
He started to rack
up titles for his archery
skills. His local shoots
turned into state
shoots, which turned
into national shoots.
When he wasn't shooting
or practicing, he
was at home reading about archery or watching videos on
YouTube or Facebook. That's where he found out about
USA Archery and their trials for international events.
Joshua had a new goal: to represent Team USA internationally.
He
was eyeing the U.S. Team Trials for the biennial
World Archery 3D Championships in 2021, but COVID-19
pushed that back a year. " It ended up being almost four
years of prepping and practicing for that shot at making
the three-man team, " he says.
His hard work paid off as just a few months after the
trials Joshua and his wife, Cassie - who were expecting
their third child - packed up Joshua's Team USA jersey
in Neelyville and set course for Terni, Italy.
There were 51 competitors in the longbow division, with
just 16 making the knockout bracket. Joshua had just
got in with the 16th spot when the whole trip got turned
sideways. " My sister was with us and she called me on my
way back to the hotel and told me Cassie had been rushed
to the hospital, " he says. " I rushed to the hospital but
wasn't allowed in still due to COVID. At the end of the day,
we had a miscarriage. It was very devastating; nothing else
mattered except for my wife and our family. "
Once Joshua and Cassie were reunited, he began to
look up fl ights to get them back to Neelyville when Cassie
interjected. " We were distraught but she was just saying
'No. No. You've put too much into this. You're going
to shoot,' " he recalls.
" Against my better judgment
I listened to her.
She's a tough bird. I'm
blessed to have her. "
He found healing in
writing scriptures on
his bow and arrows
before the competition.
" Just before shooting
I drew a cross and my
favorite scripture on an
bow, 'Give thanks in all
circumstances; for this
is God's will for you in
Christ Jesus.' "
Despite his best
Above: Joshua Miller stands in front of a trophy case at his house in Neelyville.
Left: Joshua prepares to shoot at his practice targets outside his home.
efforts, Joshua dropped
his next match and
was eliminated from
the championship.
Back in Neelyville, he
put down his bow for
a few months after the
JUNE 2024 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 21
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