As mentioned, I grew up
Whatever Happened To Elite Archery?
Way back here in 2006, I made a post about Elite Archery. That post, with 19 replies - generates more visits from people typing it into search engines than any other topic I have posted. Two years later, I still get visitors from people that Googled “Elite”.
I know that mention of Elite still seems to spark bickering on the heavy-duty archery sites like ArcheryTalk. I know that I still see posts announcing new dealers. I see threads on the archery sites now and then discussing new models. Other than that, Elite seems to have gone underground. OK, not quite undergound. I can’t remember the last time I have seen an ad in a major publication for an Elite product. I rarely see Elite products included in bow reviews or other articles in any of the big magazines. I know that there was a lawsuit, but who “won” depended on who you asked, and their interpretation of the ruling. I don’t even know if Kate and Kevin Strother are involved any more. I have sent some enquiries to Elite with very minimal response. Kate was the “Martin Girl” and Kevin was the VP of R&D for Bowtech. I was involved with some e-mail conversations with Kate when Elite first came on the scene - she was going to have me do some marketing-related writing for Elite. Those conversations ended abruptly, and I haven’t heard from them since.
I am not a bow-fanatic, but people who own Elite bows certainly are passionate about them. It is slightly reminiscent of the cult-like following that Mac users enjoy. If anyone knows the skinny on Elite, let us know!
