FOLEY, Ala.— Three-time Paralympian KJ Polish will be back to compete in one of his favorite competitions of the year, the Archery Shooters Association’s (ASA) Hoyt/Easton Pro/Am, which is returning to Foley Feb. 20-23.
When he was three years old, Polish got hold of a bow in his dad’s sporting goods store and was immediately hooked. When he was asked about what he wanted to do when he grew up, his answer was pro-archer. When his teacher shut him down, telling him he needed to pick something like a doctor or lawyer, he decided to prove her wrong and, at 11 years old, entered the International Bowhunting Organization World Championship and won.
In October 1999, Polish got into an accident on his way home from a hunting trip. He was 16 years old. The doctors concluded he may never be able to sit up again, let alone stand. About six months after the accident, his dad asked if he wanted to pick up a bow. He was apprehensive at first but soon rediscovered his zeal for the sport. Within a year of the accident, he finished third in his first pro tournament utilizing a wheelchair.
“When I tell people archery saved my life, it really did,” Polish says. “I knew I couldn’t walk anymore. I knew I couldn’t run. I knew I couldn’t do a lot of what other people do, but I could shoot a bow. You don’t have to be standing. I could still sit and shoot my bow and compete with everyone in the world. If I’m having a bad day, I go shoot my bow, and everything goes away. That’s one thing that’s never left me, no matter what.”
After the accident, Polish pivoted into target archery and built an impressive resume of world championships, but he missed 3D archery. He got in touch with ASA, and then President Mike Tyrell expressed this and asked if there was any way he could get back into it. Tyrell told him that he and the ASA staff would do everything in their power to help him.
“ASA has gone above and beyond for people with disabilities,” says Polish. “Josh Grine, the new owner of ASA, has been life-changing in what he’s done for the community and people like me. I can go to an ASA tournament and have no worries about getting around.”
City of Foley sustainability and natural resources director Leslie Gahagan says accessibility has always been a major tenet of Graham Creek Nature Preserve and the city as a whole, and they have made big strides in making it as accessible as possible.
“Foley, Alabama is my favorite tournament because it’s so flat and easy to get around,” says Polish. “Foley transitioned so much from the first time I went. They made the roads flatter, graveled the road, everything. It’s truly amazing the transition over the last five years.”
“We’ve continued to make improvements to the nature parks,” says Gahagan. “Recently, we were awarded a grant from Gulf Coast RC&D Council for a wheelchair-accessible golf cart that is set to arrive next month. This cart will help get more visitors up close and personal with the beauty of our Preserve”.
The Hoyt/Easton Pro/Am is free for spectators and runs from February 20 to 23.
