WALLKILL—When asked how he felt about winning his class in the World Series equivalent of archery, 8-year-old Town of Wallkill resident Jeffrey Paes had one word.
“Good.”
If his response seems lackluster, it’s because at this point in this barely 8-month archery career, he’s become accustomed to winning.
He came first in his class in the International Bowhunting Organization’s (IBO) New York State Championship, Connecticut State Championship, the Connecticut Archery Association’s Marked Yardage State Championship, and took second in the New England Championship earlier this summer.
His father, Joe Paes, said he might have done better in the New England Championship, but he only competed in the second day of the two-day tournament and it was the first time Jeffrey had shot in the rain.
His collection of trophies is starting to grow, currently at four belt buckles, three medals and a plaque, and along with it, interest from sponsors.
Jeffrey’s mother, Jennifer Costello, just started a Facebook fan page at the suggestion of one of his sponsors, and his regular Facebook page, which she manages, is already full of pictures of Jeffrey with big names in the archery world.
Winning his class at the IBO World Championships, which took place Aug. 12-14 in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, it seems, is just the beginning.
Silver Lining
The fact that Jeffrey has accomplished so much in archery is, his parents acknowledge, a strange twist of fate after a diagnosis in December of 2014 forever changed his life and theirs.
Jeffrey has type 1 Long QT Syndrome, or LQT1, which affects the electrical system of the heart, resulting in a potentially fatal, irregular heartbeat.
LQT1 is not detectable except through an electrocardiogram (EKG). Jeffrey was lucky, his parents say—they had him tested for some discoloration around his mouth, and while it led to the diagnosis, they were told it was unrelated to LQT1.
