Statesville man makes Team USA Archery after ‘Good Samaritan’ deed ends in leg amputation
STATESVILLE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – No matter what the sport, a good coach can help you stay on target.
“That [shot] was kind of low there, Seth,” Bobby Griffith said, who’s the archery coach at Cornerstone Christian Academy.
“You need to stick with the bow that you’re going to shoot,” he instructed his team.
“I enjoy coaching because I enjoy passing along the sport of archery,” Griffith told Queen City News. “I try to be an inspiration for the kids we coach out at the school.”
When students first meet Bobby, questions are inevitable.
“Kids have no filter. Some will just come right up and say, ‘Hey, what happened to your leg?’ or ‘Where is your leg?’” he says.
His right leg was amputated when he was a teenager.
“My kids have some funny stories they tell,” Bobby said.
“How he was deep sea fishing, and they had caught a shark, and it had got his leg,” son CJ recounted.
The real story about how Robert lost his leg is not quite as spectacular as the fake ones, but it’s every bit as compelling.
“It was March 6, 1990,” Bobby said, sharing the date that is now seared in his memory.
His mom still has the crumpled newspaper clippings that document the day Bobby tried to help a stranded motorist off US 321 south of Blowing Rock.
“And I was pushing [a woman’s] car from behind and another car came up the road and just sandwiched me between two cars,” he remembers.
After the leg amputation, he was hailed as a good Samaritan who was “just trying to help.” The multi-sport athlete couldn’t compete like he used to; but archery gave him a shot at finding his way back.
“[Archery] helped me in the fact that it gave me something to focus on. So, it was not like everything was lost, there was still something that I could get out and do,” said Bobby, who’s come a long way in competition.
He’ll compete for Team USA Archery at the Parapan American Championship in Brazil, which begins April 21.
“It’s just an honor to compete and have the American flag and represent your country,” Bobby said.
Meanwhile, his son CJ — who does not have a disability — is also an accomplished archer.
“He’s never really forced me to shoot archery. It’s something I’ve seen him do,” said CJ, who does not have a physical disability.
He was selected for Team USA’s Red team.
“I’m really excited for this year because I get to be on it with my dad, you know?” says CJ, who drew a parallel between the Griffiths and famed baseball father/son duo Ken Griffey and Ken Griffey Junior, who played for the Seattle Mariners.
Bobby encourages more people to give archery a try.
“And especially, if there’s anyone out there that has disabilities that are interested in shooting archery… hopefully they’ll see that it is a possibility,” he said.
“[The disability has] never been an excuse for him, it’s never been anything that hinders him,” CJ says.
34 years after the amputation that changed his life, Bobby helps grow the sport because what it’s done for him is immeasurable. He’s not just a coach; he’s is also an ambassador for archery.
“What you have to do here is called gap shooting,” he explained to one of his archers. “This one above the center, and this one below the center, and that should put you right in there.”
Seconds after that advice, the young man’s shot nailed the target.
“Look at that, good job!” Bobby exclaimed, giving the teen a fist bump.
All in a day’s work for the coach who approaches his job with pride.
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