BY HENRY MILLER
McALLEN — Frank Addington Jr. recently stepped into a jewelry store, not to buy diamonds but rather to look at them.
With his bionic-like 20/8 vision, “I can see flaws that a jeweler needs a 10x lens to see the same thing,” he said.
Likewise, when he’s shooting a tiny 81 milligram aspirin out of mid air with his bow and arrow behind his back, “sometimes, if the lighting is right, I can see a bull’s eye on the 81.”
Addington will wow the audience with his “razzle-dazzle” trick shot archery beginning today through Sunday at the 31st annual Texas Hunters & Sportsman’s Expo at the McAllen Convention Center. The show runs from 5-10 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
Addington was born with a sunken chest and underdeveloped lungs and couldn’t participate in any sports.
“I had a couple of strikes against me,” said Addington, a West Virginia native and Texas resident. “But God gave me these eyes and my mentors kind of in their unique way encouraged me to be a contributor to society and then use that talent and skill.
“I tell kids all the time, ‘You can achieve any goal. God gave you a talent, now find it and contribute. Spend time as a family and stay away from drugs and things that would harm your life.’”
Addington will perform at 7 p.m. tonight, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday.
The Expo will also be packed with hunting and fishing exhibits and products, opportunities to book trips, purchase outdoors equipment and see some of the top wildlife mounts from around the world. There will also be food and drinks, along with some exquisite and maybe exotic samples to try from various vendors.
Addington grew up within a family of archers and who ran an archery business. He received his first bow at age 4, and by the time he was 11 he wanted something more than competitive archery, especially after winning pretty much every event he attended.
“I grew up around the sport’s big names and major people. I had access to them and didn’t want to waste that,” he said. “I wanted to learn from them.”
Among the archery greats who had a major impact on a growing young Addington was exhibition shooters Ann Clark and the late Rev. Stacy Groscup. Clark asked him to be her assistant on stage at a local sports show and Groscup often had Addington toss targets for him.
Two other archers were shooting aspiring in the mid-80s and Addington wanted to be the only one. In 1990 he hit a baby aspirin and in 1994, after those other two followed his lead and stared “poofing” the powdery tiny aspirins, Addington took the trick to another level and started striking them from behind his back.
“I remember everything,” he said. “I was doing a live show and they threw a baby aspiring and I took it behind the back. I missed it. I miss the second shot, but then I hit the thing with the third one.”
His popularity grew immensely and he traveled all over the country to perform. Country music megastar Toby Keith heard of “the aspirin killer” and wanted to see him do it live.
“I ended up going to Columbia, South Carolina to set up back stage and did a Toby Keith private show,” he said.
Addington said he looks forward to this weekend’s show and seeing the looks on the audience’s faces.
“The world tends to be meaner and darker than back then when I was growing up,” Addington said. “But for 15 to 20 minutes, we are going to laugh and have a good time and talk about all the talent everyone has. If something I say or do helps someone or gives them a boost, that’s what I want to do. The fact that I make money doing it is an added bonus.
“God gave me the talent and I use it and try to give Him the credit. It’s been a fun 37 years.”
