Weather was scorching hot, but so were the shooters at the Bighorn Archery Club Traditional Shoot at the 100 Mile Snowmobile Club, July 20-21.
The annual event drew 76 archers who came from both the local and other British Columbia clubs.
New to the shoot this year was a 15-target hunters' course where 3D targets were placed in the forest with hunting scenarios in mind and competitors had to shoot accurately or be penalized.
Adrian Messner of the Bighorn Club was the winner among 26 contestants and he also won the masters recurve division.
“People really seemed to like the course and we got a lot of positive feedback,” says event spokesperson denise swift. “It's probably something we'll do again.”
Most competitors and their families camped on site and swift says evenings cooled down nicely to make sleeping in tents and campers comfortable.
Sebastian Riley, 18, has been a club member since he was 14, and was joined by his brother, Baden, and dad, Allen.
Sebastian says he likes the camaraderie that goes along with weekend shoots and with just being a club member in general.
“I enjoy it a lot and so does my brother. It's nice if you want to go shoot a course with friends. It's a good time to chat and you can go out on weekends and have fun, too.”
A friend of the family and club member introduced them to archery and got them hooked, says Sebastian. His family now has a target set up in the backyard where a lot of spare time is spent practising.
The shoot had strong support from sponsors, which swift says was an amazing thing for the club.
“It gives us a big boost for our morale. When you feel the community is behind you, it's such a positive thing.”
This was the last organized shoot of the year for the club, but members will keep their skills sharp, shooting at leisure on the club's outdoor course.
“It's a nice thing to do on a Sunday afternoon, to get outside and enjoy nature, as well as get some exercise.”
Weekly indoor target practice will resume in the fall at the Stan Halcro Arena.
Top 3 results for the traditional shoot are:
Men's
Masters longbow: Taylor Sapergia; Allen Pickering, Bighorn Club (BC); and Don Reeves.
Adult longbow: Lloyd Wetton; Gordon Price; and Shane Green.
Masters recurve: Adrian Messner, BC; Lorne McBeth; and Frank Lanchester, BC.
Adult recurve: Fred Streleoff; Dan Mobbs; and Ernie Schmid.
Ladies
Masters longbow: denise swift, BC; Myrna McDonough; and Shawn Altmannshofer, BC.
Adult longbow: Tamara Van Loon, BC; Sharlene Dumont; and Lynn Plewes, BC.
Masters recurve: Denise Nelson, BC; and Penny Neave.
Adult recurve: Eva Hamakawa; Chanalle Dalpre, BC; and Mavis Skerry.
Youth
Longbow: Joshua Batalha, BC; and Sarah Batalha, BC.
Junior
Longbow: Kiara Pratt, BC; and Jacob Nichol.
Mini cub
Recurve: Cole Skerry; and Calleigh Skerry.
Longbow primitive: Kyle Kansky.
Primitive adult: Dirk Dunkel, BC; Pat Byrne; and Ted Swift, BC.