Just over 50 archers came out to compete at the Big Horn Archery Club’s annual indoor 3D Shoot.
The archers came from across the South Cariboo and beyond to test their skill at traditional and compound bow archery from Sept. 16 to 17. Club president Al Pickering said the shoot attendance was a bit lower than he anticipated, but it was still a fun time for everyone who came. He was particularly happy to see several young archers give the sport a try.
“It’s splendid, we support it wholeheartedly because it’s the young people in any organization that keep it alive and well,” Pickering said. “Even if the young kids don’t hit anything, they have fun and that’s kind of the whole point, to make sure it’s an enjoyable sport for everybody who participates.”
The shoot took place in the Stan Halcro Agriplex with Pickering and other members of the club arranging dozens of foam animal targets throughout the riding arena. Archers received scores based on accuracy and the difficulty of the shots, with several novelty shots such as shooting through a tree log available.
Kamloops’ Jeff Betke, owner and operator of Bow Sinister Archery Centre, was one of several out-of-town archers. With 25 years of experience using a bow and arrow under his belt, he said he enjoys going to shoots to have some fun and improve his skills.
“It challenges me both physically and mentally because you’re only competing against yourself. If you mess up a shot you can get angry at it or just go out and do it again,” Betke said. “My goal is always to do better then I did the previous round.”
Betke said he enjoys coming to 100 Mile House because the shoot is indoors and out of the sun. He also believes the club’s choice to change the shoot from March to September was a smart move, noting it gets cold in the agriplex during the winter.
Pickering travelled to several archery shoots across the province this year and noted attendance was down at each. He’s hopeful that this trend will reverse and is encouraging anyone interested in archery to join the club for their weekly practices starting in October.
The club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the agriplex during the winter so long as temperatures stay above -10C.
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