A goal set in 2010 by Lac la Hache archer Adrian Messner turned into a goal met on June 24 when he won a gold medal at the 2012 British Columbia Outdoor 3D Provincial Championships in Salmon Arm.
Messner was the top shooter in the Masters 50-plus Traditional men's division, but it's not the first time he's won a medal at provincials. He also earned gold at the event in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2010, but this time around, the win was extra special.
When he won the event in 2010 at the age of 61, he vowed for a repeat performance in 2012, so he would qualify to compete at national championships when it comes to Vernon at Silver Star Mountain, Aug. 3-6.
A provincial gold-medal finish was the only way in and Messner prepared all year for the challenge. He practised in his backyard shooting range daily for up to three hours at a time and attended whatever smaller competitions he could, winning gold or silver at each.
At provincials, Messner says he had a good first round on the Saturday, but didn't ask to see his results.
"I didn't want to know my score, so I didn't have that little monkey on my back. I just shot for the love of shooting."
By the second round, the skies had opened up, rain poured on the course and the archers.
"I was shooting in survival mode. My glove started getting wet and sticky and all of the scores were lower than the first round because of the rain."
It continued to rain on Sunday, but Messner says he was prepared for it that day.
His winning score was 644 and of the eight competitors in his division, five shot above the 600 mark, making the competition tight.
He notes experience was on his side.
"Having competed at various nationals and provincials made a difference. It's not so much about making a mistake as it is about how you recover to make a shot when you need a shot."
Training for nationals has begun for him and includes as much mental training as it does actual shooting. He's still becoming accustomed to changes made to his bow recently when he realized that getting older meant he was no longer able to pull the usual amount of weight.
He'll continue to shoot daily and attend smaller archery competitions to get himself organized, he says.