By Taylor Campbell
Archery has been rising in population recently in correlation with the release of the book “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. Those who participated in the Archery event at the AG-Rec Centre in Abbotsford for the BC Winter Games evoked an image reminiscent of the main character, Katniss Everdeen.
Zone 6 competitor, Max Watson, explained how you can win a tournament in archery: “The yellow circle is the best you can get [referring to the target], and then it goes to red, blue, and then black.” He also described how there are three types of categories contenders can participate in: barebow, compound, and recurve.
Competitor Sean Griffiths describes that compound “is where you have wheels and recurve is where you have sights, so it’s easier to hit the target.” Barebow is simply a bare bow with “no sights, no stabilizers, and you just shoot on instinct,” he said.
Jason Haney and Harry Goerz both participated in the compound category. Haney has been shooting archery for two years, after he was inspired by his father’s interest in the sport. Soon after he received his own bow and has been progressing in skill and ability ever since.
When asked about whether he would like to continue in archery in his future, and potentially achieving entrance into the Olympics, he responded, “you never know if I’ll get there,” he expressed with a coy smile.
Goerz, from Zone 7, favours a bow with multiple strings – the compound category. The Fort St. James resident first began archery as something to pass the time, but later realized it was something he was really interested in and has continued growing as an athlete from there.
Another competitor, Devon Harach, has been practicing archery for five years after his mother told him he could hunt for sport with a bow and arrow. As a boy, Harach was very interested in this prospect.
Griffiths is a four-year archer who was first interested in archery because of the classic books by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, and was inspired by the character, Legolas Greenleaf.
All male competitors have yet to begin shooting but will begin at two o’clock this afternoon.
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Taylor Campbell is a grade 11 student at Robert Bateman Secondary School
PHOTOS: John Morrow, Black Press
