Archers who're aiming for a spot on Team B.C. and hope to compete at 2015 Canada Winter Games will have to be at their best, said the provincial head coach.
Ron Ostermeier, head coach for Team B.C. was in Prince George last weekend for the 600 Shoot, the Silvertip Archers Club tournament at the Northern Sport Centre.
The tourney, featuring 36 athletes from across the province from Prince Rupert, Port Coquitlam and Prince George in between, was the test event for the 2015 Games, slated for Feb. 13 - March 1.
"There are a lot of people to boil down," said Ostermeier, a retired firefighter from Oliver who also serves as president of the B.C. Archery Association. "We'll have the best of the best based on scores and coachability. The calibre of athletes here is great. They're young adults who're trying out, doing their best and want to make the team."
Each province can only send its top two male and female athletes in the compound bow and recurve bow categories, making the competition to make the team a tough process.
Archers have to submit their scores and based on those numbers, the top 16 will shoot another indoor round Nov. 1-2 in Oliver. Match play follows in a format of first place vs fourth place and second place vs third place until gold and silver medallists are determined.
"Those gold medal winners will be our A team and we'll keep in the background a B team," said Ostermeier who was impressed with the competition venue at the Northern Sport Centre. "We'll work with all those in the background as well. B.C. will send a strong team to the Canada Winter Games, with a strong back-up."
Prior to the November indoor tournament, camps that focus on psychological training and one-on-one sessions are also planned when the indoor season resumes.
When the provincial team returns to the indoor range in Prince George next February, organizers will be ready.
The 2015 Games archery event will host 52 athletes, four from each province.
"It's a small sport in terms of athletes, but it will be a very elite group that'll be here," said Dawn Procter, the sport leader for archery for the 2015 Games as well as a member of the Silvertip Archers. "They have to be dedicated, consistently scoring, have sportsmanship and work with our high-level coaches. They can't be a backyard shooter.
"This is a fantastic venue. We're ecstatic about hosting the 2015 Games here and it'll bring recognition to the club. This event is nice to have the Canada Winter Games hopefuls and we have others who aren't ready [to compete in 2015] but are getting the mentorship with the coaches."
Organizers put in 400 man hours into staging last weekend's tournament, including a big crew for take down and set-up. For 2015, about 13 - 20 more volunteers are needed, such as bilingual announcers and people to help with scoring procedures.
During the 2015 Games, the archery range will comprise of 52 targets that will stretch the length of Field 1 at the NSC. Archers will stand 18 metres away, shooting 30 arrows at a target the size of a nickel. The highest possible score is 300.
"Only a handful of archers in the last 40 years have finished in the 300 range," said Procter. "The kids are shooting at a higher level."
Two of those archers call Prince George home - Spencer Schouwenburg, who just turned 15, and Dawn's son Tony Procter, 17, who both shot perfect scores of 300 in the 2013-14 indoor season.
"We haven't had a junior shooter in 16 years at that level," said Dawn Procter. They've had a steady rise through the ranks."
