The group who represented Prince George for archery at the BC Winter Games didn't just come back with a cache of medals, but also with a tighter bond.
"It has absolutely gelled them outside of archery," said coach Dawn Procter, who accompanied the team to Vernon Feb. 23 to 26.
Silvertip Archers members Natalya Sarrazin, Daniel Gialleonardo, Tony Procter, Seth Logan, Cameron Guimond and Jennifer Stern joined their Quesnel counterparts Joel Scheck and Chloe Raynor as representatives from their zone at the tournament and brought home almost a third of the archery prizes.
"We took 10 of 36 medals, that's a huge accomplishment," said Procter, who is one of the co-ordinators of the club's Junior Olympic Program.
The archers represented Zone 8, which stretches from Fort Nelson to 100 Mile House. During the competition, they competed in a two-day event consisting of four rounds. The medals were handed out based on placement in those rounds. There was also an additional shot at a prize during a head-to-head competition during the last day.
Quesnel's Raynor took two medals, a gold in aggregate barebow and a bronze in match play barebow. Sarrazin claimed two silver medals in both aggregate and match play barebow. Tony Procter took gold in aggregate and match play compound. Guimond brought home a silver in aggregate recurve and Logan took the bronze in aggregate and match play barebow. Stern placed fourth in aggregate compound, Sheck landed fifth in his aggregate compound event and Gialleonardo placed sixth in the same event.
"There was really, really good competition this year. It wasn't like anyone walked away with a medal," Procter said. "As a coach we like to see that... because it pushes your kids to excel."
Prior to leaving for the competition the young archers, all between the ages of 14 to 16, expressed reservations about shooting on a larger stage and keeping their focus.
"I didn't find the crowd made a difference, it was more the actual shooting," said Guimond.
"I thought they'd be louder," agreed Gialleonardo.
Sarrazin said she was unaccustomed to being in the spotlight.
"I'm not used to having everybody watch just me," she said.
Procter said she understood the team's apprehension.
"It's a different place for archers to be in. When they're at practice, they're on the line and everybody shoots. It's not like individual sports like tennis, where you're in the spotlight, no matter what. It's more like swimming where everyone competes together," Procter said.
"The other thing, too, that people don't always recognize with archery, because it's such a unique, individual sport, these kids are not used to being in team events. It's hard to bond as a team. This team did exceptionally well."
Although this was their only shot at the BC Winter Games, all the archers agreed they now have a taste for the big competitions.
"It was a lot of fun," Guimond said.
The next major event is the B.C. provincial indoor championships, April 6 to 8 hosted by the Cranbrook Archery Club.
"This was one of the most excellent teams I've ever taken on a tournament," said Procter. "They were good sportsmen, good showmen and well representative of their sport and their age group. They made me very proud."
