Students of Kimberley archery coach Vladimir Kopecky continue to exhibit success on the national stage.
The latest success comes from the Canada Cup where three Kimberley shooters — all teenaged girls —reached the podium.
The Canada Cup is the second highest competition after the national championships, Kopecky says, and the Kimberley girls travelled to Edmonton last week to compete.
The results saw Darby Dean take a gold in the Cadet division, Jessica Krewenchuk take a gold in Cubs, and Katrina Romanowicz take a bronze in Cubs.
Kopecky is as pleased as can be with the results and he’d like to emphasize how hard the girls had to work to get them.
“These kids are only 14,” he said. “And it takes 45 pounds to pull to full draw. It’s very physically and mentally demanding.”
People who do not know competitive archery may not know how many arrows a competitor must shoot in order to win a medal, he said.
They will practice about 200 arrows in the morning before the competition even gets underway. On the Saturday and Sunday of the competition, the archers are up at six for practice, and the competition begins at 10 a.m. and runs until about 7 p.m.
“Everyone shoots 144 arrows both days,” Kopecky said. “You must focus on every single shot. Then on Sunday, the same thing. On Monday, the championship round is elimination. You only have 15 arrows but you have to win that shootout to continue.”
It all takes a great deal of strength and Kopecky is very pleased to see the girls doing so well.