Miranda Sparkes (left), Brock Paton and Sarah Martin, three veteran members of the Osoyoos Traditional Archery School, were named last year to Team Canada and qualified for the 2017 World 3-D Archery Championships in France, however, Martin won’t be able to compete due to work and family obligations. Paton and Sparkes both won provincial outdoor championships in Prince George recently and will be competing at the nationals in Quebec later this summer before taking off for the world championships in France in the fall. (Keith Lacey file photo)

They’re going to need a bigger trophy case at the Osoyoos Traditional Archery School.

Club founder Brock Paton, 72, added to his long list of accomplishments by winning his division at the 2017 British Columbia 3-D Outdoor Archery Championships last weekend in Prince George, while member Miranda Sparkes, 24, continued to show she’s the best female archer in the country.

Using a longbow and wooden arrows, Sparkes had the highest score of any female competitor at provincials, despite the fact most of her competition used high-tech carbon bows and arrows.

Paton has won numerous provincial and national indoor and outdoor championships over the past decade, while Sparkes became the female national outdoor champion last year.

Paton and Sparkes will now prepare for the Canadian National 3-D Outdoor Championships in Amos, Quebec from Aug. 3-6.

Paton, Sparkes and longtime member Sarah Martin had already been named to Team Canada last fall to compete in the 2017 World Archery Championships in Robion, France in September.

Because of work and family commitments, Martin will not be able to compete at the world championships.

This will be the fourth time Paton, 72, who is the founder of the local archery school, will represent Canada at the world championships.

This will be his fourth-consecutive appearance at the bi-annual world championships having previously competed in Austria in 2011, Italy in 2013 and Italy once again 2015.

It will be the first trip to the world championships for Sparkes.

For the uninitiated, 3D archery involves competitors shooting arrows at lifelike animal targets that range in size from rodents and rabbits to large animals like buffalo and elk.

Paton called the event in Prince George “easily the toughest provincial shoot I’ve ever competed in” as the targets were very difficult and challenging to hit, he said.

To have three members of the same small archery club in a small town like Osoyoos be named to Team Canada and given the opportunity to compete at the world championships is remarkable, said Paton.

“There are going to be roughly 20 archers on Team Canada heading to France for the worlds, so having three from the same club qualify is basically unheard of,” said Paton.

It’s very unfortunate that Martin won’t be able to return to compete in the world championships, but she is a senior manager at work and has kids going to university and she simply couldn’t make it happen, he said.

It will cost roughly $4,000 apiece for him and Sparkes to travel to France for the world championship.

Sparkes, who has received assistance from the Spirit of the Game organization in the past, is already in fundraising mode outside of her full-time job at Spirit Ridge at Nk’Mip Resort.

To stay sharp, Paton and Sparkes spent the entire winter practicing once or twice per week at the Air Cadet hangar in Oliver sharpening their skills until spring arrived.

They have been practicing four or five days a week outdoors at the Osoyoos club’s shooting range on Strawberry Creek Road since April.

Paton has thought about retiring from the sport more than once, but decided against it two years ago when he found out Canada would be hosting the 2019 World Archery Championships in Lac La Biche, Alberta.

Paton changed his plans, saying he couldn’t miss the chance to compete in a world championship in Canada.

“I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to compete at the worlds in Lac la Biche,” he said. “Hopefully, Sarah and Miranda will be able to join me. I’m pretty sure that will be it for me after competing in the worlds in Alberta in 2019.”

Sparkes was again remarkable in Prince George as she had the highest score of any female competitor in any division despite using less high-tech equipment, said Paton.

“Miranda is the best female archer in the country … she proved it once again in Prince George,” he said.

If anyone is interested in sponsoring Paton and Sparkes as they prepare for the world championships or are interested in joining the archery school, they can contact Paton at 250-485-7633.

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times