Miranda Sparkes (left) placed first at national archery championships. Her mentor, Brock Paton, took silver in his category. (Keith Lacey photo)
Brock Paton is a wily veteran when it comes to taking on the world’s best longbow archers, but his latest young protégé, Miranda Sparkes, is absolutely thrilled about the prospects of heading to her first world championship event.
Paton, the founder of the Osoyoos Traditional Archery School, and Sparkes, who only joined the school last March and has quickly risen through the ranks over the past 17 months, are very confident they will both be named to Team Canada that will compete in the World 3D Archery Championships, set for France in September of 2017.
To no one’s surprise – considering she has won every competition she has entered over the past year – Sparkes, 23, became the national woman’s champion over the August long weekend at the Canadian Outdoor 3D Archery Championships in Windsor, Ont.
For those who don’t know, both Paton and Sparkes compete in the longbow competition using wooden arrows to shoot at lifelike animal targets ranging from small rodents to large animals like deer and moose at various distances.
There are other competitors who use composite bows and state-of-the-art carbon arrows, but that doesn’t appeal to either local competitor.
Paton, 71, who is a multiple indoor and outdoor national and provincial champion, finished second in Windsor, losing a battle with his good friend and longtime Team Canada member Monty Vander Westhuizer of Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Until the Quebec outdoor championships are completed in a couple of weeks, Archery Canada won’t name all of the members of Team Canada, but Paton has zero doubt both he and Sparkes will make the grade and earn the right to represent Canada at next fall’s world championships.
“I would be surprised as hell if we both didn’t make it,” he said. “They’re not naming the team until after the Quebec outdoor championships are finished, but I would be very shocked if Miranda and I don’t make the team.”
If Paton is named to Team Canada, competing in France would mark the fourth consecutive time he has made that team and competed at the world championships, which are held every second year.
As for Sparkes, being named to Team Canada and being able to compete in her first world championships is absolutely thrilling considering she only took up the sport in March of 2015.
“I’ve come a long way for sure,” she said smiling. “When I started last March, I knew this was something I really liked because I was posting social media messages within a month telling everyone how much I loved archery.”
She has captured several trophies ever since, including the B.C. Indoor Championships in Prince George this spring.
In Windsor at the nationals, Sparkes said her main competitor, Vanessa Gagnon of Ontario, challenged her throughout the three-day competition, but she kept improving each day and easily captured the women’s crown.
“I didn’t shoot my best on the first day, but I still had the lead,” she said. “I shot a little better on the second day and maintained my lead and I was very happy with how I shot on the third day and won by over 50 points.”
Paton had very few excuses for coming in second in Windsor.
“I had a good lead after the first day and Monty, who is a good friend, said he didn’t shoot great on the opening day, so I basically took my foot off the gas,” he said. “I usually always compete directly against Monty, but that wasn’t the case this time around, so I had no clue how he was shooting.
“At the end of the second day, I was in second place and I just didn’t have enough arrows to catch him on the third day. Monty has been my main competitor for the past several years and I never get upset losing to him because he’s a tremendous archer and great competitor. I’m just thrilled that it looks like we will both be on Team Canada and heading to the worlds again as teammates next fall.”
Sarah Martin from Cawston, who is another protégé of Paton’s with the Osoyoos school, didn’t compete at this year’s national championships due to family commitments. Martin won the women’s national outdoor championship two years ago.
Like Martin, Sparkes has become a national calibre competitor in a matter of months.
“I would say their paths were pretty similar,” said Paton. “They both worked very hard to become national champions because there really are no shortcuts in this sport … you have to practice hard.”
One big difference between Martin and Sparkes is Sparkes never lets the pressure get to her during competition, said Paton.
“She’s always smiling and this really bugs a lot of her competitors,” he said. “She’s very easy going and I really think that helps her deal with the pressure of competition.”
Sparkes agrees her affable disposition helps her in competition.
“I don’t get too stressed out if I miss a shot because there’s nothing I can do about it,” she said. “My idea is to forget about the last shot and get ready to hit the target with my next shot.”
As with all sports, Sparkes agrees that practice makes perfect in archery.
“The only way to get better is to practice hard,” she said.
She usually practices four nights per week during the spring, summer and fall and once or twice per week at the Air Cadets hangar facility in Oliver during the winter months.
Paton and Sparkes are both looking forward to representing Canada at the world championships in 13 months in France.
“It’s going to be awesome … I can’t wait,” said Sparkes.
Paton, who has talked about retirement in the past, said he’s changed his tune and plans on competing for at least three more years.
“The world championships are coming to Lac la Biche, Alberta in the fall of 2019 and I want to be there,” he said. “Lac la Biche hosted the best outdoor nationals that I’ve ever attended and being able to compete at a world championships on home soil is something I want to be part of.”
If Sparkes continues to improve, Paton is confident she can become one of the best female archers on the planet over the next several years.
“She’s only been at this for just over a year,” he said. “She’s got incredible talent and works very hard so the sky is the limit.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
