Williams Lake archer Lily Fraser won gold in her inaugural Canadian Indoor 3D Championships in Calgary March 25 and 26.
One of four Cariboo archers from Williams Lake who were in the championships, Fraser, 14 years old, competed in the Ladies Under 18 Compound Division.
“I have watched quite a number of my students receive Canadian Championships hardware before, but it never gets old,” said coach Al Campsall.
Fred Streleoff, Ernie Schmid and Campsall all also competed in the indoor championships, the first since Covid began.
Streleoff won the silver medal in the Men’s Longbow Division, after being narrowly defeated by a fellow Team Canada member from Alberta.
“They were neck and neck the competition,” wrote Campsall, noting it was “exciting stuff.”
Schmid “narrowly missed” the podium, according to Campsall, finishing fourth in the highly competitive Men’s Longbow Division.
Campsall said he was extremely proud of Fraser, who he said has been working “so hard for so long.”
Fraser led her division from the first round of the 27 targets and was ahead by 30 points after shooting 80 arrows total.
“She turned a lot of heads,” said Campsall of her performance.
Fraser was then able to participate in the Women’s Grand Prix, which pits the top eight scoring women shooting with compound bows against one another in a shoot-off. She won her first match but was eliminated in her second.
Campsall said her last arrow was a narrow one centimetre margin further from the centre than her competitor’s arrow, shot from almost 45 metres.
“She stood toe-to-toe with the best women 3D archers in Canada,” said Campsall.
He said his own performance, after a new hip and significant biceps injury, was his first time ever finishing off the podium at the Canadian Indoor Championships. This was his tenth time competing at the national level, and said he is stuck at seven gold medals and two bronze -for now.
Campsall, at 70, is competing in the Masters 60 category and promised to “come back stronger.”
He noted the impressive finishes of his fellow Cariboo Archers were “well-earned” and all four of the archers practice almost every day honing their skills at the Williams Lake Sportsmen’s Association club house. Soon, he said they will all be out on the target trail at the facility honing their outdoor skills.
Upcoming archery competitions include the BC Indoor Target Championships will take place in Quesnel April 7-9, Junior Olympian Program indoor Championships will be in Prince George April 16, and the Annual Cariboo Archers 3D Fun Shoot on May 13 and 14, held locally.
The Cariboo Archers fun shoot is open to all abilities and is non-competitive.
READ MORE: Cariboo archers once again let fly in Quesnel
READ MORE: Cariboo Archers host 3D tournament
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