(Photo: Brady Klassen at the Rushmore Rumble in Yankton, SD)
In the month of January, a handful of provincial team archers travelled to notable events in Alberta and South Dakota. Brady Klassen, Austin Taylor and Chris Waterman ventured into the esteemed arena of the NFAA Rushmore Rumble to compete at some of North Americas best archers. Meanwhile, U18 Compound Team Member Acadia Flockton in her first year with the program embarked out west to be the first Manitoban to compete at the Alberta Youth Championships. We asked our travelling archers to provide a brief summary of their performance and experience, and are pleased to share the perspectives of Brady Klassen and Acadian Flockton.
Brady Klassen on his experience at the 2024 NFAA Rushmore Rumble, January 5-7, 2024 at the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Center.
I am really happy with how I performed at this year’s NFAA Rushmore Rumble. This was my first major tournament after recently switching from a thumb-button release to a hinge. Although such a sudden equipment change would be scary for most archers, I went into this competition optimistic. I had a game plan. I was going to only focus on my process – getting to full draw, progressively moving my back throughout the shot sequence, and following through. Not only did I plan on focusing on very specific movements in my shot routine, but I also planned on monitoring my mindset throughout the competition. With such a sudden change, I knew was probably going to get a bit nervous. I accepted that and redirected my thoughts into more positive and uplifting language. I told myself throughout the competition that “although this may be scary, it’s possible for me to shoot my best.” My game plan paid off. I shot a score of 597 out of 600 on the first day, dropping three points in the first half and shooting perfectly in the second half. That put me into the top flight, or bracket, for the second day. I dropped a few more points by the end of the tournament, finishing in 15th out of the 112 archers competing in the Compound Open Flights category. Archers typically walk away from tournaments reflecting on the shots that didn’t feel perfect or the arrows that didn’t land quite right, but I’m leaving here feeling
Acadia Flockton on her experience at the 2024 Alberta Youth Championships January 5-7, 2024 in Blackfalds, Alberta.
Friday night was open practice and equipment inspection. I was both nervous and excited, it was my first time shooting outside of Winnipeg, and I didn’t know anyone there. My nerves settled a little bit once I shot a few arrows. I got my bow sighted in and got used to shooting in a new place.
Saturday morning was the 600 qualification round. Again, I was pretty nervous but also excited. There were a total of 13 shooters in the U18 Compound Female category including me. I shot pretty well during qualification and finished with a 518, which is a new personal best in competition for me. After the qualification round was over, I was a lot more relaxed. All the other shooters, coaches, judges, and volunteers were very friendly and made me feel welcome. I ranked 8 of 13 after the qualification round.
Saturday afternoon was the Team Event, where I was partnered with Madelynn Holkema, who has represented Canada at the 2023 World Youth Championships. I had some nerves but was very comfortable since we had practiced this type of event during team practices and at the camp. My practice ends were okay, but not great. Everything felt better once I scored two 10s in my first round of scoring. We made it to the finals, which ended up tied after the 4 ends. In the shoot-off, my arrow was the closest to the centre, so my partner and I won first place.
In the match-play on Sunday morning, I shot well, winning my first match, but losing my next 2.
Overall, the weekend was a success for me! It was my first time traveling to an event, my first event in the U18 category, shooting in a place that I was not familiar with, and I didn’t know anyone else. I was happy with my shooting and gained all the experience that I had in participating in the event. I met a lot of great shooters, who were all very friendly and made me feel welcome. I look forward to going back next year, and would highly recommend that others consider participating as well.
