Sunday, January 4, 202,6 Blackfalds, Alberta
Written by Archery Manitoba Team Coach: Sean Murray
The weekend started Friday night with the JJAC 5-Spot Rumble, a 50-arrow round scored on outer-10s. Archers had the option to purchase mulligans, which let them replace a set number of their lowest-value arrows. It’s worth noting that neither Manitoba team member needed that extra help. In the U21 Female category, Bailey Mathers posted a strong 467 to earn the silver medal. In the highly competitive U18 Female category, Acadia Flockton delivered an impressive 489 to take first place.
Saturday featured the qualification rounds, with the athletes shooting a 600 round. In the combined U25/U21 Female class of 10 archers, Bailey Mathers finished the ranking round in first place with a score of 557. The U18 Female category included a deep field of 22 athletes, where Acadia Flockton came out strong, shooting a 562—just four points behind the leader in second place.
Later that evening, both athletes were randomly paired for the team rounds. After several impressive matches, both teams advanced to their respective gold medal matches, ultimately finishing the night with silver medals.
Sunday began early with double-elimination match play. Both athletes earned byes to start the day. The U18 Female matches were first, where Acadia Flockton won four straight matches to reach the gold medal match. She found her stride at just the right moment, shooting a solid 145 to claim gold. Notably, Acadia recorded two 145s during match play, just one point shy of the highest match score of the entire U18 category.
Bailey Mathers opened match play by winning her first two matches. In her third, she faced a tough competitor and fell just a few points short. Match four was a pivotal moment—either secure bronze or win and move on to the gold medal match. Bailey shot strongly throughout, trailing by one point heading into the final arrow. Needing a 10 to force a closest-to-centre shoot-off, she stepped up and delivered a perfect shot to advance to gold. Bailey stayed committed to her game plan in the final but ultimately came up just short, finishing the weekend with a silver medal.
Overall, I’m incredibly pleased with how both athletes performed and represented the provincial target team program. It was a long and demanding weekend, both physically and mentally, but they came well-prepared to handle the heavy volume and the extended time on the line. As a coach, the goal is always to give our athletes the tools and support they need to succeed at significant events and, most importantly, to leave with positive takeaways—and this weekend did just that.
