Connor Dewar was just 13 years old when he picked up a bow and arrow for the first time in gym class.
The Antigonish resident said his cousin first got him into the sport and several years later he found himself at Truro’s Victoria Park shooting targets with hundreds of other archers from across the country at the 2018 Canadian Archery Championships.
While many archers just want to have fun, Dewar was good enough to qualify for Team Nova Scotia, taking his chosen sport to the next level.
“I get goosebumps thinking about it, it’s awesome. I’ve never been a part of Team Nova Scotia and this is just something else, once in a lifetime really,” said Dewar. “I’m shooting really good actually.”
The tourney runs from Aug. 3 to Aug. 12 at Victoria Park’s 745 Young Street entrance, ending with a ‘Canadian Open’ competition followed by an awards ceremony on the final day.
On Aug. 4, groups of archers went into the park to fire practice shots and tackle their first target course in the woods, but play was held up on Saturday afternoon as a severe thunderstorm rolled through just south of Truro.
Nearby lightning strikes forced players to shelter under tents until the storm abated, but the storm did not dampen the enthusiasm of archers like Jason Adams, a longtime hunter who carefully set up his equipment in the woods.
“Guns are too easy. Shooting with a bow is a challenge,” said Adams, as thunder boomed overhead, adding that he also enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship offered by archery.
It was through hunting the Lower Sackville native first became interested in archery saying that lining up targets such as deer or bears involved hiding in trees, practicing scent control measures and stalking the animal at close range without being detected. As such, Adams has been hunting using a bow and arrows for more than 10 years.
Finally, the hunter must fire from only 20 or so yards to score a kill, whereas anyone with a rifle can shoot from 100 yards.
A successful kill can mean many weeks’ worth of deer meat gracing the dinner table.
For the full schedule and more information, please visit http://www.archery2018.ca/target-schedule.
