Coach Stephanie Barrett was clear about the benefits of competing: “I’d like the experience as a whole, which includes the friendships, the competition, the camaraderie, the friendships internationally and with their teammates, relationships with the staff, the volunteers and just really remembering what they’ve learned and what they put in to get here and taking that forward into the next set of their career.”
With the competition acting as a launch pad for a lot of archers who go on to the next level and are really dominant in their senior years, the staff members and their role becomes crucial. “For a lot of them, they have never been in a team situation with this many teammates,” said team manager Janice Clark.
“So it’s getting them to interact and that we are not solo here, we are here as a team and we are here to support each other and just to give the best experience to everyone.”
18-year-old recurver Janna Hawash got to represent Canada in a more direct way at this event; as part of the opening ceremony. “I was saying the athlete oath, so our promise to keep it true and authentic on the field.”
“It’s great to have all these athletes here and experiencing Canada and everything it has to offer. Usually we don’t have this many people in one spot!”
“I would like to place within the top eight after matchplay. It would be amazing to add to the medal count, but if it doesn’t happen, then I’m just glad I was able to represent. I also hope people take away a bit of the Aboriginal history, to be able to see that it wasn’t just Canada, there’s a lot behind it.”
Thanks to Vanessa Lee for reporting.
