Archers take centre stage....again!

Last year, the North Coast Club returned home with two National Champions Medals but this time that tally was doubled along with two other silver medals.

So with four Northern Ireland Outdoor Champions and four Northern Ireland Indoor Champions shooting the Olympic discipline it cements the status of the club as the most successful Junior Archery Club in N.Ireland!

Those Juniors attending this year’s event and competing against those in their own age groups were Shonni Macfadyen, Stewart-lee Macfadyen, Kristin Lundy, Mathew Armour, Gemma Kane and Ross McClelland.

Dependant on their age, the distance shot and the size of the target face would differ. The oldest age group within the club was the Under 16’s where Kristin Lundy triumphed as the new Champion shooting at a distance of 50 metres.

Ross McClelland also entered this age group and returned home proudly with a Silver Medal. Archers entering the Outdoor Championships must be competent at shooting different distances as well as having a natural ability to read the ever-changing weather, allowing for wind and rain to affect their arrows.

Shonni and Stewart-lee, in the Under 14’s and Under 12’s sections respectively, were both shooting at a distance up to 40 metres.

These two young Archers were returning as Current Outdoor Champions and so their title was up for grabs! However they didn’t fail to impress, as Shonni finished with a score of 1035 and beating her nearest rival by 30 points over 144 arrows.

Stewart-lee destroyed his opposition by a huge margin with a final score of 1184 and adding another N.Ireland Record to his growing tally.

Mathew Armour was entered this year for the first time in the Under 10’s section shooting at a maximum distance of 30 metres.

Mathew is the current Indoor Champion where his Competition distance was only 10 metres, so this was a big step-up after only five months training.

However, a very delighted young lad left the Shoot with another Gold Medal and Champions title to add to his collection.

The memorable day was complete when Shonni Macfadyen was awarded the Overall Girls Shield for the highest score amongst the Girls age groups.

This was also the second year she has taken this award. Stewart-lee missed out by only 15 points in the Boys section, which was a remarkable achievement for a 12 year old being compared with the Under 18’s scores.

The Causeway Company of Archers continue to nurture new and developing talent within the Club with 4 Archers having already been selected for the National Squad.

Senior Club Coach Chris Macfadyen, who is now also a National Squad Coach, would like to thank all those parents who assisted in making the National Champs a success through their support during the weekend and all year round.

Also, a big thank-you to the new Assistant Club Coaches who are a huge asset to the club and will play a big part in the development and successes to come!

Anyone wishing to register their interest in the club’s next Beginners Course starting soon should contact Chris on 07904065250 or check out the details on the website www.causewayarchers.com

Archery is a sport for the whole family, so don’t just bring the kids shoot alongside them!