Staff
Although she finished at the back of the pack in her division, Julianna Indian remains unbowed.
The 15-year-old Big Island resident trailed the rest of the 62-person field in the Championship Compound-Young Adult category at “The Vegas Shoot” World Archery Festival 2017 held Feb. 10-12 in Las Vegas.
Indian, who originally hails from Manitou Rapids (Rainy River First Nations), had a total of eight bull’s-eyes sprinkled through her rounds of 243, 231, and 239 to end up with 713 points.
She was the only archer in her class not to break the 800-point mark.
Carson Sapp from Georgia won the division in flawless style.
He fired three perfect rounds of 300, including an amazing 71 bull’s-eyes, and still won by only one point over three of his fellow Americans.
“It went really well,” said Indian, who was one of 3,450 archers at the festival.
“I just wanted to go so I could gain experience and know what level I’m at at this point of my career,” she reasoned.
Indian admitted with thousands of other shooters around, nerves were a factor early on.
“I didn’t shoot as good as I wanted to; not at the level I should,” she conceded.
“But I learned patience and also some things I can try with my grip and my form.”
Indian, meanwhile, is looking forward to her next two competitions: the 2017 Canadian Indoor 3D Championships from April 14-17 in Lac la Biche, Alta. and the 2017 Canada Cup in Maple Ridge, B.C. from May 20-22.
If she accumulates enough Archery Canada points at those event, she will qualify for the World Archery Youth Championships in Yankton, S.D. next February.
