Archers hit the mark

This year’s annual spring 3-D archery meet lacked the presence of out-of-town shooters but fun was had by participating locals.
The event was limited to 14 archers, who ran a practice outing on the Fort Frances Sportsmen’s Club grounds at Frog Creek with their animal targets.
“It was a pretty casual shoot. A lot of people didn’t dare travel,” said club treasurer and event co-organizer Jeff Johnston. “With recent forecasts, I can’t say I blame them.”
“We didn’t reward any medals,” added co-organizer Ben Wier-sema, who also is club president. “With the numbers we had, we just decided to save medals.
“Do it better and bigger next time around.”
Wiersema, Johnston, Leo Korosec, Blair Beadow, junior coach Ray Coran, Ed, Devon, and Travis Stromness, Dale and David Chambers, Eric and Corie Kauf-man, Curtis Hill, and Andrew Ger-ley braved the soggy fields and muddy grounds instead of their regular 1.7-km trail.
“It spit a little bit. It was really soggy [so] we couldn’t use most of our track, but everyone had fun,” said Johnston.
“David shot traditional bows for the first time and Andrew had just picked up a bow a day before,” he added.
This summer, some of the local archers will head to tournaments in Dryden, Thunder Bay, and Steel River Falls, as well as host another 3-D competition in August.
In related news, Wiersema and Eric Kaufman attended a 300-shooter meet in Coon Rapids, Mn. (near Minneapolis) two weeks ago. Wiersema earned a top-30 finish while Kaufman’s results were unavailable.
Wiersema said some events there average close to 1,200 archers but it’s unlikely this region can produce those numbers.
“I’d like to see it bigger,” he said. “It’s tough primarily because we’re not as populated. Our communities are far and few between.”
For those interested in the sport, the Archers’ club shots every Monday and Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Frog Creek.