Zone 7 Archery Team Heads to Alberta Winter Games

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

“Shoot straight. Keep practicing.” Those were the parting words of advice Mikyla Miller had for members of the Zone 7 Archery Team following their final practice at the Vegreville Wildlife Federation facility on Saturday, Feb. 8.

Miller, along with Jamie Lowes, will be coaching the eight member team during the Alberta Winter Games in Airdrie from Feb. 14-17. Six of the eight team members reside in Lloydminster, St. Paul, Lac La Biche, and the Provost area. The two team members from Vegreville include Layne Lowes and Barret Scherger.

The team members range between 12-17 years of age. They will be competing in the compound and recurve categories which are divided into separate groups, male and females, between 12-14 years (cub) and 15-17 years. In addition to the individual events, there will be a team event. Zone 7 is one of eight zones in Alberta and encompasses a large territory from Fort McMurray to Edson to Provost to Lloydminster.

Coaches Jamie Lowes and Mikyla Miller have been spending many hours preparing the competitors for the Alberta Winter Games this coming weekend.

Lowes said the archers are doing really well, and have been practicing a couple different times since qualifying for the games back in December. Lowes, along with Miller, have been working on the archers’ form and employing various techniques during training sessions to best prepare them for the event. “Today we were going over the technical aspects of the game,” stated Lowes. ”A couple of the kids only started archery three months ago.” They also have several experienced archers to round out the team. Miller, who competed in three Alberta Winter Games, said that even though the archers will have their own individual coaches at the games, she and Jamie will provide a “fresh eye” and will be able to make suggestions to the competitors throughout the event.

Miller said they usually come home with three or four medals from the games. “In the end it depends on the other competitors, coaches and dedication from the team members.” The archers compete in a 300 round and get a total of 30 arrows to shoot and accumulate points based on their scores. While there is the physical component to the competition, the major factor is mental proweness, as the archers compete as much against themselves as against other competitors.

As for Lowes, “I want every kid to go and do their best.” Miller, who used to be a student of Lowes, said it was the encouragement from her coaches that made all the difference in her growth and development in the sport, and kept her coming back week after week to participate in the Vegreville Archery Club which currently has between 50 and 60 members. Now it is her turn to make a difference in her new role as a coach, and she is more than ready to step up and put everything on the line.