Mahtomedi senior archer is once again national meet champ

BY BRUCE STRAND SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR

Edna Siniff, 86, of Mahtomedi won her division in archery at the National Senior Games in Pittsburgh for the third time. She scored 697 the first day, and slipped to 640 the second day, when she discovered her site was off and it took a while to fix it. Siniff previously won nationals in Minneapolis and Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s held every two years. She qualified for nationals at the state level each year.

“I call it an endurance event,” Siniff said about archery. “We start at 8:30 in the morning and it lasts until 3:30 each day. It’s exhausting.”

They shoot 90 arrows, 30 each from 60, 50 and 40 yards. Siniff, who took up archery at age 75, competes weekly at A1 Archery in Hudson, Wisconsin.

“Archery is a social event,” she said. “It’s also one of the best exercises that a senior can do. And it’s a nice quiet sport.” The National Senior Games draw thousands of athletes from around the world each year. Siniff said she’s heard that it’s the largest sports event, in terms of number of participants and events, in the world.