On September 3 and 4, Laval hosted the Provincial Archery Championship at Lévis-Paquette Park in Chomedey.
For the occasion, 32 archers participated in the event. Some participants traveled from Amos, Jonquière, Lac-Saint-Jean or Quebec to compete at the highest level.
“We had 105 registrations, notes Rémi Morasse, president of the Regional Association Les Amis de l’Arc Laval, which organized the event. We had to limit ourselves because of the health rules. It went really well. The world was very surprised by the quality of the land we have in Laval.”
Various health constraints also forced the organizers to review the format of the 2021 competition. Rather than organizing duels between the archers, the latter shot 72 consecutive arrows during each of the two organized rounds. The total points obtained would then determine their final ranking.
“Without even counting the practice, the participants shot 144 arrows on Saturday, so let’s say it’s been a good day,” continues Mr. Morasse laughing. We had a 10 year old girl who competed in the 25m. She really enjoyed her experience.”
Laval results
Four Laval participants obtained medals during this championship.
Tom Morasse took gold in the Benjamin component of compound archery. He signed a score of 1135, the same as when he participated in this same competition in 2019. However, he was at 40 meters distance rather than the 25 meters of the youngest.
His teammate Victor Ouellet, also from the Archers de Fabreville, won gold in the compound Cadet group with a total of 917.
Among the women, Catherine Robert, who represented the Archers Laval-Ouest inc in the Senior category of compound archery, won gold with a result of 1311 points. She finished 36 points ahead of her nearest rival.
Lavalloise Virginie Chénier won gold in the Senior recurve group with 1243 points.
Development
Over the past year, interest in archery has been growing. Nearly 50 people were initiated in 2021 at the only site offering this practice on Île Jésus.
“We feel that the interest is there, but the number of members that we can accommodate is limited, notes Mr. Morasse. Before, the two clubs were running with 80 to 100 members per year. With COVID-19, it’s maybe 40 to 50 members. The schedule for a single court is therefore already full.
According to him, an indoor room dedicated to archery would be the best solution to help better develop archers on Laval territory.
“There are people who come from Montreal or elsewhere on the North Shore to train, concludes the president of the Regional Association Les Amis de l’Arc Laval. It is an interesting sport, which is not expensive and can be practiced by everyone. We would like to be able to accommodate more people, but the challenge remains the facilities.
It should be noted that the Laval archery clubs are currently working to bring a sports-study program back to the region. However, this will have to go through a new complex better suited than the ACCESS Center which is used during the winter.
