Paul Van Hooydonk receiving mail-match Gold metal and congratulations from Lloyd Polach
Eliana Stein Takes Gold at Vernon Winter Games
and Bronze at PEI Canada Winter Games
Eliana Stein, a compound archer originally from Falkland and shooting with the Armstrong District Fish and Game Association, traveled with Team BC to Charlottetown, PEI, last week for the Canada Winter Games.
The Canada Winter Games run every 4 years and gather the top U21 athletes from across the country to compete for their province in their chosen discipline. Both Compound and Recurve Archery were featured as a part of the second week of games. BC brought a team of four archers, each having earned their spot at the Canada Winter Games Trials held in Osoyoos in December. Fellow compound archer, Mason Pollard from Prince George, joined Eliana as the male representative in the compound division.
The event was held in Charlottetown’s Eastlink center and archers competed in both individual and team events. Two days of qualifying were shot to determine overall seating. Each qualifying round consisted of 60 arrows, a perfect score being 600. Archers then shot match play rounds, head-to-head elimination matches of 15 arrows. The winner of each match progressed to the next round.
On day one of qualifying, Stein shot a 557 and a consistent 556 on day two. She sat fifth overall entering match play on day three. Stein faced Quebec’s Emma Lavoie in the quarter-finals and took the match 140 to 137. She then faced Chyler Brynn Sanders of Manitoba in the semi-finals, missing the chance at the gold medal match by a single point with a score of 142 to 141 for Sanders.
The bronze medal match was between Stein and Haley Priest of Alberta. With another strong round, Stein took the match 142 to 137, claiming the bronze medal for BC. Stein was thrilled with the outcome, accepting her bronze with a vibrant smile. “I know I did everything I could and I feel proud of myself,” Stein said.
In the Team Shoot, Pollard and Stein won their first match but lost to Manitoba in the quarter-finals. The team placed a respectable 6th overall.
At 16, it doesn’t stop there for Stein. It seems that the Canada Winter Games only fueled her fire to compete. “I want to continue to improve and shoot with the best.” Stein was sure to thank her Team BC coach Linda Price and manager Murray Peacock. “They were a huge support throughout the games and made the experience so fun.” And credits her coach, Leon Miere of Vernon, and her dad, Edward Stein, for their coaching and encouragement over the last year as she has prepared. “It was an incredible experience and I am so amazed at the depth of the community around archery. Being able to represent BC, while doing what I love, was a privilege and opened my eyes to what is possible.”
Next Stein will be competing on home turf in the BC Winter Games in Vernon. The BC Winter Games run March 23-26. Archery will be held at the Vernon Senior Secondary School for those interested in attending.
November 20, 2022 - 6:29 PM by Shannon Ainslie & Kate Stein
A 16-year-old from Falkland is representing B.C. with her bow and arrows.
Eliana Stein won the Canada Winter Games Trials at the Air Cadet Squadron Hangar in Oliver today, Nov. 20, against four other women in the compound archery women’s division, securing her position on Team B.C.
“I was terrified,” she said. “It was a very tight competition, there were four of us and I won by a single point. It could have been anyone’s match to win.”
Eliana has been having fun doing archery with her dad and now coach, Ed Stein since she was little but for the past 18 months the pair have taken her sport seriously, attending tournaments in B.C. and Alberta and training at the Armstrong Fish and Game Club.
She competed in four provincially recognized tournaments to get into the trials competition that started yesterday through the B.C. Archery Association.
“The four girls with the top scores from the tournaments across the year were chosen to go to the trials to figure out who would go to Canada Winter Games,” Ed said. “The competition was tight, it was fun to watch.”
Eliana competes in indoor matches called ‘600 Round’ where she shoots 60 arrows in a row and gets a score out of 600 based on accuracy.
Ed is a long-time archer and said his daughter has a bit of his perfectionist characteristics that help her succeed
I started archery because it is what fun but it doesn’t end, there are always little things that drive you forward and I love the competition,” he said. “I started teaching my kids how to shoot nine years ago but I never pushed them. Over a year ago the opportunity came up to pursue the Canada games and my daughter wanted to try for it.
“For her it has been a year-and-a-half journey, for me it has been a nine-year dream.”
Eliana said her success hinges on her ability to manage stress, nerves and emotions.
“Archery is a very mental game so the entire sport is about managing your nerves,” she said. “It is terrifying but you have to control and work through those nerves and shoot well. It is fun at the same time.”
The Canada Winter Games are being held in Prince Edward Island and Eliana will be flying there with her team of four athletes and two coaches at the end of February to compete in March.
“I’ve never been to Eastern Canada,” Eliana said. “The farthest I’ve been was on a trip to Seattle. I don’t know what to expect.”
Ed, who has been by her side until now, will likely be at work and have to watch his daughter’s progress from afar.
He admitted sometimes he “can be a tough coach,” while Eliana said sometimes she “can be a difficult teenager” but the two would never give up the time they share together.
The sport of archery is not common in Eliana’s circles but she hopes it will continue to grow in popularity.
“My friends think it is pretty cool but it doesn’t really affect my social life, it is just a cool skill to have.”
They credited part of their success to the skilled archers they trained beside at the Armstrong Fish and Game Club along with volunteer coaches Leon Meier and Grahame Go.
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ARCHER MEDALS AT PAN AMS
Jon Manchester - Jun 7, 2022 / 4:00 am Story; 371080ry: 371080
Photo: Archery Canada
A Vernon archer took bronze Friday at the Pan Am youth and masters archery championships in Nova Scotia.
Archery Canada says Vernon's Lloyd Polack took bronze in the 50-plus men's barebow category.
Polack also took gold recently at the B.C. provincial championships.
The weekend Pan Am event was held in Halifax, with competitors from across North and South America.
"Excited, super excited," Polack said of his medal win.
"It was my first experience with match play or international competitions, so I'm pretty thrilled."
courtesy Castanet
2022 BC Indoor Provincial Archery Championships
ADFGA brings home the gold from Championships Congratulations to Eliana, Grahame and Lloyd who are our ADFGA shooters at the 2022 Canadian 3D Indoor Archery Championships, held in Lac la Biche, AB April 15-17 2022. Lloyd achieved a BC record and achieved a Gold medal Grahame achieved a silver medal in his age group Eliana, a gold medal and earned 5/18 of all the mail match gold medals last year. Way to go!
Junior Olympic Program
Alberta Youth Championships
Silver Medallist - Eliana Stein
Eliana Stein had to venture further afield to compete after the BC Winter Games were canceled this February. Luckily, after facing the cancellation of the Alberta Winter Games, Dawn Grosko with Archery Alberta decided to put on the Alberta Youth Championships.
The event was a two day extravaganza with a 600 round on day one and a double elimination head-to-head style finals on day two. Stein had a strong first day of shooting, taking the top spot in the 600 round. Day two saw her shooting a total of five head-to-head bouts to bring her to the gold medal match. It was a close match but she dropped points in the third to take Silver.
There was no doubt she was happy with her first exhibition tournament result. With her silver medal in hand she declared, “I earned this. I worked for it.”
The tournament featured several different styles of shooting in the hope to better prepare young archers who want to pursue competitive archery. Everyone competed in a random draw team shoot Saturday evening, allowing the archers to practice shooting in succession under a joint time limit.
With things starting to open back up, Stein is looking forward to future tournaments here in BC and hopefully the Provincials in Quesnel.
Gahame Go with Canlas brothers
Eliana Stein -JOP-(Junior Olympic Program)
This Sunday, December 5, young archers from around the zone will gather in Oliver to compete in the BC Winter Games Zone Trials. One of our own, Eliana Stein, 15, from Falkland, will be joining them with the hopes of making the team for the 2022 BC Winter Games, which will be hosted in Vernon this coming February.
Stein is no stranger to the sport having been raised at the range so to speak. “My dad always had bows around and would take us with him to go shooting.
It’s always something we’ve done.” She went on to explain, “This year though, I started to take it seriously and shoot a lot more. Things are stressful in the world and target shooting is relaxing.”
Utilizing a basement range and her father, Edward Stein, as a shooting partner, she has trained through most of the pandemic at home, but now with the Games approaching Stein has begun training with other archers in Vernon. Leon Meier and Grahame Go, out of the Vernon and District Fish and Game Club, have been volunteering their time to help prepare these competitors for the trials.
“They have been amazing,” Stein said. “Helping us understand the rules, how to score, and well -- everything!”
Stein’s father, Edward added, “It’s been incredible to see the North Okanagan archers join together to ensure this next generation of young talent receives the best opportunities they can to succeed in the sport. A big part of that network for us is Don Williams and the Armstrong Fish and Game Club. He’s always willing to help and connect the right people and this time it was Leon and Grahame.”
The trials will take place at the Cadet Hanger, 5856 Cessna St, Oliver, BC. Scoring begins at 11:00am.
For more information contact Mary at jop@bcarchery.ca
Archery and Kids go together like peanut butter and Jam. Some Photots from Archery sessions at Hassen Memorial Arena
