By KATH GANNAWAY
UPPER Yarra archer Sam Breeden is adding to his swag of achievements, breaking records at the recent Pacific Regional Field Archery Championships.
Competing in the young adult group, for archers 17 to 18, Sam came first overall and set records at world, national, Pacific and state level.
The five-day competition, held at Sale earlier this month, attracted competitors from around Australia and New Zealand.
Sam set his mind on competition archery after firing his first arrow at 12 during a visit to the Yarra Valley Archery Park with Warburton Scouts.
Six years later, competition archery remains his passion.
“I’m still loving the sport,” he told the Mail last week adding that he has branched out to focus on field archery.
Field archery replicates hunting with 28 inanimate targets scattered throughout bushland.
“Field archery is as close as you can go to hunting in the wild, and I definitely enjoy it more than anything else,” Sam said.
“My best performance over the competitions would have been in that round, so I was very happy with that.”
Sam said he went into the competition with a fair degree of confidence, but as news came through each morning on the previous day’s results, he was a very happy archer.
“I went in expecting perhaps to come first or second, but not to set records,” he said.
He said the sport has already opened up lots of opportunities, and he sees more for the future.
“Meeting new people and making lots of good friends through archery all over Australia is definitely one of the great benefits,” he said.
He has set his sights on finishing VCAL with the Upper Yarra Valley Community School, studying for a Diploma in Disability Studies, and competing in field archery at an international level.
Training now involves tournaments almost every weekend which in itself is a challenge.
To compete at a high level, with the best equipment possible and travelling for tournament practice, is expensive.
Sam is looking for a sponsor who is target driven – as he is.
Potential sponsors can contact Sam through UYVCS on 5967 1776.
