3D archery event hailed a success

FOR THE first time ever, a sanctioned 3D archery event was held in the city, and archers from across the Northern Cape took part in what turned out to be a highly successful competition when the Kimberley Adventure Archery Club played host to the African Bow Hunting Organisation’s 3D Leg 1 competition at the Kimberley Big Hole Driving Range.

The event was praised for its challenging setup of 20 3D animals placed at different distances and sections of the bushes at the driving range. Bucks, pigs, a leopard, and even a crocodile were just some of the animals archers had to shoot at with only one arrow per target. At the end of the event, all the totals were added up to crown the winner.

One of the key objectives of the event was to help archers receive district, provincial, national, and Protea colours in archery, with all scores achieved during this competition counting toward their yearly totals.

The competition also showcased the talents of Northern Cape archers, who had an impressive showing.

Tyra Adams won the Female Youth Aided Championship at a recent event held in Bloemfontein, while Tru van der Schyff finished third in the Genesis Junior Class and Annemarie de Greeff finished third in the ABO/3Di Genesis Female Adult Category.

Dawid de Greeff finished first in the ABO/3Di Genesis Male Adult Category, while Riaan Moller finished first in the ABO/3Di Hunter Class, and Schalk van der Merwe finished first in the ABO/3Di Traditional Class.

Elrize de Greeff finished in second place in the ABO/3Di Junior Class, while Hennie Victor finished first in the ABO/3Di Junior Class, and John Filmalter was crowned the Senior Masters Champion in the Willows 3D event held in Bloemfontein. Filmalter also took first place in the ABO/3Di Senior Masters Class that was held in Kimberley.

He has now moved to first position in the country in the South African Senior Masters Class. He achieved this by shooting really well in the recent competition, obtaining enough points to place him at the top of the log so far for the year.

Speaking to the DFA after the event, Filmalter praised the archers who took part and expressed his gratitude to the sponsors who made the event possible.

“I am grateful to ABO for giving me a chance to prove we can hold nationally sanctioned events. As with any form of event, it cannot be presented without sponsors, and my gratitude goes to MK8 Diamond Security, Rovic Northern Cape, Caritas, and GWK for their involvement, as they made it possible,” he said.

“Lastly,” Filmalter added, “I thank all the archers for entering; some drove five hours to get here, and hopefully we can attract more archers in the future should we be given the opportunity again.”

Overall, it seems highly likely that the Kimberley Adventure Archery Club and the African Bow Hunting Organisation’s 3D Leg 1 competition will undoubtedly serve as a model for future archery events in the region and inspire even greater participation and support for the sport.