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The Cariboo
Archers Association was formulated in the early 1980's and in
1984 became a registered organization under the Provincial
Society Act. Constitutionally, our association is
established to foster, expand and promote the sport of archery
and the spirit of good fellowship among all archers, to
encourage the use of the bow and arrow in tournament shooting
and to encourage it's use in hunting all legal game and to
cooperate with all conservation organizations in the
conservation of wildlife.
On the onset the
association had a direct affiliation with the Williams Lake
Sportsmen's Association which has 50 acres of land including a
4000 square foot clubhouse. The archery members went
about setting up an indoor archery range within the confines
of the clubhouse and this range is still in service today.
The association
also pursued the appropriate government agencies and secured a
30 year lease on 26 acres of land just adjacent to the
property of the Sportsmen's Association. The archers of
the day were predominately target oriented but with 3-D
archery on the rise, their fundraising activities resulted in
the purchase of 20 3-D archery targets manufactured by Delta
Industries.
Initially these
targets were used only on a local basis but in 1989 and 1990,
small 3-d tournaments were held for archers within the Cariboo
region. In 1991 the Cariboo Archers Association decided
to add some prominence to 3-d archery competitions and decided
to host the first "Northern British Columbia Bowhunter
Championships". The goal was to stimulate interest in
and to promote both 3-D archery and bow hunting. It was
also important to promote the family aspects of the sport and
to provide a 3-D course competitive enough to attract top
archers from around the province.
We feel our
success in accomplishing these goals is supported by the
growth of the tournament over the succeeding years. In
1991 we drew 125 competitors, in 1992 we drew 174 competitors.
This increased to 250 competitors in in 1993, 360 in 1994, and
in 1995, we limited registration to 350 competitors and sold
out seven weeks in advance.
In 1996 and 1997
we secured several commercial sponsors and the name of the
shoot changed to the "Northern British Columbia - PSE -
Bowhunter Championship". In each of these years, we
limited competitors to 400 and again, were sold out well in
advance of the shoot.
This tournament
has afforded our club the opportunity to acquire and maintain
about $25,000.00 worth of McKenzie 3-D targets and our
competitive archers really enjoy shooting at quality targets.
For the last
several years, the Cariboo Archers have made financial
contributions to local organizations to assist them in
achieving their goals as well. We still maintain an
excellent relationship with the Williams Lake Sportsmen's
Association and have made financial and real commitments to
that organization as well.
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