Namoi Valley Archers wrapped up a highly successful 2004 season with a combined AGM and Presentation night. The club had a record breaking season in terms of shooter numbers at club events, participation rates at two day tournaments and medals won at National and State level. Steve Jaeger, Robbie Porter and Georgia Buckingham finished with the coveted gold medals at the National ABA Titles with Jaeger becoming the first archer from the local club to record back to back National titles.
In another first the club now has two coaches fully accredited with the Australian Sports Commission and the benefits of this program are being shown by the club’s outstanding group of junior archers with Sam Bates and Stacey Woodward receiving scholarships from the NSW State Government’s Junior Country Athlete Scheme with Bates also being accepted into the NIAS Lonestar Program for 2005.
The local club conducted two major tournaments in 2004 with the Northern NSW Branch ABA Titles in July and the NSW State IFAA Titles in November with both events receiving high praise from both competitors and officials for the quality of the facilities and the level of administration provided by club members. Northern NSW Branch Controller Jeff Jennings rated the Gunnedah club the equal of any in the State and the club has been given the honour of hosting the Branch Championships in both the ABA and IFAA disciplines in 2005.
The prestigious 2004 Club Person of the Year trophy was awarded to Garry Porter for his magnificent efforts behind the scenes for the club. Garry can usually be found at club shoots taking registrations and organizing shoot groups then jumping behind his beloved barbecue to cook lunch if required. Garry was the principal figure in the catering for the two tournaments the club ran in 2004 and in his spare time was the driving force behind the construction of the new shower block. In his role of club coach Garry is always available to lend a hand if needed and every Thursday night he is on hand to instruct those interested in archery at the Gunnedah PCYC Indoor Archery program.
The club caters for all shooting styles from the traditional longbows right through to the freestyle unlimited shooters with a strong family presence and a friendly social atmosphere features of the club. The club has permanent ranges in all three field archery disciplines, ABA unmarked, IFAA marked and 3D and offers a wide variety of club shoots throughout the year.
Competition in many of the divisions was extremely close with the Mens Open contest going right down to the wire and after twenty two rounds Ben Ireland finished on top by just 10 points from John Clark with Steve Jaeger third. The Junior Boy Compound division provided some of the toughest competition all year with Cade Rowland coming out on top from Wade Hudson and Jake Hopkins. Wade Hudson won the Handicap Shield and the accolade as the club’s most improved archer for 2004.
Phillip Porter showed his prowess in the field winning the Bowhunter of the Year award while Josh Dolbel was the Junior Bowhunter of the Year.
Results
Bowhunter Limited – Stuart Dolbel 1, Daren Boorer 2. Gerry Culley 3.
Mens Compound – Phillip Porter 1, Ken Thompson 2, Steve Woodward 3.
Womens Compound – Helen Woodward 1, Lisa Buckingham 2.
Mens Open – Ben Ireland 1, John Clark 2, Steve Jaeger 3.
Womens Open – Cassie Neuendorf 1, Norma Culley 2, Annette Gardner 3.
Traditional – Darrell Hudson 1, Michael Patrick 2.
Junior Boy Compound – Cade Rowland 1, Wade Hudson 2, Jake Hopkins 3.
Junior Girl Compound – Stacey Woodward 1, Jodi Buckingham 2.
Junior Open – Sam bates 1, Josh Dolbel 2, Robbie Porter 3.
Cub Open – Matthew Jauja 1, Sebastian Donovan 2, Beau Gardner 3.
Cub Boy Compound – Michael Romer 1, Joel Boorer 2, Damian Woodward 3.
Cub Girl Compound – Georgia Buckingham 1.
Cub Traditional – Shane Thompson 1, Matt Bates 2, Christopher Patrick 3.
Little Archers – Meg Jaeger.
Encouragement Awards – Dean Thompson, Jordan Carter, Keegan Patrick, Cameron Hill, Jamie Thomspon.
Regards
John Clarke (The Overlord)
