Archery championships a measuring tool for national selection

– Coach Hing

Archery Guyana Head Coach, Nicholas Hing, in a recent interview with Guyana Times Sport, has said the ongoing Archery Championships would help to identify shooters worthy of being part of the national male and female teams in the near future.

Sighting more excitement ahead as the indoor phase enters its final rounds come December 2, Hing credited the archers for their skills and determination shown during the first shoot a week ago. He rated the first event as a good one for all archers, especially the newbies, who were atop their games despite participating in their first tournament.
He believes that all the archers did well, but has still called for everyone, including himself, to be a bit more mentally strong with crunch time approaching. The veteran archer pointed out that while physicality plays a role, it is the mental aspect which suffices for what archery represents, and he is urging his fellow shooters to spend more time harnessing their mental strengths, as he said the sport is more mental than physical.

Hing says the objective behind the championships is to have archers continuously enhance their form and skills. Although in competition, he noted, it is essential for archers to learn as much as they can when it comes to archery.
Another crucial factor of mental strength Hing added, is the importance of being mentally at one’s peak, especially when competing at the international level against the world’s best deadeyes.
The local archers competed in categories Male, Female, Junior and Team; and archers in all categories recorded numerous top performances. Hing singled out the championships’ lone competitors in the junior category –juniors Jessica Callender and Talitha Kissoon — for the maturity and skills they have displayed. He said that despite Jessica being the older of the two, at 16, Kissoon has emerged with the most points in the junior category, following the end of the last round. He credited the girls’ progression as part of their willingness to get better, and their consistency of training with the adults on a regular basis.
With the semi-finals and finals of the indoor leg just around the corner, Hing noted, the objective following the end of the championships is to select a national team. He explained that with archery being an Olympic sport, it is important for Archery Guyana to start identifying persons in the Georgetown demographic who are registered members of the association, in order to have them train and compete regularly as they seek to form male and female senior teams that would be ready to represent Guyana at any overseas tournament should any arise.
Hing has also hinted that the teams could easily be selected as early as next year, with the indoor leg being followed by the finals of the outdoor leg on December 16th, before Archery Guyana brings down its curtains on activities for 2018.
The semi-finals and finals shoot off from 10:00h on December 2 at the National Gymnasium. (Clifton Ross)