Roughly two years ago, coach Kimberly Worsfold launched an eight-week-long archery program with Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc archery. Today, the free drop-in course remains operating year-round on a biweekly basis, serving the community as a space for connection and skill building.
Running on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Moccasin Square Gardens, the sessions are open to all neighbouring nations, with an average of eight students per session. The next session is slated for June 18 and all are welcome to attend.
The focus of each class varies and depending on the season, indoor with 2D targets in the spring or outside with balloons and 3D targets over summer.
“The more you learn how to shoot, the more you learn to correct yourself,” Worsfold told The Wren at the session Thursday, May 28.
Worsfold leads the lessons with 16-year-old St. Ann’s Academy student Sam Eld, who supports the part-time program in addition to working with Worsfold at the Full Circle Youth Centre.
“I could probably do this for the next 50 years, and I probably still wouldn’t be perfect,” Eld said about the challenge of archery and respectively coaching others in the sport recreationally.
Eld recently learned archery himself to assist with the drop-in program, and has now set a personal goal to become an archery coach for his year-end capstone project.
“I’ve always appreciated being able to teach other people the things that I know,” Eld added.
Aside from his driving passion to share knowledge, Eld appreciates the connection the program facilitates.
“Even if I wasn’t employed here, I would probably still come to archery every Thursday night. I like a lot of the people that are in this archery program, and this club in particular.”
Eight-year-old and mom try community archery for the first time
After relocating to Kamloops from Quesnel roughly three weeks ago, eight-year-old Lincoln Jensen and his mother Natasha Seymour decided to try the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc community archery program for the first time.
“I like to hold the bow and arrow,” Jensen said softly about his first experience with archery at the community centre.
When asked if he had held a bow and arrow before, his mother replied with a smile: “just toy ones.”
“I like doing baseball,” he added when asked if any other sports were of interest.
“We just moved back home so we wanted to take part in as many activities as we can,” Seymour explained.
With only a quick session shooting herself, Seymour added, she would probably try archery again but that she hadn’t shot a bow and arrow since she was her son’s age in camp.
The duo is optimistic about trying to go hunting together after attending archery lessons over a longer period of time.
Jensen shot a total of 12 arrows that evening, and hit the target each time.
“I’ve been here for three months now, but my son has been here for about three weeks,” said Seymour who moved to Kamloops for a role with Interior Indigenous Community Futures. formerly known as Community Futures Central First Nations.
“We call it home because my family lives here, and we always visit for Christmas and Easter. My mom grew up here and always called it home.”
The family is hopeful some of their extended relations will join them at future archery workshops within the community as their network continues to grow.
Growing confidence and connection in youth
Mi’kmaq and Cree archer Ella Bennett, nine, has been attending archery lessons with her best friend, Janna Lositno, eight, for roughly five months.
When asked what she liked about archery, Bennett said: “everything,” but the hardest part is aiming for the centre of the target.
“I normally put the arrow directly on top of it, like well, under,” Bennett said, trying to explain how to get the aim and tension correctly angled.
As arrows continued striking targets throughout the evening, the drop-in program showed how archery has become more than a sport for many participants, creating a space for learning, confidence and community connection alike.
Both girls agreed the coaching was really helpful, and that they plan to continue attending the program each fortnight.
“The hardest part I’d have to say, probably, is learning people’s different personalities and adjusting to each of them, because I’m a very, very loud person, naturally full of energy, and some people are like [Bennett],” Worsfold said with a chuckle. “The first [lesson] she came to, she was very quiet, almost timid, and now she’s a completely different girl.”
Whether participants are learning to shoot for the first time or returning each week alongside friends and family, the program continues to offer a welcoming space for community members from age five and up.
Due to the growing interest in the sport, the band is in the process of purchasing more bows
“The oldest we’ve seen here so far is 75 years old,” Worsfold said. “As long as they’re physically able to hold a bow and arrow, they can come.”
For more information about the archery program, contact Worsfold at 778-220-9420 or email kimberly.worsfold@ttes.ca
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