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7 Barrhaven Ottawa South This Week - JUNE 02 2011
A modern day Robin Hood River Road resident sets Canadian barebow archery record and prepares for world championships DANIEL NUGENT-BOWMAN daniel.bowman@metroland.com
It’s not just because Peter Garrett lives a little more than a stone’s throw from Manotick’s version of Sherwood Forest that draws comparisons between he and Robin Hood. The south-end Manotick resident, who lives just south of Rideau Forest, is Canada’s barebow archery master – a type of archery reserved to just a string and bow much like the famous heroic outlaw. Garrett, 55, finished fifth at the sport’s world championship competition in March – setting a new Canadian record in the process – while taking his shots at the Canadian National Indoor Championships. The next top Canadian, Tim Miles, finished in 141st place out of 200 competitors. “I never expected to be in the top 20 in the world,” Garrett said. “I was shocked. To be in the top 20 in the world would have been pretty good. To be in the top 10 is a bit much, but Photo by Daniel Nugent-Bowman the top five is beyond what I ever Peter Garrett takes aim at a target at his south-end hoped.” Representing Winchester’s South Manotick home. He set a new Canadian record in Nation Archery Club, Garrett was reMarch.
quired to shoot 60 arrows and scored 532 out of a possible 600 points. He finished 16 points behind firstplace finisher, Bobby Larsson from Sweden. The target he shot at is about 1½ metres off the ground and 40 centimetres wide. He had to shoot from nearly 20 metres away, with the goal to hit nine and 10 point circles, about the circumference of a pop can. Garrett got involved in archery five years ago as a way to share an activity with his son Charles, now 17. But it was Garrett who fell in love with the sport, even being named the city’s best archer at the Ottawa Sports Awards in January. But even though Garrett has mastered his accuracy at indoor shooting, he prefers the challenge of the outdoors – even if he isn’t stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. He quickly became enamoured with the change because the anchor has to account for slope and wind conditions while shooting at 3D animal targets while only being able to judge the distance with the naked eye. Garrett spends as much time as he can during the warmer months practising on his front lawn. “It’s dramatically different,” he
said, adding that he trains at the Grenville Archery Club. “In outdoor you have to guess the distance because they don’t tell you and then you have to compensate for how far your arrow will drop. “I enjoy the outdoors more because you get out and every situation is different, where the indoors is more a training session for accuracy and discipline. The outdoors is where you put it all together and combine other factors.” Garrett competed at the World 3D championship in Italy two years ago and is preparing to compete in the Austria at the same tournament from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3. He qualified for Austria by winning both the provincial and national championships in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. and Halifax last year. Garrett will also shoot in the provincials and nationals this year but since he earned more than 100 points more than everyone else, a top three finish is all but guaranteed. Even with all his success, Garrett doesn’t get too far ahead of himself. “I call it ‘serious fun,’” he said. “I take it seriously but if I miss a shot, I don’t get mad or all worried about it.”
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