Both Stettler Nockbuster teams – middle and high school – recently won in the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association (AHEIA) Alberta National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) Provincials in Edmonton. The middle school placed second and the high school took third place.
“Archery is a different sport that requires a great deal of focus and willingness to try and adapt to small changes coaches make in a kid’s technique such as grip, stance, hold and release,” said coach Tanja Bessette Heatherington.
Heatherington said this team has grown through the help of a number of individuals that she has met after her daughter Jessa became involved with the sport. Jessa Heatherington is a top Canadian archer with a score of 296/300, which is a record. She is ranked first out of 485 overall girls, first out of 114 high school division girls and first out of 18 Grade 12 girls.
Heatherington also credits Luke Peters, who is now in Castor and brought the program to Stettler about six years ago. Other important coaches with Wm. E. Hay’s program include: Nancy Tamblyn (former teacher at Gus Wetter in Castor and a Canadian NASP assistant coach the first year Jessa went to Nashville); Hal Ziprick, a teacher at H.A. Kostash in Smoky Lake, who has been the All Stars Canadian NASP coach for the past nine years; and this year’s coach Jessa Heatherington.
“Over the past three years I have been coaching and all of these people have helped me,” said Tanja Bessette Heatherington. “My assistant coaches are Randy Barclay and Janine Glasier who coach our kids at various competitions we have attended.”
Stettler has about 60 youth on the two teams. They are headed to nationals in Regina April 26 to 30. Heatherington said Stettler should have at least one archer, and possibly more, participate in the All Star Tournament in Calgary this July.
The archers practice twice a week from October to May throughout the school year.
“You can’t get better at this sport unless you’re shooting,” said Heatherington. “It’s not possible. It’s thousands and thousands of arrows before we get them to where we want them to be.”