Cheering is officially permitted at the archery competition of the Jeux du Québec in Boucherville, where team shouts and celebrations have been allowed for years under the approval of Gabriela Cosovan, technical director of the archery federation, Le Guide de Cowansville reported. The decision matters for the young archers now competing: rather than demanding the silence of golf, officials argue that learning to block out noise early makes athletes better prepared for international competition.
Cosovan, a Romanian-born former international athlete who won her last Canadian title in 2000 at the same Boucherville venue hosting this year’s Games, is a firm supporter of the open-atmosphere policy. She recalled an international competition where Mexican supporters rang bells nonstop, and said archery is a concentration sport — if an athlete focuses on their own performance, they should be able to tune out what happens behind them. The sooner young archers face noise, the sooner they learn, she said, adding that “Go go go Montréal” chants belong at the venue and rallying cries are heard often. Some coaches have asked why the sport doesn’t follow golf’s silence requirement, but Cosovan said that would not be a service to the athletes.
Girls’ Numbers Jump From Three to Nearly 30
Cosovan also welcomed a sharp rise in girls’ participation at this year’s Jeux du Québec archery events. The Hunger Games film series, which features a female archer as its heroine, brought a new clientele to the sport, she said. At past editions of the Games, only three girls competed in the oldest age group; this time, nearly 30 are entered.
Audrey Henri’s Robin Hood in Preliminaries
Among the girls to watch, one has already pulled off a “Robin Hood” — the archery equivalent of golf’s hole-in-one — by shooting one arrow into the center of the concentric target and then landing a second arrow on top of it, splitting the first. The feat belongs to Audrey Henri of Lanaudière, who was brilliant in the concentric-target preliminaries with 345 points out of a possible 360.
Two other favorites are also in the mix: Alexandra Paquette of the Outaouais region, who matched Henri’s strong preliminary form, and Jade Gauthier of the Capitale-Nationale region, who is also worth watching.
Finals Set for Monday
The finals of both the concentric-target competition and the 3D animal-course event will take place Monday, when the field will be decided in front of the Boucherville crowd — noise and all.
For context, Cosovan’s connection to the venue runs deep: her last Canadian title came in 2000 on this same site, more than two decades before this year’s young archers took it over.
Worth a look
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