If you followed the sound of steady thuds and the occasional burst of cheers inside J.L. Crowe Secondary this week, it likely led you straight to the Willi Krause Fieldhouse.
That’s where archers from across the province are taking aim at the Trail-Rossland 2026 BC Winter Games.
Among them are four teen athletes representing Zone 1 Kootenays: Taryn Mutcher of Fernie and Cranbrook teammates Jorja Shortridge, Delilah Gawryluk and Kinsley Brulotte.
The quartet shot Thursday, Feb. 26, and now await Saturday’s finals.
For Mutcher, archery has been part of life for as long as she can remember.
“I’ve been shooting since I was little, but only competitively this year,” she said. “My brothers did it when they were younger, so I followed in their steps.”
In Fernie, she said, archery is a year-round sport, with both indoor and outdoor programs keeping young athletes busy.
Shortridge found her way to the range through her sibling’s love of books.
“I started around two years ago,” she said. “My sister is really into books, and we wanted to try archery because of that. I just tagged along, and I love it. It’s lots of fun.”
There’s an added bonus, too.
All four girls laughed and agreed that pulling back a bowstring is a pretty good arm workout.
For Gawryluk, the path to the Games wasn’t entirely straightforward.
“I started last year but got scared and stopped,” she admitted. “I began again in August because my whole family got into it and my brother started doing the Games.”
She added that her interest in archery originally came from hunting.
Brulotte began shooting at age nine.
“I got into it because of movies,” she said with a grin, nodding to references of classic tales like Robin Hood, King Arthur and Queen Guinevere.
Now, instead of watching heroes on screen, she’s competing at one of B.C.’s premier youth sporting events.
Archery is a core sport at the BC Winter Games.
Athletes who compete in compound, recurve or barebow divisions must be between 15 and 17 years old as of Dec. 31, 2026, qualifying through events held across the province to earn their zone spot.
More than 1,500 athletes, coaches and officials have gathered in the West Kootenay for the Games, which run through March 1.
The top four archers in each bow category will shoot for gold Saturday.
Finals run from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., followed by bronze medal matches from 2:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
The gold medal match takes place from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m., with medal presentations scheduled from 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.