IT’S high stakes as father and son not only take on the world, but each other at the International Bowhunters Organisation World Championship.
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Murray Scarlett and son Ben qualified to compete in the world title to be held in Ellicottville, New York next month.
Bowhunting is a challenging sport. Unlike archery, the shooters are not given multiple shots at a target. Each shooter gets one shot at a 3D rubber animal target before moving on to the next challenge.
It was archery that hooked Ben into the sport six years ago.
“Every Christmas I did the archery at Brigadoon Caravan Park in North Haven,” Ben said.
“I went there one day and then kept coming back every day of the six week school holiday.”
Ben joined the archery club, then based at Telegraph Point. It had a total of three members. Murray, also involved in the sport, became president and moved the club to Port Macquarie where it has thrived since as the Hastings Valley Archery Club.
While shooting in club events, Ben also chose archery as a school sport at Camden Haven High and tried his eye at representative competition.
His first taste of state competition was at Copeton Dam, near Inverell in northern NSW.
“When I won that I thought I should hook in and give this sport a go,” Ben said.
Since then his hard work has paid off. In his first year Ben earned two state titles in two different codes of archery; the 3D Archery Association of Australia and Australian Bowhunting Association. He now holds three state titles and three Australian Titles. Moving from the junior division to the adult division has not seen his form waiver. Locally Ben holds the junior and adult records for Saturday and Sunday shoots and is the current club champion.
Last November in Armidale Ben’s form saw him awarded the NSW Series Shooter of the Year, Australian Title and Shooter of the Year - which entitled him to enter the world titles. He is neck and neck in the pointscore with his dad Murray, who is also competing at the world titles.
Ben is now training hard, shooting 300 to 400 arrows a week and another 200 at weekends.
“My family have been a huge support for me to be able to reach this level,” Ben said.
“It started out as just something to do, to get out of the house of a weekend.”
Ben and Murray will be up against paid professional shooters at the world titles next month. Ben has received support from the Hastings Valley Archery Club, an anonymous sponsor and the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Sporting Fund, for which he said he is extremely grateful.
