LAUNCESTON archer Matthew Everett looks to have a bright future in the sport if recent performances are anything by which to judge.
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The 17-year-old has only been shooting competitively for about two years but has just returned from representing Tasmania at the 2016 national youth championships held in Penrith, New South Wales, where he collected a swag of medals.
“I came home with a gold, two silvers and a bronze for the youth championships and two silvers in the match-play event,” Everett said.
“I was very happy with that and the way I shot because there was good competition there.
“It was my first national event and I didn’t expect to do that well when we went away.”
The national youth championships were Everett’s first time representing the state.
“You had to shoot a qualifying score in a 144-hour round and I completely shot that out and I think I shot 160 points over the qualifying score.
“Then the team manager picked the archers he wanted to go to the nationals and I was one of the ones picked.
“There were 10 archers all up in the Tasmanian team and I was the only one from the Paringa Archery Club in Launceston – all the others were from down in Hobart.”
Everett said the youth category catered for archers under the age of 20 before having to step up to senior ranks.
He said his next competition would be the indoor national championships at the end of the year being held in Hobart where he was again hoping to shoot well.
“And then next year I will have the youth nationals again which will be in Morewell in Victoria and hopefully I will aim for a world archery event internationally.
“I really want to aim for a world archery outdoor competition and I am aiming to represent Australia in a world archery event in the future.”
Everett’s success if more remarkable given the fact that he does not have anyone coaching him at the moment.
“I am looking for coaches and a few people around the club have given me tips and stuff,” he said.
The furniture removalist said his archery interest was sparked while he was at high school.
“I got started after doing archery at a grade 7 school camp and just took off from there,” Everett said.