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Couple share love and grace of archery

BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW [email protected] One day about 10 years ago, a co-worker gave Andy Bourgeois a used crossbow. He had no idea how this would have change his life.
BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW

One day about 10 years ago, a co-worker gave Andy Bourgeois a used crossbow. He had no idea how this would have change his life.

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Andy Bourgeois and Renée Brouillette love competing and meeting people. They have their sights set on competing at the international championship.
The graceful power of the crossbow and arrow and the incredible skill it took to master it appealed to Bourgeois, an employee with Northern Uniform Service.

?I never thought those things could be so powerful,? said Bourgeois. ?An arrow will drop a moose.?

Bourgeois then switched over to a bow.

?I soon found the crossbow wasn?t challenging enough. It was like shooting a gun, so I moved over to the compound bow because it required more skill.?

About four years ago, Bourgeois started travelling throughout the province competing. He would share his adventures with his wife, Renée Brouillette.

The stories of great shots, meeting people from all over North America and the drama sparked Brouillette?s interest in the sport.

?He was going out and having fun and meeting all kinds of new people,?said Brouillette. ?I decided I wanted to give it a try and I liked it.?

Soon, Brouillette, a teacher with the Rainbow District School Board, had her own bow and the couple was off challenging archers across the province. They compete in 3-D animal target shooting tournaments.

The couple recently returned from an archery event in Sault Ste. Marie. They both faired well, but Bourgeois wasn?t happy with his performance.

?Competing in the tournaments is all about doing your personal best,? said Brouillette. ?You always want to beat your personal best score.?

The husband and wife duo have starred in competitions over the years. In the hot summer of 2001, Bourgeois
captured the top score at a two-day shooting event in North Bay. The victory still makes Bourgeois smile and beam with pride.

?It was a great feeling,? said Bourgeois. ?It never goes away.?

The same summer, Brouillette posted the top score at a Sudbury tournament. Brouillette still remembers her astonishing accuracy that day.

?I didn?t miss a single target that day,? said Brouillette. ?It was my best and it doesn?t get any better than that.?

The couple typically compete in about 10 to 15 tournaments a year. They both love the way the sport has brought them closer together and allowed them the opportunity to meet all kinds of interesting people.

?Archery for us is all about doing something we both love together because we enjoy the outdoors,? said Brouillette. ?We always look forward to going to events and sharing stories with other people.?

The couple, who have been married for 15 years and live in the Chelmsford area, have their sights set on competing at a higher level.

?We would really like to go to the world championships,? said Brouillette. ?It would be great even just for the experience.?

Bourgeois echoes his wife?s comments.

?There?s usually 10,000 people there,? said Bourgeois. ?It would be awesome.?

The couple are shooting for next year to compete at the world championships. There are two world qualifier events they have to place within the top ten of their category to go to the worlds.

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