5MM SEALS GOLD
Archer wins national title by narrow margin
ARCHERY: Amber Reinbott is cool under pressure.
You have to be when you’re competing against older, more experience athletes and one shot will determine if you are the national champion.
Shooting in the 3D Archery Association of Australia under-18 national championship, the 14-year-old won the title by the narrowest of margins in a single arrow shoot-off.
“I had to compete in a shootoff with Mikala (Shevill) after we both had the same scores,” the Murphy’s Creek archer said.
“We one arrow to shoot at a target and I won by 5mm because my arrow was closer to the middle.
“I felt really happy because she (Shevill) had been competing a lot longer than me and had more experience.
“There were some happy tears afterwards.”
Reinbott’s achievement is all the more remarkable considering she nominated to shoot first in the decider after winning the coin toss.
“I chose to shoot first,” Reinbott said.
“I thought there is less stress if you go first because you don’t have to worry about if their arrow is in the centre or adjusting your aim if it (the arrow) is blocking your shot.
“I love the fact that in archery you control exactly how
you shoot.
“When you go to each target it’s all about what you do.
“It’s about your individual effort, time and practice – what you put into the sport.”
And Reinbott puts a lot of effort into performance – drilling her technique and shooting every day.
“Training and shooting isn’t a problem for me,” she said.
“I love my sport so I enjoy the work.
“I practice a lot and I work on my routine.
“When I shooting or competing I try to keep it all exactly the same.
“I line up my target, think about the distance and tune everything out.
“You can’t think about all the little things going on around otherwise your shot will be off.
“Everything around fades out when I’m shooting.”