She’s a straight shooter
Kristen Arsenault continues to grow in archery
Kristen Arsenault won Canadian archery competitions, set national records and attended international events in 2019.
For her efforts, the 17-yearold Abram-Village native was recently presented the D.P. Murphy Hotels and Resorts junior female athlete of the year award at the Sport P.E.I. Awards.
“All my hard work finally paid off in everything that
I did last year, so this is an amazing award to have (this) recognition from P.E.I.,” Arsenault said.
Wrestler Vanessa Keefe and speed skater Jenna Larter were the finalists in the category.
Arsenault thanked her parents, Michelle and Kevin Arsenault, for being her No. 1 supporters and coach Duncan Crawford for helping her develop as both an athlete and a person.
“Duncan has been behind me since I was 12 years old,” she said. “If it wasn't for him, I would not have gone to any of the tournaments I (went) to because I wouldn't have believed in myself enough. He’s been incredible and has really pushed me to my limits.”
Arsenault finished sixth in the qualifying round at the Canada Games in Red Deer, Alta., in February then won each head-to-head match to make the final.
She finished second, becoming the first Islander to win a silver medal at the Canada Winter Games since 2003 when Alicia Wilbert, Mitzi Mitchell and Tyler Marchbank all finished second in judo in Bathurst/Campbellton, N.B.
Arsenault also set a new national record and won three gold medals at the Canadian championships in Prince Albert, Sask. She represented Canada at her second World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid, Spain, in August, finishing 17th in the world.
Arsenault has been involved in the sport for six years. Her father knew people in the sport and asked her if she was interested in giving it a shot.
She didn’t like it initially, but she quickly grew to love it.
Arsenault was 12 years old when she attended her first Canada Games in 2015 in Prince George, B.C.
“I have changed so much as an athlete, as a person, it’s incredible. It’s not even comparable,” she said.
But that first experience helped drive her to the heights she reached in 2019.
“It really showed me that I have as much of a chance as anyone else,” she said. “It really pushed me to become a better athlete. It really led me to who I am, and where I am, today as an athlete.”
Crawford coached her from the beginning. He said it is incredibly rewarding to watch a young athlete grow from initial training sessions to becoming a national champion that has attended multiple international events.
“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t an immense sense of pride to have someone you introduced to the sport … grow and develop,” he said.
Arsenault, a Grade 12 student at Evangeline School, will attend St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B., in the September. She also sang O Canada during the Sport P.E.I. Awards.
“She has an unnatural maturity for her age,” Crawford said, referencing specifically to her work ethic, focus and patience.
But Arsenault’s evolution in the sport didn't happen overnight.
“Despite being a static sport, archery is like any other sport at the highest levels, it (takes) thousands of hours and an incredible amount of focus,” Crawford said.
The coach vividly remembers a turning point in Arsenault’s career.
She was 14 when she told him she wanted to try out for the 2017 world youth championship team.
He kind of chuckled.
The event was for cadets and juniors, the next age class up from Arsenault, and he wasn’t sure it was a realistic goal.
“She was completely deadpanned,” Crawford said. “She said, ‘I know, but I want to try out anyway, so what do we have to do’? That’s not a typical reaction from a teenage athlete.”
With the end goal defined, they started working backwards, putting a training plan in place to make it a reality. Arsenault followed it and achieved her goal.
And she has continued to work to improve her skills and has no plans on slowing down, with a goal of attending the world youth championships in Australia in 2021.