When it comes to putting on a fun, yet competitive tournament, the Shoot on the Bow remains high on the list for archers.
Whether you're a recreationalist or competitive darts player on the hunt for points, there's a place for you at the tournament that's in its eighth year.
"People who come here like to have fun," says Ellison Smith, of the Cochrane Mixed Darts League. "They like to the setup here. It's wide open."
That includes Colten Chapman, a top-ranked youth archer who's heading to the Worlds in Budapest in October. It will be his second appearance at Worlds.
Chapman has been to the Cochrane shoot several times.
"This one's pretty good, I like how it's run," says Chapman. "Darts is fun. You get to see other people and there's good competition."
Ellison says with a few sponsorships, they could attract even more.
"We've got a little bit of work to do with the boards, but that takes money," he says. "If we can get some sponsorships, we can do something with the boards and have a better setup and get more people."
Besides Cochrane, this year's tournament attracted players from Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Red Deer, and Lethbridge. It's also known to attract some from British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
The tournament is traditional held the last weekend in August at the Cochrane Lions Event Centre. Both the men's and women's singles event are ranked and there's also men's, women's, and mixed doubles.
The local mixed darts league season opens on Sept. 9.
