Coached by bronze-medal winning Rio Paralympian Jonathon Milne, Winmalee archers Jessie-Rose Walklate-Cooke and Jye Cooke are hoping to be sharp shots at the World Field Archery Championships this week.
Held in Wagga Wagga from September 26-30, the brother and sister act are shooting in the compound freestyle unlimited division, 17-year-old Jessie-Rose in the young adults, and 11-year-old Jye in cubs for under 12s.
Over the five days, the pair will shoot 28 targets and 112 arrows a day, Jessie-Rose over 80 yards (73m) and Jye over 30 yards (27m).
“Jonathon says to us practice makes perfect and the more you shoot the better you get at it. You develop a muscle memory,” Jessie-Rose said.
The pair train under Milne at a warehouse in Mulgoa and also shoot with their local club Lithgow Valley Archers.
“I’m pretty proud of representing my country,” Jye said.
The pair shot well at the Australian Bowhunters Association state titles in Forbes in August, taking home a gold medal each, and Jye shooting an almost perfect round of 398 out of 400 points.
Jessie-Rose is in her HSC year, and hopes to continue archery while studying a Bachelor of Exercise Science as a pathway to a physiotherapy degree.