Daniel Neufeld’s dream is to one day represent New Zealand on the archery world stage.
It’s a target that’s drawn closer with his recent competition victory.
The archer, who was also the HOD of maths at Thames High School, competed at the North Island Archery Championships in Palmerston North on March 14 and 15.
That’s not all, the athlete clinched the gold medal win in the masters class for ranking day and snapped up a silver medal for match-play day.
His first-place finish stunned him.
“I won’t lie. It felt really good and I was a little surprised. I was coming off an injury and hadn’t been able to train as hard as normal so it was a very satisfying result,” the archer told The Profile.
Ranking day is where archers shoot one or two rounds of 72 arrows.
“These scores count towards your national ranking and arrange the pairings for the following Match-play day,” he said.
Match-play is when an archer competes in rounds of three arrows against an opponent.
“If you win a round, you get two points and a tie gets one point. The first to six [points] wins and then you take on another winner.”
While Daniel said he hoped for the gold on the match-play day, there were many good archers there and it was “easy for the mental challenge to overwhelm you”.
In such intense head-to-head matches, the archer said he was happy he could “keep it together” well.
His journey into the world of archery started when he was a teenager.
“I have had three phases. My father has always been a hunter in Canada and in my late teens, I did some bow hunting but quit when I started Uni[versity].”
In his thirties, the target-hitter said he lived in Japan and one day by chance, he met the head sensei of the local kyudo, a traditional Japanese archery club.
“The club was gorgeous and he was hilarious, so I started training in that for two years, gaining ikkyu level (like a Brown belt),” he said.
Daniel took a break from the sport until three years ago when he and his son signed up for a lesson package.
“I really liked it and the instructor became my coach. I have been training quite hard ever since.”
When it comes to distractions, the gold medalist said the biggest one was “always the inner voice”.
He trained at the Thames Clay Target Club so became “very immune” to sudden external noises, he said.
“I am tremendously grateful to the Clay Shooting Club for their support.”
Daniel used to be part of the Riverglade Club in Hamilton, but last year formed a competition group called the Thames Archery Group (TAG).
The next goal on the horizon for Daniel was the Auckland District Archery Championship.
“I am working to build on my national ranking and [to] maintain number one in the Masters Division so I can apply for the National Team when the next international opportunity arises.”
The inspiration to do his best in archery came down to one person.
“My son always inspires me. It is every father’s hope that their children are proud of them.”
It was evident archery influenced Daniel’s outlook on life.
“When you are aiming high, the path to one’s goal is rarely straight or easy and no doubt full of ups and downs,” he said. “But you have to take it all in stride and keep going, not forgetting to enjoy the journey as you go.”
By DAVIDDA HIKATANGATA
