Tim’s taking aim at his Olympic dreams

NINE-YEAR-OLD Tim Webb will become a household name, there is no doubt.

The young barebow recurve archer is a professional in the making with determination and an eye for the target securing Gold State Champion (U14) status in his first ever competition – Victorian State Archery Short Range Competition at Angel Archers in Balnarring recently and winning his age division at the Moorabbin Grand Prix, with an overall score of 842, 200 points in front of his nearest opponent this weekend.

“I didn’t really want to do competitions,” Tim said.

“My mum said I can do three and if I don’t like it, then I don’t have to do it – so that is the reason I am doing them.”

Enjoying his first competition, Tim admits he was very nervous.

“When he first started primary school, we said it would be good to do a sport. Didn’t want anything to do with football and he tried cricket for a little while but didn’t like that and then one day, he said, ‘I want to do archery’,” Anna (Tim’s mum) explained.

“We looked around for a club and we found the club in Meeniyan. Unfortunately, they got locked down for a few years with COVID and he has only really been back into it this year.”

And how did archery come about? Simple, the Olympics.

“I saw it when we were watching the Olympics and I thought I really want to do that. I don’t know why but my body wanted me to,” Tim smiled.

“Barebow recurve – when I first started out, the very first lesson I was given a recurve bow and I liked the feel of the bow.”

Recently increasing the bow draw weight, Tim is finding the sport a lot of fun.

“We shoot every Sunday, meeting once a week, and every Wednesday or Friday nights we put the targets in the backyard.”

There is even some family rivalry and competitiveness as Tim’s dad also joins in the sport, and a family history.

“When Tim first started archery I rang my grandmother, who is now 97 and said, Tim’s started archery, and she said, ‘Oh really, his great grandfather (her husband) used to do archery’. She has given us all these medals he won.”

Representing South Eastern Target Archers in Meeniyan, Anna couldn’t be prouder of her son and his accomplishments.

“(The weekend prior) was his first competition, and he was sick with nerves, so we said we’re going to just turn up and watch everyone else (at Balnarring).

“He got there and was fine – it was good overcoming his nerves.”

As for Tim’s advice for other kids his age:

“It’s fun. Every time you fail, you get to learn from your mistakes, and you improve more and then eventually you will be good and feel good.

“I really want to get to the Olympic Games; that’s what I really want to do.”

Shooting from three distances in his first competition, Tim secured 100 from 30 metres, 172 from 20 metres and 222 from 10 metres.

Professional archer Robert Welsh has come on board as Tim’s coach.

“We’ve known Robert for a while, and we just got talking one day about archery. It was around the Sydney Olympics, and he was going to that; he has been involved in archery for 30 or 40 odd years.

“Robert’s been Tim’s coach since his first lesson.”

After a rough start to the day before the competition at Balnarring, Tim finished on a high.

“He got really dizzy, so the judges put him to the back and said just to sit and rest.

“They let him go back at the very end and shoot the last three arrows, over 100 people were standing their watching him shoot and he got two 10’s and an eight,” Anna smiled recalling the day.

“The whole grounds cheered when he finished.”

Shooting each Sunday at Meeniyan, the club are also open to new members with come and try days – visit their Facebook page South Eastern Target Archers for further details.