How do you top your own gold medal?
For Fred Hutchings, it's all about reloading and packing a little more heat.
"I re-equipped myself," said the reigning 3D-Long Without Sight and Fingers B.C. Seniors Games' archery champion.
"I got a new bow ... I'm looking forward to it. I can't power up as much, so a new bow is going to hopefully make it a nice change."
Hutchings will be competing in three of archery's categories in Langley next week at the 2014 BC Seniors Games' 60-64 division happening from Sept. 9 - 13.
After winning two medals at the 2013 games, a gold and a silver, Hutchings is looking to repeat his dominance with fellow Rupertite archers Bob Bennett and Jim Martin, who also medalled last year.
They'll travel down together with Terrace's Tom Logan. Six of seven medals that came from Prince Rupert athletes were won in archery.
And with a new bow in his arsenal, it's a whole new experience for Hutchings, who has competed in several games before.
"As you get older, you can't pull as much power in a bow but this one gives me more energy at the other end than I'm used to," he said.
"Hopefully it will shoot as better or at least as good."
Hutchings and company will challenge in the 3D and Target categories. For the 3D targets, the games will use plaster animals and the participants will have one arrow for three different animals. For the field targets, the archers will have 30 arrows to loose on targets of certain distances.
While the group is in Langley, they won't have much time to intermingle with athletes from the other sports, but they will cherish their time seeing each other after some time away.
"[The archery competitors] become a big family, an extended family. You know them year after year and it's a great gathering to see the same people because as seniors, they start having issues with health so it's good to see them again," said Hutchings.
"We've got two and a half full days of archery. We're going to drive down and get a practice in the afternoon on the day before.
At least 20 area athletes over 55 will compete in Langley in various sports including archery (Hutchings, Bennett, Martin), carpet bowling (Betty Bishop, Harvey Calder, Robert Currie, Eunice Jackson, Frank Jackson, Dave Ridsdale), cribbage (Paul Paulson, Sharron Paulson), floor curling (Tero Paavola, Sharon Paavola, Selma Standring, Ann Whittles), golf (Doug Kydd), swimming (Andrea Anderson, Dawn Quast) and whist (Anne Rachuk, Marion Weir).
Quast won a bronze medal in 2013 for the 800 metre freestyle swim.