Taking Aim at Excellence at St. Andrew's College

On the northwest corner of St. Andrew’s College lies Willow Farm, the home to one of the best-kept secrets of the #142 SAC Highland Cadet Corps: the SAC Marksmanship team. From its roots at the indoor range in the basement of Coulter Hall decades ago, the team continues this long-standing tradition with greater competitiveness and spirit than ever.

Each week, 25 students train in air rifle marksmanship, focusing on both prone and standing positions with Olympic dreams in their sights. Our Willow Farm range is equipped with an electric returning target system, which was donated by the provincial governing body, On Target.

Students achieve recognition pins and uniform badges for their consistency and accuracy. Once they’ve demonstrated sound competency, they are invited to attend the Gold Medal Marksmanship Club once a month at the Pan Am Range in Cookstown, Ont.

Members can participate in Cadet postal matches, where targets are completed at Willow Farm and mailed to the Lakeshore Small Bore Association (LSBA) for competition scoring. Senior team members have competed in provincial and national championships, and our SAC team has appeared at the U.S. Air Rifle Championship in Camp Perry, Ohio, in both 2023 and 2024.

A highlight of the calendar is the Cadet Zone Competition, which was hosted by St. Andrew’s College in February 2025. Our own Tristan Zhou ’25 was the top competitor for the day.

Each year, the team starts its program with an open house, inviting students and parents to visit Willow Farm and explore the world of air rifle marksmanship. Two years ago, some families arrived with not only their sons, but also their daughters from St. Anne’s School. Almost immediately, interest in joining the team grew among the girls, and many came armed with friends eager to try out this new sport. Today, some of the top competitors on the team are students from St. Anne’s School, and interest in the program continues to grow.

At the helm of the SAC Marksmanship team is our incredible coaching staff: Head Coach, Lt. Cindy Luk, Officer Cadet Sara Kenny, and Capt. (Ret’d) Bruce Boyden.

Cindy, an internationally recognized competitor, joined the Canadian National Team in 2003 as a .22 small bore specialist. Moving to air rifle in 2006, she went on to compete in Thailand, at the World Championships in Korea (2018), at the Pan Am Games in Peru (2019), and in the World Cup Circuit in 2025. She was the “designated alternate” for the Canadian team at the Paris Olympics. In her civilian career, Cindy works in cybersecurity with IBM.

Sara is a former Cadet glider pilot, range safety officer, and teacher in the York Region School Board. She completed degrees in psychology, geography, and outdoor education, as well as her Bachelor of Education. She recently married Pipe Major of the 48th Highlanders of Canada, Warrant Officer Alexander Brown ’12.

Bruce has been a well-known figure in the Cadet Corps for many years, heading the Master Cadet Senior Leader program and coaching the team. Recently, Bruce returned to competitive marksmanship at the provincial and national levels after taking a break to coach Jr A hockey, lacrosse, and senior men’s rugby. He was a member of the 48th Highlanders as a Platoon Commander before pursuing a law degree at the University of Toronto.

Old Boys and their families have always been generous supporters of the team, particularly in the last year.

Canadian Forces Reservist Jonathan Tse ’13 and Tenda Canada donated two competitive air rifles for the senior members to compete at the provincial and national championships.

The family of Tristan Zhou ’25 contributed to the Cadet and Marksmanship Fund, which benefits students at St. Andrew’s College and St. Anne’s School. This new fund opens exciting opportunities to enhance training, equipment, and leadership development for our Cadets. The Zhou family’s generosity helps ensure the continued growth of a program that fosters discipline, focus, and character.

The SAC rifle range was once tucked away in the basement of Ketchum Auditorium, in the former Cadet wing. During the fall play season, the range transformed into the green room, where costumes were stored and actors would prepare for performances. While the current space at Willow Farm is an ideal home for the program, I fondly remember hours spent in the old range beneath the stage.

Our team was small but dedicated. Practices were intense and focused. Though competitions were infrequent, I vividly recall participating in a large team shoot set up on the parade square at Moss Park Armoury, home to our affiliated regiment, the 48th Highlanders of Canada.

At a different shoot during my Grade 9 year, shortly after I joined the program, I was awarded top junior marksman honours. At that event, Andy Mok ’10 was my coach. He was responsible for reloading my rifle and making minor sight corrections. Andy, the top marksman that year, wasn’t easy to impress. He didn’t give anything away during the round; it wasn’t until after I finished that he happily let me know I had just recorded my best-ever score.

Another proud moment was when I earned my distinguished marksman patch, which was sewn onto my Cadet uniform and worn until graduation.

Coach Brian McCue encouraged me to join the program, and I’m grateful he did. At my first practice, we discovered that although I am right-handed, my left eye is dominant. As a result, and to this day, shooting remains the only activity I perform left-handed.

Being part of the program taught me patience and discipline and fostered a sense of team spirit that was especially meaningful given the individual nature of the sport.