Wednesday, 14.02.2007
Archery
Our Neanderthal forebears did it. Robin Hood did it with Maid Marian. Geena Davis loves to do it. Yet, in spite of its high-profile enthusiasts, archery is often overlooked as a sport.
Archery allowed the prehistoric human to become an efficient hunter, providing him with safety, food and a degree of status. The bow and arrow, and its angry cousin, the crossbow, were most powerful personal weapon until the fourteenth century, when gunpowder was invented. As guns developed, so did archery as a competitive and recreational sport. In between their crumpets and croquet, the Victorians loved to squeeze off a few arrows.
Today, archery is practised worldwide and is an Olympic sport. Bows can be fitted with a sight, but many archers shoot the old-fashioned way, trusting their instincts alone when aiming. Accuracy is developed through thousands of hours of shooting and calling, "Duck!" to your loved ones.
There are a number of archery clubs in Ireland, which practise the various types of archery. One or more experienced members of one of the clubs can teach you the basics. The course will be about six sessions and you will then be eligible to join the club and become a member of the Irish Amateur Archery Association (I.I.I.A.).
The main types are outdoor target, field and indoor target shooting. The Olympic sport of outdoor target shooting is practiced at the Summerhill Archers Club. Outdoor target archery involves competitors lining up and shooting at targets from prescribed distances - 100, 70, 50 and 30 metres. The competitors gain points for accuracy - the central gold of the target scores 10 and 9, while the other rings score successively lower points.
Field shooting is the speciality of the Loughcrew Archers. Participants take themselves off to the woods to practice their art. As hunting with a bow and arrow is illegal in Ireland, they have to make do with pictures or life-size 3-D foam animals, which they dot throughout the woods. They then sneak up behind the obligingly still, but quite apprehensive, Bambi or Thumper and let loose. The foam victims may also have a target on their back, which some might say is taking their inherent disadvantage a step too far.
Indoor target shooting uses smaller targets and the participants shoot from shorter distances - usually 18 to 25 metres. There are also tiny triple targets for the expert shooter.
Taking up archery doesn't require you to be young, fit and active. Archery is an equal-opportunity sport, enabling the old, wheezy and dormant to beat their smug counterparts. So if you think it might be just the sport for you, add another string to your bow and do an archery course...
