“The harder you practice, the luckier you get”- Gary Player.
I have always had an interest in doing odd extramural activities to keep my mind busy. I have done tap dancing, tennis, performance arts, karate and more. The intention is never to become an expert, that is something I only reserve for my love of piano. Rather, my intention is always to invigorate my mind, my life and my body with something new and fresh. I love the idea of trying something that I have never done before and becoming familiar with it. I love to find parts of new hobbies that I start to enjoy and discover sides of myself that I did not know. I like to challenge myself, not in acquiring a new skill necessarily, but to see how limitless my ability to learn is. I also enjoy meeting new people from communities and lives I would otherwise not have the opportunity to interact with. It is so beautiful to step into the unknown and just enjoy it.
I was nervous to join the Archery Club because everyone looked experienced with their professional-looking equipment. I found someone to speak to from the team and she welcomed me with open arms. She checked which eye was my dominant eye and then sent me to the left-dominant team. There, I joined a group of beginners who were all as new to the sport as I was. I met a kind young lady in her first year of university and we spent a lot of time talking. Every week, the more experienced team members taught us different aspects of archery and then we would have games at the end of each lesson.
Here are the top 5 things I liked most about archery:
1. Archery is for everyone.
Archery can be enjoyed by any age, skill level and physical ability. With most sports, people who become competitive tend to start off young, but with archery any shooters can advance, regardless of their age. The beauty of archery is that there is no body type, no gender, no physical ability that is prescribed. If you can shoot a bow, you are good to go!
2. Archery is safe.
The instructors introduced us to archery and range safety from the first day of training. They explained the reasoning behind each rule and told us when it is safe to retrieve arrows and when it is safe to shoot. There is a lot of care given and shown towards one another. I know that bows and arrows are considered weapons, but it truly felt safe.
3. You can take your time.
Although there is a clear sense of community, it is not a team sport. This means that you can go at your own pace and decide for yourself whether you want to train competitively or take on a much more relaxed way of learning. I had a very relaxed approach, but still felt like I was improving at the pace I wanted to.
4. There are health benefits.
From my experience, it is a mental sport that required discipline, patience and a lot of concentrations. There were times I went to grab a quick cup of coffee because I felt tired from the concentration! Besides the mental benefits that I cultivated, it also had physical benefits such as upper-body strength and coordination. The first session left me with a stiff arm because I was not used to holding the bow (and I have chicken arms!) but I could feel myself improving over time.
5. It is fun!
The target practice games that we played were lots of fun and there were prizes at the end of each session. We would all encourage one another and give feedback to each other. I really enjoyed being part of the Archery Club. The people were so welcoming and really went out of their way to ensure that I understood the basics and the rules of archery. It was an incredible experience which was unfortunately cut short due to COVID-19, but I had lots of fun taking up this new, fresh and exciting activity.
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