Auckland Archery Club hopes to tempt new members with a fun-filled open day giving all age groups a shot at the sport. Christoph Vogel reports.
One Tree Hill's obelisk watches silently as Caro Geelen draws back the bowstring. The 27-year-old holds the tension of the string for a few seconds before she lets the arrow hurtle towards the target.
Two years ago she joined the Auckland Archery Club at Cornwall Park. The club will open its doors to the public later this month. Anyone interested can try shooting at one of the 14 outdoor targets.
Some may become as fascinated as Caro by archery. She is swept up in it. "I always wanted to do it. I've just been mad about shooting things. In a traditional way, I'm not
really a gun person. I'm a bow and arrow nut. So I just love going out there. It's a very precise sport.''
Target archers differ from field archers in that they aim for targets at a specific distance away, varying from 30m to 90m, depending on the shooter's age and gender.
Caro uses a wooden bow weighing a mere 300g. "You basically stand in one place and try to do the same thing six times in a row and get your arrows into the middle of the target. When it happens, it feels amazing.''
The club has six coaches and about 120 members - half of them juniors. The Have A Go day will give the public a chance to meet some of them. Left- or right-handed, male or
female, young or old - it doesn't matter.
"We'll have all our targets open and everybody can turn up and shoot six arrows,'' says Caro. "And we'll have our coaches along to supervise. Last year, we had everybody from the age of 10 to the age of 80.
"It was really amazing because we turned up and said: 'We love archery, but do other people?' We were thinking there might be about 50 people, but we had 300.''
The day is free but the club will appreciate a small donation. "It's fundraising ... we need new safety signs.''
Technically, the bow is a weapon that can hurt people seriously. So the club ensures risks are minimised. "The last thing we want is any accidents. So we will have a lot of our senior, experienced members standing there, just making sure that you're holding the bow in a way that won't injure yourself - and also that you don't do anything silly.''
Naturally, the club supplies all the equipment - and a sausage sizzle.
Have a shot
What: Auckland Archery Club's Have A Go day
Where: One Tree Hill Domain, Feb 27, 9.30am-1pm
How: Free, but donations welcomed
Info: www.aucklandarchery.org.nz; or email coaching@aucklandarchery.org.nz
Sights set on starters
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