Historically, Archery has been used for hunting and combat, while in modern times its main use is that of a recreational activity. A person who participates in archery is typically known as an "archer" or "bowman", and one who is fond of or an expert at archery can be referred to as a "toxophilite".
At White Oak Leisure centre, Archery is a popular sport for children and adults alike. For the last two years, Sencio Community Leisure staff members Mark Stewart-Paver and Danny Gray have been running the 6 week course for people aged 8+. Mark and Danny give concise instructions and teaching on the sport allowing all members to have an in-depth knowledge and skill of Archery.
Each week of the course puts every member through their paces to complete the six FITA (Federation Internationale de Target Archery) award stages. Every award is harder to achieve based on the distance of the target in which they must hit. The members start at the “Red Feather” stage which has a distance of 8 metres. To complete and pass this starting stage, they must hit anywhere on the target or surrounding straw. Following that is the “Gold Feather” stage where members MUST hit the target from an 8 metre distance.
Further on from those stages of the course if members choose to do so, they must score 115 points order to pass and progress onto the next level. The levels are; White Arrow with a distance of 10 metres, Black Arrow at 14 metres, Blue Arrow at 18 metres and finally Red Arrow with a whopping distance of 22 metres between you and the target.
Recently at the Archery club, 16 year old Daniel (below left), Gary (below right) aged 14 and Libby (below) aged 10 were awarded with certificates and a badge for passing their current levels. Daniel and Libby obtained their White Arrow achievement, and Gary managed to achieve the Black Arrow award. Well done to them all!
This fun and diverse club is great for adults and children and encourages concentration, strength and confidence. Mark and Danny are excellent teachers and organisers of the club and create strong relationships with each of their pupils. Every new member is encouraged to jump straight in and made to feel a part of a team. The class runs every Thursday, 16:30 – 17:30 for ages 8 - 17 and 18:00 - 19:00 for aged 18+.
The cost for each 6 week course is as follows;
JUNIOR:
Member: £30.90
Non-Member: £37.20
ADULT:
Member: £30.90
Non-Member: £42.90
The next 6 week course starts soon, please contact White Oak Leisure centre for more information. Courses must be booked in advance to guarantee your space.
You can also take a look at the past October half-term outdoor Archery Open day that was held at Lullingstone Park Golf Course by clicking here. The outdoor Archery day will be returning to Lullingstone Park Golf Course on Saturday 4th June. See our NR-Gize programme for more details.
Instructors Danny (left) and Mark (right) with the aged 8 - 17 years class below.
