We are all familiar with the
story of Robin Hood, the much loved outlaw whose skill with the bow and arrow
is exceptional to the point of being pure magic. And the story of cupid, although how love could be
kindled by getting shot with an arrow, I cannot imagine; nothing can be more
painful!
Over the long years of human
evolution, the bow and arrow has undergone a
complete change from its primitive beginnings to the sleek machine of
precision that we see today. Archery, the sport of shooting an arrow from a
bow, though it seems simple, is a subtle art where you train your eyes and hands
to work in tandem. And achieving perfection is simple with continuous practice.
But rest assured, it will take you a long time to shoot an apple on top of a
person’s head from far away; that is of course, if you’d like to take your
chances with possible homicide, however accidental!
Archery has become popular in Sri
Lanka over the last few years and it’s being practiced in a few schools over
the island, several clubs and the military. And it’s something anyone can learn
to do, no matter what age or strength. The sizes of bows vary according to the
user, from tiny bows, the perfect size for the deadly hands of a toddler to
large bows with higher poundage. You’d need protective gear (e.g. chest guard,
arm guard, finger tab) in addition to the bow and arrows. The equipment is
fairly expensive when compared to other sports.
It’s a professional and also a recreational
sport, so you can just relax and do it for fun with your friends. Because the
thrill of hitting a bull’s-eye and seeing your arrow firmly wedged in the
center of yellow is what will draw you into the sport. It’s simple, with little
to no rules, and you can practice it at your leisure.
But archery has not yet been
introduced to university level. If it were to be introduced, with sufficient
practice, students could be trained to be competent archers and archery would
be added to inter-uni sports. Also a
number of archers from universities would be eligible for nationals and it
would provide opportunities for international tournaments as well. Since it’s a
fairly new sport, there’s a lot of potential and opportunities to be gained
from it.
So how do we introduce archery to
university level? The relevant sports authorities should take action for it and
archery has to be promoted among the students. Variety should be added to the
sports arena, because only through variety can we produce an interest in sports
among the student population; as the preferences of one person differs from
another.
Most sports require a lot of
stamina and fitness. Fitness is required in archery but it is something that
would be cultivated gradually through time, given the weight of the bow that
you practice with. It can also be a method of meditation, calming your mind so
that you’ll be able to focus on your target;a way of training your mind and
body to work in balance with each other.
In archery,you train your mind to
gauge distances, practice your eye to aim at a specific target and also build
up muscle strength that is need to draw the bow and release the arrow. It’s a
sport that will teach you to be absolutely focused on one thing and your
patience will be instantly rewarded. And for a university student, whose mind
wonders far and wide during the tedious hours of lectures and studying, this
will be surely be a blessing!
So what do you think – should
archery be added to university sports?
-Sapuni Hettiarachchi-
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