Archery, they will tell you, is not a fair weather sport. Archers take aim through rain and shine, and consider a cross breeze nothing less than a personal challenge. Apparently, nothing short of lightning is supposed to interfere with the progress of an archery tournament. It’s the one quiet throwback in an activity that has over the past centuries become less about waging bloody wars and hunting down game and much more about simple relaxation and the pursuit of sporting achievement. However, despite its taming, Samantha Rajapaksa, founder of the Colombo Archery School, still believes the sport retains all its romantic allure - conjuring up the Middle Ages and the tales of Robin Hood and William Tell with the mere lift of a bow.
Many of his students know exactly what he means; and whether their associations are with playing Cowboys and Red Indians with homemade bows or with the intimidating longbows of medieval Europe depicted in textbooks, the sport generates its own brand of glamour. Shane Silva, for instance, admits to having been fascinated with archery for a long time. A year into his classes with Sam, this lawyer says he’s a fan for life. Having recently cemented his commitment by investing in expensive, top-end equipment, Shane is also preparing to compete in upcoming tournaments.
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| Samantha
Rajapaksa |
He is one of seven amateur archers present when we swing by the CR & FC grounds early on a Sunday morning. Sam tells us that we have arrived at the start of the intermediate class. As archers take their positions in a line, stances straight and strong, it’s easy to see that archery as sport doesn’t discriminate on the basis of age, sex or build. Explaining that anyone from a 10-year-old (the minimum age for enrolment in one of the school’s programmes) to a 60-year-old can and have taken up archery, Sam says that only a very small percentage of an archer’s success is dependent on physical attributes. Instead it’s a sport that rewards self discipline, technique, commitment and concentration.
Nineteen -year-old Vishmi Ranatunga is discovering this for herself. She took up archery in early 2008 when her father insisted she pick up a sport, but has ended up staying on for herself. The only girl in the group of 8 boys, she says she “enjoys being different,” and says it is a great stress buster. “It lets you release all your stress along with that arrow.” That archery is a precision sport also suits her to perfection – “you don’t have to exert yourself too much,” she admits candidly.
But archery only looks easy. While the average bow is very light, you need only try to draw it to know why archers talk about them in terms of poundage. An experienced archer might shoot with a bow with a poundage as high as 50, the reason being the higher the poundage, the better the arrow’s chances of cutting through the wind and hitting the target powerfully. However, on the other side of the coin, the higher the poundage, the harder the bow is to draw. This is why Sam always starts beginners off on a simple, 18 pound, wooden bow. The school provides this and other basic equipment for free, right up until the advanced intermediate classes. By that point, most people have a clearer idea of whether they’re interested enough in the sport to invest in their own equipment. Bows can cost anything from up to Rs. 250,000 warns Sam, but softens the blow by adding that it’s a one-time investment only.
The sessions themselves are designed to be fun, informal and affordable, says Sam, explaining that the archers must decide at some point how serious they want to be about the sport. Class size is restricted to 8 at most, and with several classes over Saturdays and Sundays, the school has about 40 people enrolled. The courses are conducted over a period of eight weeks and comprise three categories: beginners, intermediaries and advanced. For those wishing to explore their potential, the club organises monthly tournaments and encourages its members to participate in national level competitions.
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| Muditha Thotagamuwa. |
The CAS Archery Club, the school’s competition arm, has claimed several titles. Sam himself claimed the Men’s National Championship title, while his son Vidura won the Boys Under 18, Under 16 and Under 14 Championships at the National Archery Championships conducted by the Sri Lanka Archery Association. The club’s second coach, Muditha Thotagamuwa is also a prize winning archer, as are several other members.
Menaka Tennekoon was 28 when she first began learning archery. A year and half later, she has begun competing in archery tournaments, taking 2nd place, and 3rd place trophies in the Women’s Novice category for 50 metres, and 30 metres respectively. A lawyer by profession, Menaka goes for classes every Sunday, and in the run up to a tournament might even practise every day. She says that she finds it surprisingly relaxing – “just hitting the bull’s eye, getting it just perfect, it’s a high in itself.”
Such enthusiasm is the reward Sam gets for coaching. As the CEO of Softlogic Communications, he speaks from personal experience when he says that archery is a great form of relaxation for people juggling high stress jobs. Today, he is sharing the expertise he has gathered over several years of living abroad; having had the good fortune of being a member of an archery club that boasted two Olympic coaches. Sam received his certification as a coach from the U.S Archery Association. Now, he’s hoping that schools such as his own will breathe life into a sport that is urgently in need of development in Sri Lanka. He points out the absence of a permanent range, and a national coach among the many hindrances facing would- be archers in the country but is hopeful that burgeoning interest in the sport will help put Sri Lanka on the archery map.
Those wishing to know more should visit the school’s website: www.archery.lk or contact them on 94 (0) 775537094. |
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