Student Archery and why it’s worth talking about
Archery. Bows and Arrows. When it’s not something exclusive to the realm of films and games it’s a small niche sport that’s hard to get into right?
Britain’s Universities beg to differ. Student Archery has exploded in popularity over the past decade and thousands of students across the country are picking up bows and going for the gold. This little medium post and all of the associated media I’ll be producing will be a collection of stories about the world of Student archery in the hopes of continuing this upswing in awareness of and interest in the best sport in the world! Not that I’m biased or anything.
Here’s a little video showing some footage of the excellent UoL Archery team in their natural habitat.
So what’s so great about Archery?
In another post there’s a collection of audio clips from some freshers who joined the team a few months ago talking about why they signed up to have a go. One line I didn't hear that I have heard in the past is that it’s not a very physically demanding sport. It sounds odd that someone would be drawn to a sport because it doesn't require physical exertion but I see their point. Training sessions can be very relaxed, you don’t end up out of breath but it does give your back and shoulder muscles some good exercise. The level of exertion, dictated by the power of your bow, is entirely down to your personal preference.
In spite of that there is a great deal of skill involved. The sport tests your muscle memory, mental focus, the endurance of your arms and shoulders and even your breathing control. There’s a wealth of quotes and studies and articles talking about the mental benefits of archery. I can’t really comment on more of the high minded claims but I can relate the mental state of shooting. Going through the routine; getting your stance set up, nocking the arrow, taking aim, drawing back as your breath comes in, then letting all that power go down the range. There is something very calming about shooting… Until you miss that is.
Finally, apart from anything else it looks pretty spectacular. Whether you’re wielding an olympic recurve, a fancy advance looking compound or a gorgeous wooden traditional bow the opportunities for photos are endless. Just take a look below:
The Student Archery Scene
Since University Archery is separate from the UK governing body ArcheryGB clubs boast opportunities for students to try something new. Hundreds of freshers in Universities across the country have been convinced to take hold of a deadly weapon and learn how to use it.
Over the past five or six years, thanks to the glamorous portrayal of archery in blockbusters like The Hunger Games and The Avengers archery has become a very popular choice for newcomers to university. These prospective Archers may be looking for a new sport to try out or a new circle of friends, either way there are a lot of them. My club The University of Liverpool Archery Club is no exception and has enjoyed a high turnout again this year. With nearly four hundred people signing up to the taster sessions the clubs experienced members will be hard pressed to make archery seem like fun while keeping everything organized and safe.
With Archery being practiced in sports halls across the country athletics unions are having to limit the number of entrants to clubs for safety reasons. The University of Liverpool is one such institution with its Archery Club’s membership being limited to 120 people. Even with such a generous cap the interest in archery among this year’s incoming group of first years will mean that 120 members will almost certainly be reached.
Student archery is more than just a hobby however, many of these students continue archery for many years after leaving.
The governing bodies Olympic program is aimed at archers of University age and allows them to potentially compete in international competitions.
Who runs it?
Like a lot of University Teams it’s Student led on a club level. On a regional level an elected committee are responsible for organizing league matches and regional competitions. The leagues themselves are coordinated by the Student Archery Association who post news and competition/league updates on their site http://www.uksaa.com/
These regional groups run their own year long leagues. Liverpool is part of the Norther League NEUAL (see below).
UKSAA is seperate from ArcheryGB but the two Coexist and ArcheryGB does not ignore student Archery. Most clubs are ArcheryGB affiliated for insurance reasons and the big competitions like the annual BUCS tournaments are a big deal for Archery GB as it showcases the best of student archery. Speaking of Competitions…
Competitions!
(University competitions use the FITA Scoring system, here’s how it works)
There is a lively competition scene in the UK’s Universities as well. Under the Coordination of the SAA and the regional bodies there are several leagues. For example Liverpool is part of the Northern League NEUAL which features. Bradford, Durham, Huddersfield, Hull, Keele, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, MMU Cheshire, Newcastle, Sheffield, Sunderland, Teesside and York. The Scottish League (SSS) is the only Scottish League and comprises all of the Scottish Universities that take part in Student Archery; Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Napier, St. Andrews, Strathclyde and West of Scotland.
There isn’t much of an Archery Scene among Welsh Universities, the South West and Wales League is the smallest, featuring Aberystwyth, Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter, Plymouth and Swansea.
BUTTS league, with its own website features Birmingham, Cambridge, Derby, Loughborough, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, Oxford, Warwick. Moving further south the SEAL League is host to Brunel, East Anglia, Essex, Imperial, Kent, London, Portsmouth, Queen Mary, Reading, Southampton, Surrey and Sussex Universities. There is also an Irish League which features Carlow IT, UC Cork, Dublin City, Dublin IT, UC Dublin, Dundalk IT, NUI Galway, Galway-Mayo IT, Limerick, NUI Maynooth, RCSI, IT Tallaght and Ulster.
And Why not Check here for an info-graphic on how the Northern league is going at the moment?
And here’s a photo-gallery of what a Competition looks like!
That competition was part of the NEUAL league. Another Infographic here shows how that league is going with the current league winners, highest scorers and the current aggregate scores.
And that’s why Student Archery is worth chatting about. It’s huge and growing bigger. If you’re a student, or going to University soon why not give it a try?
