2016 has been a good year for Austrey Archery Group. The AGM indicated that we now have 24 members from Austrey and surrounding villages – healthy growth for a small club. This has come largely from the training courses run by our two highly qualified coaches, who have developed people of a wide range of ages, who had never handled a bow before, into fully competent archers.
As a result the area is now firmly on the archery map. |
During the year we were asked to run an Archery Have-a-Go session at Warton. During a busy three hours we were delighted to meet many local people who enjoyed the thrill of shooting a bow and went away with a big grin on their face. That led to us being asked to run a Have-a-Go at Thorpe Country Fair that kept us on our feet for 7 hours - tiring for us but a satisfying experience for many visitors. And that in turn resulted in us running a session for a local youth club, which gave us and the young people a fun-packed day out.
So often we hear "I didn’t know there was a club nearby" or "I always fancied trying archery but didn’t know where to go". These sessions therefore not only entertained visitors but also encouraged several to join our training courses. People often say that, once they released their first arrow, they were hooked and became archers for life, going on to improve their skill and performance, and gaining great satisfaction from doing so. |
Although an Olympic sport, it has universal appeal and can be carried out by anyone regardless of age, gender and even strength since the modestly priced equipment is customised to the individual’s level of fitness. Archers may take part in competitions within the club or wider afield, or may choose just to compete with themselves, constantly improving as they practise. The Group meets for shooting every Saturday afternoon throughout the year. We shoot on Austrey playing field during the summer and in Shuttington Village Hall from 1.30pm to 3.30pm during the winter. So – an all year round indoor or outdoor sport, suitable for all ages and levels of fitness, comprehensive training given, practise when you want – what is there not to enjoy? |