COURTESY OF BOW INTERNATIONAL
The ladies ’ competition at the 1908 Olympic Games in London was an exclusively British event .
Apollo stretched his golden bow and fired the first arrows through the air , so say the ancient Greeks . His twin sister , Artemis , was an archer with perfect aim . While no one can truly say who invented archery , the Greeks gave a couple of their most important gods the skill . Centuries later , troubadours and minstrels sang of the legend of William Tell , famously forced to shoot an apple off his son ’ s head . He split the apple in half , sparing his son ’ s life , but a tale of marksmanship grew . They also sang of Robin Hood , stealing from the rich to give to the poor , and being a pretty fine archer while doing it . The legends and myths prevailed and so did the bow and arrow .
Wielded by people around the world for millennia , the bow and arrow has helped people hunt for food as well as been a weapon of war . In fact , arrowheads found in Southern Africa date back more than 70,000 years . A long history of archery pierces through the ancient civilizations of the Egyptians , the Assyrians , the Nubians , the Persians and the Romans , as well as across China , Korea and Japan . Medieval Europeans and Native Americans made them a part of daily life as well .
But around the 16th Century , as more modern weaponry began to replace the bow and arrow ,
archery over time became a sport . Archery societies were established , competitions were held and eventually , firing an arrow into the air was held up as a nostalgic and romantic homage to the pre-industrial past .
The National Archery Association of the United States ( later to become USA Archery ) was formed in 1879 , and the sport was included at the 1900 Paris Olympics . Actress Geena Davis took up archery at the age of 41 after watching the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta and fell just short of qualifying for the 2000 U . S . Olympic archery team . The sport has since only grown in popularity . Movies like “ The Avengers ,” “ The Hunger Games ” and “ Brave ,” along with TV shows like “ The Walking Dead ” and “ Arrow ” have sparked new interest in the sport , and a 2012 survey by the Archery Trade Association estimated more than 18.9 million Americans participate in archery of some form . Somewhere , Apollo and Artemis must be smiling .
TYPES OF BOWS AND ARROWS Modern field archery includes the use of many various types of bows and arrows . Here are a few :
• Self-Bow : A bow made from a single piece of wood .
• Laminated / Composite bow : A bow made of different materials laminated together .
• Recurve bow : A bow with tips that curve away from the archer . As the bow is drawn , the curves straighten out , adding greater velocity when the arrow is released .
• Compound bow : A bow with pulleys at the ends of the limbs that amplify and provide a mechanical advantage in drawing the bow .
• Takedown bow : A bow designed to be taken apart in three or four pieces for easy transport .
• Crossbow : A bow mounted horizontally on a firearm-like frame , with a locking mechanism that holds the drawn bowstring and releases an arrow-like dart called a bolt .
• Arrows : Modern target-shooting arrows feature a shaft made from either carbon fiber , aluminum , fiberglass or wood , and a metal cone pile arrowhead , either at a point or slightly blunt .
FIELD ARCHERY TECHNIQUE Basic archery technique hasn ’ t changed much over time . To begin , master these steps :
• Stance : Straddle the shooting line with each foot parallel to the line and lined up toward the middle of the target .
• Nock the arrow : Place the arrow on the rest , in the middle of the bow .
• Grip , extend and draw : Most archers use three fingers to hold the string .
• Hold , aim and release !
58 SEA ISLAND LIFE | FALL / WINTER 2022 / 23