It
feels like a lifetime since Team GB celebrated a tremendous medal haul of 65 medals at the Olympics and 120 medals at the Paralympics.
Now the summer of sport is over, thoughts have turned to the
legacy of the games and how we can inspire future Olympians and Paralympians or even just get
Brits into sport!
Like many I was gripped by Olympic fever and from day one
spent every available minute watching the games on the TV or on my mobile. I
loved the drama in the athletics stadium, the speed in the velodrome and the
energy of the triathletes. However, the sport that caught my attention was
archery and I knew straight that I wanted to have a go.
So, at the weekend I trekked down to
Bermondsey, not Sherwood Forest, for an archery taster session to find out if I
had any natural talent.
While we gradually melted in the boiling hot gym, our
tutor John took us through the basics of how to use a bow and arrow, the rules
of archery and confirmed that at no point would we be firing at apples placed on
top of someone’s head. After 30mins of do’s and don’ts we were let loose to test
our aim and accuracy and in my case, Olympian potential!
What started as a bit of fun soon turned competitive when
John upped the stakes and told us that we would now be taking on everyone in the
class to find the best archer! I'm not going to lie, but at this point my
competitive side kicked in and I was determined to beat everyone.
After several good shots, bad shots and shots that
appeared on the wrong target board, the results were collated by a non-biased
judge and I was announced as the girl with the highest score - beaten by only
one guy.
96 out of 120 isn't a bad score for a beginner, but maybe
with a bit more practise I may end up on the plane to Rio in 2016. The next
question is do I stick with archery or try something else? Maybe I should try
judo or rowing just to make sure I’m not missing out on an opportunity to win
gold.
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| Is it Robin, is it Legolas no it's me! |
Five Facts about Archery:
• Archery dates back as far as 10,000 years
ago
• Archery was reintroduced to the Olympics in
1972 after a 52 year absence
• In Olympic competition the distance between
the target board and the archer is 70m (the arrow can travel up to 200mph)
• The target board is otherwise known as the
‘Boss’
• Hollywood Actress Geena Davis took part in
trials to compete for the US team in the 2000 Olympics
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