Come and join us on the 100 yard range on a Sunday morning and try the discipline that started it all.
Our usual start is from 9:30 on a Sunday morning, no prior experience or beginners course required but as with all disciplines at HPRPC safety is paramount so you will require supervision until sign-off is achieved. There’s no need to put your name on the supervision board in the club, just come over and introduce yourself and we’ll organise some kit and supervision.The club has a good selection of recurve bows with draw weights ranging from12 to 34 pounds, so we’ll be able to find something suitable for you to train with regardless of strength or stature. We definitely recommend working your way up through the club bows before considering buying your own kit.
In the summer months, we usually shoot out to 50 yards but will always have at least one target at 25 yards for new starters, so don’t feel like you have to shoot 50 yards on your first attempt.
The summer also highlights our relaxed (aka lack of) dress code, as you’ll often see some of the archers walking up and down the range barefoot. The secret is it makes it easier to find any arrows that may be hiding under the grass. One of the disadvantages of archery is having to walk 50 yards down the range to collect your ammo after every six shots, then walk back again.
For the past few years over the winter months we have taken part in a postal league called the Virtual Archery League (VAL). This is a competition that has competitors from all over the world, broken up into many divisions so you’ll always find yourself competing with someone of a similar skill level. The course that is shot is known as a Portsmouth, i.e. 60 arrows at a half size (60cm) target from 20 yards. This was designed to be an indoor competition to keep people shooting during the winter but as we’re a hardy bunch we still shoot the competition outdoors. (Don’t forget your handwarmer!) You can shoot as many times as you like in the month, then submit your best score at the end of the month. Scores are recorded from October to March.
This year we had 14 archers take part in the VAL with a total of 8 medal winners in various divisions, which is a great result for us as casual archers at HPRPC!
Come down and have a go, or just come for a chat as we’re not too strict about silence on the line either.