Alexander Colle | Sports Editor
Featured image: Lions Archery is looking for new members: do you have what it takes to get a bullseye? | Courtesy of Suju
Imagine yourself playing a sport—any sport. What do you picture yourself doing? When many of us think about playing sports, the first thing that comes to our minds are the highly active motions of running, jumping, dodging, or tackling. Although plenty of us find comfort in these strenuous motions, there are several others who would rather put their energy into something that requires less stress on the body—perhaps, something that requires more emphasis on mental focus, calmness, and form.
“I’ve been doing archery for four or about five years now,” says Charles Objero, a fourth-year psychology major and executive member of the York Lions Archery club. “I started all the way back in high school—it’s kind of funny how I got into it. Back then, my girlfriend did archery as an after-school club and I’d normally wait for her. The coach saw me just sitting there and offered me to come try out and shoot. Ever since then, I was hooked.”
The Lions Archery club consists of students who have taken an interest in the unique and satisfying sport of archery. With their practices held in an indoor shooting range located in the Tait McKenzie Centre, the objective of the group is to help members learn the basics of archery and develop their shooting skills in a friendly and accepting environment.
“We welcome everyone regardless of their skill level. In the very beginning of the year we start off as a recreational sports club, gradually becoming competitive to get ready for the IUAT (Inter University Archery Tournament), which is held around the middle of March. Our club provides coaching and all the equipment necessary for everyone to start shooting,” Objero adds.
“We normally focus on the Olympic recurve style of shooting. Our practice times are Mondays from 8:00 p.m to 10:00 p.m., Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m to 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Our practices run in the evening to accommodate those who have classes in the morning. Attendance isn’t mandatory if you join. People can come in freely, whenever their schedule permits them—however, I highly encourage members to come to all practices to get themselves ready for the competition. We hold two in-house competitions—one near the end of November and one around February—here at York, which are only open for club members. It’s to promote competitiveness and help archers improve their skill.”
When looking at it in the realm of athletics, archery is not quite seen as a conventional sport. Rather than putting incredible amounts of stress on several parts of your body, archery requires a more focused approach, emphasizing a still calmness over a variety of constant fluid motions, being similar to hockey or basketball. Much like the purposes of yoga or meditation, archery is used as an agent of inner peace for students who need an outlet for their stressful, demanding lives as university attendees.
“Archery has been beneficial to me because it’s a really good stress reliever; you shoot your stress away. For me especially, it helps me clear my mind and has helped me find inner peace,” Objero says.
Instead of looking at it as a part of the realm of athletics, Objero sees archery in a different light, one closer to the realm of creativity and aesthetic.
“It’s like art for me. Shooting an arrow is similar to painting your target on the canvas. It promotes the mentality that nothing is ever perfect and there is always room for improvement.”
When looking toward the future of the club, Objero has ambitious hopes for a sport that eventually breaks out of the “competitive club” title in universities and becomes something much bigger.
“Archery is a growing sport. Most of the universities in Ontario have their own archery club. All the universities are helping each other to make archery an official OUA varsity sport, rather than just a simple sports club. So hopefully in five year’s time, we’ll be an official OUA Varsity sports team,” he continues.
So, if you are ever craving the nickname of Hawkeye or Katniss amongst your friend groups, or are simply looking for an outlet to relieve the stresses of university, the Lions Archery club always has its doors open. The target is a blank canvas, waiting for you to paint it with your arrow.
All waivers and information on practice times for the York Lions Archery club can be found on their Facebook page, Lions Archery. They are always looking for new members, so make sure to give them a try before the season ends!
