Davis Kennefick removing his arrows from a target while competing in the Irish Open Archery at Nemo Rangers sports complex.
Picture: Neil Danton.
Ian Cusack
IT’S not unusual to turn up to a packed car park at the Trabeg Sports Ground on a Sunday afternoon, after all the facility is the home of Cork’s Nemo Rangers. But anyone who swung by yesterday afternoon however, was greeted by over 60 archers lining one of the main pitches, with rows bulls-eye targets occupying midfield, as the Irish Open Target Finals were held in Cork for the first time.
It’s fair to say Ireland isn’t renowned for producing top class archers. Realistically most people wouldn’t know where to go even if the mood took them to give the sport a go. But in the background of Ireland’s hectic sporting pursuits, archery is one of a number of niche sports quietly on the rise.
“The competitions are increasing with the last year,” Cork City Archery Club’s secretary Dave Leen said.
“What you’d normally have is an Irish Open outdoors as we have here, there’s also an Irish open indoors and you have a national outdoors and a national indoors. The Irish Open is open to everybody throughout the world. Last year in Leixlip they had guys from Iceland over, people from the north came down.
“They are training full time. Some of the top guys in the country, Keith Hanlon, David Kennefick, Joe Gill, they’re training full time and they’ve brought in a coach Kim from Korea. He’s been brought on board this year with the aim of getting these guys to the Olympics.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Ireland have sent archers to the Olympics, Dublin’s Keith Hanlon came in a very respectful 22nd out of 64 at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Unsurprisingly he took the spoils in yesterday’s men’s senior recurve* contest. He’s hopeful Ireland can have representation in archery at 2012, but Irish archers need better resources to compete internationally.
“At the moment clubs are practicing in places like community halls which they hire out which isn’t enough when we consider the facilities available to competitors on the continent,” he said.
“We need to be at a place where clubs have their own grounds and clubhouses and shooting area which they can go to on a full time basis. Until we get local councils and governing bodies assist in getting land where clubs can get started and shoot full time we’re not going to actually develop. Right throughout Europe, in every other country the clubs have their own grounds which they can go to 24/7 to shoot, we need that here.
“I am hopeful that we can keep the sport growing. The coaching is crucial for that, if people aren’t getting the coaching they get disheartened and end up packing it in. The other thing is to try and develop in the schools which we have been doing. It’s very difficult to bring to schools because a lot of people hear archery they think arrows are dangerous and say no. But there are quite a few schools out there now that are running with the programme and it’s working well.”
Like many other Olympics events, qualification is determined on a points basis gained by scoring well at international events. With that in mind July’s world championships in Turin and next May’s European championships in Amsterdam will be crucial, as Hanlon knows from experience.
“The chances of Irish representation at the Olympics are good. It will all hinge on the day. We can be very lucky or we can be very unfortunate.
“As long as we’re prepared which I think we are and we get out there and shoot to the best of our abilities the chances are we can do it.”
* In competitions there are two categories of archery on display, recurve and compound. Recurve or Olympic is the classic ‘Robin Hood’ style of archery. Compound is a newer category involving heavier arrows which are facilitated by hi-tech bow consisting of pulleys and cams which take part of the weight and tension away from the archer.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/A5y39CcbmqE/post.aspx
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