Over 100 archers will be competing at the 62nd South African National Archery Championships in less than two weeks, to be hosted on Rhodes University's Great Field. Archers will also be targets, however, as talent scouts from the South African National Archery Association (SANAA) are aiming to find archers who will take part in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Over 100 archers will be competing at the 62nd South African National Archery Championships in less than two weeks, to be hosted on Rhodes University's Great Field. Archers will also be targets, however, as talent scouts from the South African National Archery Association (SANAA) are aiming to find archers who will take part in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
This is the second consecutive year that the event will be held on the Rhodes campus, to be hosted by the Eastern Cape Archery Association from 11 to 14 April.
“The event is on track and furious organising is taking place,” said organising committee chairperson Robyn Martin of the Rhodes University Archery Club. All members and World Archery affiliates have been invited to compete in the championships. Martin said they're expecting over 100 archers for this year's event, including participants from Namibia.
The event will also see a few judges undergo their practical judging exam to qualify as Continental Judges. Mike Wisch from Rhodes is one of these judges.
Rhodes archers taking part are Lance Ho, Simon Naude (both chosen to represent SA at the Universiade games in China last year), Ettione Ferreira, Catherine Linklater, Kevin Lobb, Travis Pike, Stuart Bodman and Leanne Poole.
Bodman, Naude and Ho will shoot for the Eastern Cape Provincial team, while Dave Martin has been chosen as the DOS (director of shooting) for the event.
On the Thursday, after the FITA (World Archery Federation) main event, children from the Cape Recife, Lonwabo and Northern Lights schools in Port Elizabeth, that deal with children with physical and learning difficulties, will put on a display. The children are going to show how they've improved after clubs and archers affiliated to the provincial association have been teaching them.
“We're hoping that a few of our more advanced SA archers will be happy to assist these children in developing their skills further with a little bit of coaching advice on the day,” said Martin.
The South African National Archery Association (SANAA) said on its website: “As part of the SANAA Olympic Commission plan, the Nationals will be used to identify talent for development for the 2016 Rio Olympics – and talent scouts will be doing the rounds keeping an eye on recurve, recurve limited and standard bow archers”.
