Did You Know: Archery?

 by Nathaniel G

Saturday 11th May is National Archery Day.  

The word archery comes from the word arcus, a Latin term that means bow.

There are several different types of archery, with the most popular being target (where the archer shoots a set number of arrows over a set distance to a target) and field (where the archer has to estimate distance, often shooting in woodland and rough terrain).

The bag that archers use to hold their arrows is called a quiver.

Archery is one of the oldest sports in the world.

In 1457 King James II banned golf in Scotland because he thought men should be practising their archery skills instead.

 Archery was the first sport to allow female competitors to compete in the Olympics in 1904.

 In ancient times, Olympic archers shot at pigeons.  

 In professional competitions, an arrow can be fired as quickly as 150 miles per hour.

 Matt Stutzman, an American Paralympian archer, who does not have arms and uses his feet to hold and aim his bow, holds the Guinness World Record for the farthest accurate shot. He has hit a target 283.47 meters away.

 One of the oldest Scottish clans, Clan Macinnes dates back to the year 501 AD. The clan crest is a bow and arrow, and many clan members were known for their archery skills.

 ‘The Arrow’ on Netflix is based on DC Comic’s Green Arrow and depicts the adventures of billionaire Oliver Queen. There are 170 episodes. That’s a lot of arrows.