South Africa’s best archers took aim at the North West Provincial 3D Archery Tournament at the Elgro River Lodge from 4-5 July.
The tournament, hosted by Elgro Traditional Archers, was a straight shoot-out to qualify for provincial and national colours as well as to improve their rankings. Willem van der Merwe, Tyrone Pershouse, Cobus van den Berg and HJ Swanepoel impressed throughout the tournament.
Johan Human hit the highest score with an outstanding 508 points in the Adult Male Bowhunter Unlimited Class. Stefan van der Linde took first place in the Veteran Male Freestyle Unlimited category and, once again, cemented his status as South Africa’s premier archer.
Robin Hood would have eaten his heart out had he witnessed the skills of these archers, hitting the target dead straight more often than not. The unnerving accuracy and placement of the shot and the effortlessness was one of the outstanding elements of the tournament.
The camaraderie between the archers during the tournament was also something to behold as passion exuded from the competitors. The two main types of bows involved were the traditional or compound bows, which each has a different level of skill involved.
According to Gerdus Loubscher, one of the competitors at the tournament, there are different classes based on age category as well as the adjustments on the bow. “Compound bows give greater accuracy through a magnifier and scope while there is more chance of errors creeping in with traditional bows,” he explained.
Petrus van Breda, who shot with a compound bow during the tournament, also admitted that the aim of the game for compound bowmen is total accuracy. “We try to hit the highest score possible and pinpoint our shots to its exact location. It is clinical and mechanical and we strive for perfection during competitions,” he said.
Peet Bronkhorst had another take on proceedings, as he used a traditional bow during the competition.
“Its an extremely satisfying sport with a lot of culture. It takes a lot of practice and time to shoot accurately whether you use a compound or traditional. The best feeling is hitting the target and the friendships that you form along the way,” he said.
This tournament was also set up in accordance with international standards, and many of the archers present used the competition in preparation for future tournaments and the chance to gain principal and national colours. Kobus Fourie, the owner of Elgro River Lodge, expressed his satisfaction at the quality of competition at the event, as archers from all over the region added to the excitement.
“In 2013, we hosted the World 3D Bowhunting Championships which was a fantastic boost for the sport, in general. In 2018, we will once again host the World Championships,” he announced proudly.
The basics:
•3D Archery can be set in the woods, fields and sometimes even in indoor ranges.
•Archers need to hit a target on the 3D animal on the course, where a super kill (10), kill (8) and wound (5) give different points respectively.
•There are different groups ranging from group 1 – 4 which determine the distance and difficulty of the shot. Group 4 ranges from 40 – 60 yards while Group 1 is from 10 – 20 yards.
•Archers shoot two arrows per target before moving on to the next one.
Results:
Adult Male Bowhunter Recurve
1.Willem Van Der Merwe – 264
2.Jurgen Wessels – 259
3.Andrew Simpson – 256
Adult Male Bowhunter Unlimited
1.Johan Human – 508
2. PW Botes – 499
3. Dominique Wenning – 487
Adult Male Freestyle Unlimited
1. Cobus Van Den Berg – 503
2. HJ Swanepoel – 499
3. Henry Myburgh – 496
Veteran Male Freestyle Unlimited
1. Stefan Van Der Linde – 504
2. Johann Du Preez – 491
3. Piet Swemmer – 427
