The Archers of Zoo Lake are back in action following four months of closure during lockdown.
Office manager Darné Pretorius encourages community members to take up the contactless sport.
“We feel that this is one of the safest sports because it is outdoors, there is no contact, disinfectant is used to clean equipment which is not shared, we are socially distant and very safety conscious,” said Pretorius.
She added that the club reopened on 5 August with 10 archers per class, running six classes per week. They have now increased numbers to host eight classes per week with 15 archers plus private lessons.
“We were unable to host archery classes during lockdown since the range was shut and people could not shoot at home because many do not have the equipment. We put up some digital content including exercises that members could complete at home to strengthen them. Coaches also tried to do online lessons with more advanced members to condition them using resistance bands.”
Pretorius said the club was grateful for the ongoing support of the community during lockdown who made some donations to help the club keep their heads above water.
“People were initially very wary about returning, despite this being a safe sport, but slowly more members have returned.”
Pretorius added that at present, they were operating at 50 per cent of the normal number of members, though they have seen some new sign-ups following the reopening.
Some competitions arranged by World Archery have restarted, however, at the time of reporting no competitions arranged by the International Field Archery Association had begun.
Coach at the club Charni Battams said, “This is a great opportunity to get outdoors and do something safe and social that works your mind, with non-contact coaching.”
Battams added that while a few people were cautious about returning to the club because of Covid-19, many more were being careful about spending money due to salary cuts as a result of the lockdown.
She said archers made a few changes to their usual way of doing things since the outbreak of Covid-19, with tactile coaching out of the question and adjusting to shooting while wearing masks.
“We have had to get creative to find fun activities that are safe,” concluded Battams.
Details: Call 071 478 0990 or email darne@sentientarchery.co.za
