Inhoud:


• Archery in Almere
  
• What is archery?
  
• Handboogschutterij Almere
  
• In Closing

Archery:
Archery as it is practiced in the Netherlands is unfortunately not very widely known.
However, everyone has heard of Robin Hood and William Tell.
Maybe its relative obscurity is due to archery being a participation sport rather than a spectator sport. Shooting with bow and arrow is an ancient activity, although opinions about the exact time of origin differ. Cave drawings in France and other locations have shown that bow and arrow were used as far back as the prehistory.

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Archery in Almere:

Recent films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy are stirring up a renewed interest in archery. This, undoubtedly along with other factors, has resulted in an increase in the popularity of archery. Because of this popularity, the percentual growth in membership of the Handboogschutterij Almere is greater than the percentual increase of inhabitants of Almere, the fastest growing city in the Netherlands .
The Handboogschutterij Almere (founded in June of 1989) boasts no fewer than 128 members, making this the biggest archery club in the Netherlands .
Amongst its members are some with great potential, who have already secured a place of honour in different Dutch Championships. It goes without saying that the Handboogschutterij Almere is very proud of these archers.
Peter Elzinga, Alfred van Vloten, Ron Wirtz and Frans Joffer, competing as a team, won the Dutch Championships in 2002 in the compound category.
Individual achievements:
Peter Elzinga reached 2nd place in the Dutch Indoor Championships (on 16 March, 2003), 10th place during the World Championships in New York, and 2nd place in de Dutch Outdoor Championships. Recently, Peter became the first Dutch competitor to break through the 1400 point barrier (out of a maximum achievable score of 144 x 10).

The junior competitors are also achieving top scores, we even have a DRIM-team (pronounced as Dreamteam): Dorien Blom, Raymond Maas, Ivo van Gerner en Machiel van der Busse showed their potential this spring by finishing 4th in the D category of the national indoor competition. Because of this achievement, these young people have been promoted. In the next indoor season they will be competing in the B category.
Individual achievements:
Dorien Blom, at 15 years of age, was admitted to a higher age category (16 to 18) on the basis of her previous achievements. This did not stop her from reaching 1st place during the Dutch Championships: on 16 March, 2004 she became the Dutch Indoor Champion, and in September she also managed to claim the title of Dutch Outdoor Champion.

Also worth mentioning:
During the annual ‘Koningsschieten' (King's round) organised by the Handboogschutterij Almere on 14 September, 2003, in which 70 people competed, she managed to not only break the junior record for this event (which was already in her name) by 30 points, but she also managed to stay at least 10 points ahead of all other recurve archers in the club (both juniors and seniors).

Without a doubt, these achievements are also due to the enthusiastic efforts of our team of trainers.

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What is archery?

Archery is a combination of tension (pulling the string), concentration (aiming), and relaxation (releasing the arrow). These factors have led to archery frequently being part of the activities during management or team building exercises. Increasingly, the chance to get acquainted with the sport is also offered in holiday resorts.

Archery is a uniquely individual sport, since the archer is completely responsible for his or her own achievements. A miss is their own miss, just as every perfect hit is also their own achievement. Still, there is an important team element involved. Many competitions are played in teams, by calculating the total score of a number of individuals.

Because of the individual character of archery, anyone can enjoy this sport; whether they are girls, boys, men or women, whether they are 8 or 88.
In essence, there are few reasons why you should not be able to practice this Olympic sport. Whether sitting in a wheelchair or standing against a stool, there is a solution to be found for many inconveniences.
People compete mainly with themselves, which makes it hardly relevant which result your neighbour achieves at the shooting line.
There is only one (1) strict condition for any participant in archery, young or old, and that is Safety is always first! This is what everyone is taught from the very beginning. Accidents and injuries are therefore, fortunately, very rare indeed.

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Handboogschutterij Almere:

Due to a fire, which destroyed a large part of the accommodation, the club is currently not operating in an ideal environment. Because of the fantastic efforts of various members of the Handboogschutterij Almere, the hall is now suitable for shooting and archery can still be practiced in Almere.
There are advanced plans for a completely new (and more spacious) accommodation. Construction of the new building is expected to commence in the spring of 2004.

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In Closing::

The feeling of archery cannot be expressed in words, you cannot learn it from a book or from watching others participate. It is something you have to experience for yourself.
For this purpose, archery clubs organise special beginner's courses. Here, the participant can get acquainted with the sport, under the guidance of an experienced instructor or fellow shooter. There are no obligations and it is possible to use materials provided by the club.
Should you want to learn more about archery, then we cordially invite you to contact the Handboogschutterij Almere, or to stop by at our club evenings on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.

We hope to see you soon!

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