Open day drawing new archers
Sable Heart is probably Taupo’s most secretive sports club.
Every Sunday a small, enthusiastic group gather at a hidden corner of Owen Delany Park to practice their art and hone their skills.
Unlike most clubs, the art is warfare and the skills being practiced are archery and sword play.
Club captain Kris Wills said club member focus on improving those medieval battle skills.
‘‘We do things like shooting at targets, shooting together in a line formation. Sometimes I get dressed up in my armour and people get to shoot at me,’’ Wills said.
‘‘In addition to learning how to shoot a bow, we’re now learning how to fletch our own arrows and maintain our bows,’’ he said.
‘‘In sword fighting, there’s a lot of emphasis on using old English manuals and learning how to swordfight correctly.
‘‘We’re not getting dressed up every week or talking in Olde English – in fact, I’ve never done that,’’ Wills said.
‘‘It’s much more akin to studying martial arts than it is to liveaction-roleplay or anything like that.’’
People don’t tend to stumble across the archery range.
‘‘Our archery range is so hidden away, it takes a bit of a treasure map to find us,’’ Wills said.
To attend the club’s weekly meetings, members drive across the Owen Delany sports field to a little metal road in the corner, which leads to the range.
‘‘If you think you’re lost, listen for the ‘thwak’ of arrow fire and laughter,’’ Kris said.
This Sunday, February 26, the club is holding a public open day to let the community see what, exactly, the group is all about.
‘‘If you think you're lost, listen for the 'thwak' of arrow fire and laughter.’’
‘‘We really want to show people how fun and challenging our hobby can be,’’ Kris said.
Both archers and swordfighters train to pass grades and learn skills which would have been vital for soldiers during the medieval period.
‘‘People probably have this image and think it’s all about prancing about in costumes and saying m’lord and m’lady to each other, which couldn’t be further from the truth.’’
* Open Day: Sunday, February 26 at 10am, Owen Delany Park. Contact: Kris 021 064 8515