STAYING CONNECTED
The pic above this leader column is courtesy of Ian Wheeler of the West Midlands, whose four and a half metre range outside his home office ends in a homebuilt target boss and a 3D hog constructed out of an old exercise mat. It's this kind of innovation – it's something rather more than make-do-and-mend – that characterises the archery community; a community that is of course not joining together to shoot, but is atomised and unable to congregate as normal. What connections are being made, are being made on the internet, now truly, defiantly global. (Incidentally, this crisis has proven that internet has finally moved to the realms of a basic utility, like electricity. Just try and imagine the last month or so without it.)
Your editor has taken part in archery quizzes, charity shooting initiatives, club committee meetings, seminars and even an archery bake-off competition – all on the internet. I've been able to shoot, just about, in my back garden, but the angles required mean that I have to wait until the young children playing in the garden each side of me have gone to bed, because I am keen not to worry my neighbours unduly. (I know I'm not going to miss a metre-square blank boss at five yards, but they can't be sure of that, of course.) It does mean I've been shooting mostly at sunset, which is something I can highly recommend.
As of this writing, all the chatter in the news is concerning 'coming out of lockdown'; when, how, and what this means exactly. It's clear that the archery line of the immediate future is going to be a little more spaced-out, of course, and it will take clubs a long time to get back to normal – and national and international archery much longer still.
If you are an active archer on social media, you are probably sick of your timeline being filled with 'staying fit for archery' ideas. I decided not to burden you with any more of those, and stick with the long-planned second Field Special; exploring everything needed to get people moving into field, with plenty of tips for more experienced hands too. When we are all finally let out again, getting into the woods will be a first thing on a lot of people's minds. It should be noted that field archery inherently incorporates an element of social distancing, too.
You may also note that this issue is a couple of pages lighter than normal. I wish it wasn't, but this is a stricture across all Future Publishing magazines at the moment. We should be back to normal shortly.
See you on the shooting line... sometime.