VOORUITSIG PRIMARY SCHOOL INVESTING IN ARCHERY AND IN THEIR LEARNERS
THERE seems to be no stopping the sport of archery in the city, with another Kimberley school deciding to give their learners the opportunity to be able to take up the sport and not only participate, but excel at it.
After one of the teachers from Vooruitsig Primary school, Jamilla Beckmann, introduced the sport of archery to the principal Mr. Aiken, it was decided that the school would give learners the opportunity to be part of a sport that is very near and dear to them. Speaking to the DFA, Beckmann said that she mentioned to the principal that she does archery as a sport and that in her religion archery is seen as a very good sport to do.
“Mr. Aiken then showed interest in archery as well as we both have the same religion,” said Beckmann.
According to Beckmann, the principal then asked her if she would want to introduce archery as a sporting code because he himself saw the potential benefits of archery and what it could mean to the learners who decided to take it up as a sport.
“It was then decided that the school would invest in the sport. For now, we have so far bought six bows, arrows, a bow rack, and three bags for the bows to be transported in. Africa Genesis Archery Northern Cape (AGA NC) Administrative Officer Dawid de Greeff donated three butts (the box you shoot your arrows into) to the school,” she said.
Beckmann then further explained that archery will teach a child discipline, patience, concentration, and respect.
“Not everybody is academically strong. When a learner picks up a bow and becomes good at it, it builds up their confidence. They see that if they put their mind to it, and work hard at it, they can achieve things they didn't think possible, which will then later on spill over into their academic school work.
“I can see it with my own daughter, it really boosted her confidence a lot, Beckmann said.
The school’s deputy principal, Lorrain Makoloane, said that there are students who don't really have much discipline and in fact some have behaviour problems.
“These children need change and attention. They need to be boosted so that they start believing in themselves. We are hoping that this sport will make them believe in themselves so that they can better themselves, their school work, and also their daily lives, and I deeply believe that this sport will do it for every learner,” said
Makoloane.
Beckmann said that they will have their archery practice twice a week for an hour after school.
“With every practice session, these learners will grow in different ways, it’s not all about the books. We want them to find themselves so that they can feel that they belong somewhere.
“When I started at AGA NC, I wasn't very good. I shot the target miss a lot and it felt hopeless, but I practised and told myself that I am going to nationals.
“After working hard, I made it into the provincial team and then I went to nationals.
“This is what I want for these learners. I want them to set a goal and to work towards that goal so that they can see that hard work pays off.”
Dawid de Greeff, administrative officer of AGA NC applauds the school for taking this first step in aligning with the Northern Cape Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture and AGA-SA’S vision to have archery incorporated as a school sport throughout the province. He says that the AGA-SA programme gives participants the option to participate both individually and as part of a team of 12 to 24 archers.
“This archery concept has been demonstrated over the world to promote and encourage widespread sport participation; it gives individuals who don't make mainstream sports teams the chance to engage and succeed in a sport.
“The known, and proven holistic, psychological, and physiological benefits of archery are to the benefit of each participating archer and also to our bigger society,” he said.
De Greeff further stated that after Du Toitspan Primary School joined the network last year, Vooruitsig Primary School has now become the second school to join.
“Four archers from Du Toitspan Primary were chosen to compete for the Northern Cape Provincial
Team at the National Archery Championship in October 2022. De Greeff said that strong inter-club and inter-school rivalry is essential to the sport's development since it acts as a motivator and gauge for both individual and team advancement.
“It is fascinating to observe the sport’s present expansion in the province,” he concluded.
The future of archery looks bright in the province, and with schools, as well as our own Sol Plaatje University, slowly starting to see the benefits of the sport, one can't help but think that more schools will want to be part of this fast-expanding sport that changes people for the better.