2022: A NEW START?

As we move into a new year, once again, the calendar ahead is looking decidedly impermanent. It’s still possible that disruption and even full lockdowns might be back once again, after a back-half of 2021 filled with relative freedom. Throughout the Covid era, which is rapidly approaching its second anniversary, I’ve consciously tried to avoid putting a lot of ‘pandemic-specific’ content in the magazine – because I thought you, dear reader, would be getting plenty of that elsewhere, and the point of a magazine appearing on your doormat is to inform and provide a bit of respite, to talk about doing things you actually enjoy.

Nevertheless, the world has changed irrevocably in all kinds of ways, and it appears that Covid is here to stay with us for a while yet – at least until we manage to vaccinate the entire world and, even then, we will likely have to learn to live with variants for a while. So this isn’t a ‘back to archery’ issue, because who knows when we’ll all be fully back to the sport. Also, I’m hearing that many archers in the UK are hanging up their bows for good, which is a great shame.

To hopefully retain your interest, in this issue, we’ve got a feature on strings – with top experts and builders weighing in with advice and useful tips; a review of the changes made at World Archery level and how they will affect competition; and two features on archery on the small screen. Among a whole lot else, obviously – including two features exploring East Asian archery culture and history. There are also big changes ahead for the Bow website; keep your eyes open for these later in the year.

We hope to be with you on your archery journey for a long time to come!