Archery Essay

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By Yang Siqi (17A01C) and Andrew Atang Hidajat (17S03I) Photos by Yang Siqi (17A01C), Andrew Atang Hidajat (17S03I) and Mr Ong Yong Jia As the midday sun climbs higher in the sky, bullets of sweat trickle down the archer’s face. He stares at the bullseye intently, perfectly poised while drawing the bowstring taut, his posture stunningly symbolic of Apollo. As the clock ticks, countless arrows are being shot by rivals beside him, each of their success contributing more to the immense pressure already felt. Archery is a silent war. It is one where the most menacing enemy is not one’s competitors, but rather one’s own mind. One must have the required mental fortitude, and physical endurance, to survive an entire day of matches under the sun. …show more content…

Seasons are always a gruelling time for sportsmen, but they are especially so for archers. Contrary to many sports’ conventions, the entire season for Archery is condensed into one day, with the preliminary rounds, semifinals, quarterfinals and finals all conducted in succession. Archers thus have a much briefer respite, something which tests their mental and physical capabilities. In fact, to prepare for this season, many Rafflesian archers took it upon themselves to practise in external archery ranges within their free time, in a remarkable show of self-motivation and determination. Aside from that, Raffles Archery’s main competitor, Meridian JC, boasted more experienced archers who had been through more competitions, and trained longer. In comparison, many of our archers only started competing seriously last December. Thus, it seemed initially as though they were going to be disadvantaged due to this, having had less time to train as compared to their opponents, a considerable number of whom had DSA-ed into the sport. Our archers competing with other

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