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Arrow Dynamics
| Article
# : |
12095 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1987 |
2,255 Words |
| Author
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Harvey Hagman
Harvey Hagman often writes on adventure and treasure hunting. |
Some 50 years ago, there were a few hundred archers in the United States. Today there are 7.5 million, proof of the lure of the bow.
Although archery is a minor sport in America, the nation has world-class archers. "America has been at the top of archery since the 1950s," says Bill Stump, 64, of the Oriole Archers in Baltimore. "Our nation's secret is that you have to shoot your way into competition. Your can be the national champion, but the trials determine who goes. If your are not in the top four, you don't go. The British select their archers."
The major U.S. contribution to modern archery is the design of the bow, according to Stump, a former National Archery Association board member. "After World War II, American engineers looked at the bow and realized that the English longbow was not an efficient bow. So they adopted the Turkish recurve bow. As the technology of the materials improved, so did the bow. The bow I had in 1951, when I started, is nothing like my present bow."
Archery returned to the Olympics in 1972 after being eliminated in 1906. "The United States pressed for it and was instrumental in its return, along with the Federation Internationale de Tir a l'Arc [FITA] council," according to Stump. FITA holds a world championship biennially. "Then the United States won the men's gold in '72, '76 and '84. We didn't go to the Olympics in 1984, but I think we also won the women's in 1972 and 1976."
In a double FITA tournament, used in Olympic, world, and national events, 88 arrows plus 24 practice shots are taken. A bow is
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