trying something new 001 zero in on the target

trying something new 001 aim for the bull's eye

Disclaimer: I never take selfies (now) and rarely let my pictures taken by others since I am always the designated picture taker and honestly I do like to do so (as my 'photography portfolio' would vouch for that). The picture above was the handiwork of my friend that put my name into this free introduction of archery which I was thankful for (truth be told, I secretly wished for a picture in the full getup, sans the shoulder guard and yes that pants is a little bit too low because of the arrow holder's belt).



This whole little program was held at the small grassy areas in the Sungai Besar Stadium by a local Archery Club that I didn't know went back all the way in 2006. It was a barebone event as the only certified seasoned instructor led his pupils to get the equipment ready and sure all the participants had to wait for that but the short and sweet demonstration and instruction by him let the hands-on experience commenced straight away.

Since my only experience in holding a bow and an arrow was that one time in Genting Highlands with amateur equipment, seeing all the complete gadgets and the experience at hand left me feeling eager with anticipation, as my heart beating fast and my hands started to sweat (no really, I even surprised myself!), but the huge amount of as eager participants who're mainly surprisingly female kept the gentlemen at the side at bay first.

I was challenged to use the one with the most tension in the strings and as the nerve starting to get to me, I gave it a go with the instructor closely monitoring me as my leg was shaking uncontrollably out of adrenaline I assumed. The feeling of the string fighting off my full strength grip and my feeble attempt to aim it to the target lived on even after my first session and my friend, Gabriel, felt the same as well as the jitters of the first time of shooting a bow. Archery is all about finding that bow that was your perfect match as the brother in the picture above did so as he got a couple of bull eyes with that particular white recurve bow and although I couldn't find mine in the time allocated, I found the same enjoyment in helping them putting on the equipment and offered help in any way that I could. I ended up going home happy with the new experience and have a more acknowledgement on the sport of archery since I experienced it myself, even getting a bruise on my left hand (after that one time not wearing the arm guard).

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+ Highlights +
the new experience of shooting a proper bow,
learning the intricacy of the bow's mechanic and shooting the arrow,
finding joy in helping others experiencing the same feeling,

using the muscles in the hands and fingers that haven't been used before.
- Lowlights -
having to wait, but it was worth it though,
getting a bruise but I learned my lesson.

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Lesson Learned:

You'll never know how it feels until you do it yourself!

time: from 8-12 p.m. at 23rd of October, 2016