Last semester I decided to join the Archery society with no expectations of how much I would enjoy the sport and how much I would improve in hitting bullseye.
I was much like a stumbling baby deer when I first started Archery, barely hitting the target or knowing how to improve in the first place.
“How did that happen?”
That was a common thing people could hear me saying during Archery training as another arrow got stuck in the wood above the target – or below.
It took some time for me to figure out the right things I was doing wrong and how to improve those areas, mainly with pointers on how to set up the bow (apparently, I have been setting up wrong for a while).
Once I started taking these pointers, I started being more consistent and confident in my Archery skills.
Arrows started flying from my bow and instead of hitting air or wood, it was hitting bullseyes occasionally. This improvement has also made me enjoy Archery anymore, as many people that have done sport before can relate to – it can be quite hard to enjoy a sport if you aren’t good at it.
However, Archery club here at Stirling wouldn’t have judged if I was still stuck at where I started in skills.
There’s a range of skill at the sports club from people like me that have only started Archery at university to people that have done Archery for years and all these skill levels are welcome in the sports club.
This academic year of 2025-2026 Archery club has decided to start entering competitions officially and have had a selection of members of the sports club going to competitions around Scotland on Saturdays.
I am aiming to go to the competition on November 29 in Strathclyde, Glasgow (I am writing this article before I have gone to this competition) and hoping I don’t lose the confidence I have gained over the past few months in the Archery club.
It’s not only the skills I have gained from this sports club, but also the social aspect of training with other aspiring Archers.
The bond I have with them has strengthened as we have grown in skill together – playing special Archery team games for holidays like St Paddy’s Day and Halloween has truly connected us.
Featured Image Credit: Sarah de Beer