Turkey’s world-class archers aim at medals in Summer Olympic Games

Turkey’s world-class archers aim at medals in Summer Olympic Games

Archery is one of the oldest sports in the world. You can see mythological figures such as Apollo or Eros carrying bows and arrows. If we must stay within the borders of Turkish history, we can see that the sport was practiced in early Turkish states, but the greatest importance was attached to it during Ottoman times.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the conqueror of İstanbul, concentrated archery activities and the production of bows and arrows in İstanbul's Okmeydanı (Square of Arrows) district. Subsequent sultans expanded the district by adding additional facilities. Later, a bazaar was opened behind Beyazıt Mosque in İstanbul where all the manufacturers of archery equipment gathered. Although the sport went into decline during the later periods of the Ottoman Empire and during the early years of the Turkish Republic, numerous attempts have been made to revive the tradition of Turkish archery.
Turkey became the 16th member of the International Archery Federation (FITA) in 1955. After the establishment of a national archery federation in 1961, Turkish archers began to represent the country at an international level. There was an interruption in the development of the sport in 1982, when the federation was attached to the Turkish Shooting and Hunting Federation. The Turkish Archery Federation was re-established in 1982, and Uğur Erdener became the head of the federation. Erdener would later manage archery throughout the world when he was elected president of FITA in 2005.

After being honored by Erdener's election as the new president of FITA, Turkish archery has turned its focus to earning medals in the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London. “We, as the Turkish Archery Federation, aim to be more successful. We are distinguished among other archery federations in that our former president is now the president of FITA. We are very proud of this. Now, we want to win medals at the Olympic games. Our best Olympic score was fourth place in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. We were very close to winning a medal, but we did not,” Turkish Archery Federation President Abdullah Topaloğlu, who has a 32-year history in the sports world in Turkey and has served in numerous posts of various federations, told Sunday's Zaman.

‘Archery is an expensive sport'

Even though archery has a significant place in Turkish history, there are not many archers in the country today -- there are around 7,000 registered archers in the federation -- because the sport is expensive, said Topaloğlu, noting that they are working to develop archery in the country. “We have around 270 trainers who were brought up in the federation's courses. But we cannot use them efficiently. Only 70 or 80 of them are actively working,” he said. Apart from financial obstacles, Turkey also suffers from a lack of archery facilities. Because the sport has few practitioners, those who do practice archery do not have many facilities to choose from. “We have a facility in Antalya, and archers can practice there for the entire day. We plan to establish such facilities in Ankara and İzmir, too. We work in cooperation with the metropolitan municipalities of some provinces where there is the potential for practicing archery. Other federations cooperate with the Education Ministry, but we cannot spread the sport to all schools since TL 1,000 to 1,500 is needed for each student of archery. For such reasons, we approach the development and expansion of the sport regionally in Turkey,” Topaloğlu elaborated.

The federation's president further said the interest of Turkish people in archery is gradually rising due to the international archery competitions held in Turkey, especially after the TV broadcasts of the World Archery Cup, which took place earlier this month in the southern province of Antalya. “We received a lot of calls asking for information about the courses offered by the federation. We are trying to meet the demand. Also, around 350 children applied to the Juniors Cup -- which started yesterday and ends today. We are witnessing such a large number of applications for an archery competition for the first time. It is promising. They are the future archers,” Topaloğlu said.

Turkish archer survives after arrow enters his head

An interesting incident occurred in Turkey in 2004. Archery enthusiast Hakan Budak accidently shot his friend, Cem Balcı, in the head while they were practicing the sport as a hobby. Balcı underwent an operation and was unconscious for 11 days, but he survived. Stating that he was at fault for the accident, Balcı told the Anatolia news agency: “Such an accident has occurred three times in the world so far. If I had obeyed the rules, the arrow would not have struck my head.” He also stressed that the sport is safe and that no one should be afraid to practice it.

Topaloğlu agrees with Balcı about the safety of the sport. “Those who open an archery facility must have a trainer's certificate, and safety precautions must be taken in the field. Such an accident had never happened before in Turkey. It is not about the nature of the sport, which is normally harmless. The accident occurred solely due to a personal mistake,” he explained.

21 June 2009, Sunday - ESRA MADEN - İSTANBUL

- Source : http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=178621&bolum=127

Compound Bows - 43 Years in the Making

- Resim : Rıdvan UZUNTAŞ

Compound Bows - 43 Years in the Making
June 9th, 2009 ·
by Bart Icles

A compound bow is a bow of the modern age that uses a levering system usually consisting of cables and pulleys to bend the limbs. The limbs of a compound bow are much stiffer than that of the recurve bow or long bow. This quality or state of stiffness makes the compound bow much more energy efficient than other conventional bows; such as design have limbs that are too stiff to be drawn, hence, has the strings attached to a pulley system or also known as cams, of which one or both have one or more cables attached to the other end. This levering system enables the archer to hold the bow fully drawn and take more time to aim.

The compound bow is much more superior compared to other bows because it isn’t affected by temperature and humidity changes and its more accurate, faster, and has longer range. The first compound bow was developed in 1966 by Holless Wilbur Allen in Missouri and given a US patent in 1969.

The compound bows’ riser is usually made of aluminum or magnesium of the aircraft-grade 6061 aluminum alloy. It is the central mount for other components such as the limbs, sight, stabilizers, and quivers. Limbs are made out of composite materials and are able to withstand high tensile and compressive forces. All the energy is stored on the limbs, and not on the cables and pulleys. The cam or wheel is usually at the end of each limb. Its shape varies between different bow designs, and fall under four most commonly used types: Single Cam, Hybrid Cam, DualCam, and Binary Cam. The less common designs are the Quad Cam and Hinged.

Compound bow strings and cables are made of high-modulus polyethylene that have great tensile strength, minimal stretchability to make the bow transfer its energy to the arrow in a more efficient and durable way. Earlier models used cables made out of plastic coated steel. The pulley system has some rubber-covered blocks that act as draw-stops that can be adjusted to suit the archer’s optimum draw-length. This provides a consistent anchor point and consistent amount of drawn force to make consistent and accurate shots.

Cams or pulleys have two designs that have direct control of the arrow’s acceleration. The “soft cam” will accelerate the arrow more gently compared to the “hard cam”. Soft cams are best suited for novice archers, whereas the advanced archers may use the hard cam type for speed. Bows can have the integration of both cams for more flexible shots. Other modifications in the compound bow are the use of mechanical release aids, magnifying sights, stabilizers, and dampers to allow the archer to shoot more accurately.

About the Author:
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Tags: Hunting & Fishing

- Source : http://airsoftg.com/blog/compound-bows-43-years-in-the-making/

Waco To Host Archery In The Schools Tournament Feb. 27

AUSTIN, Texas - The 4th Annual Texas-National Archery in the Schools Program (TASP) Tournament will take place Feb. 27 at the Waco Convention Center. Rising attendance at this yearly culminating event for participating Texas schools charts the program’s increasing popularity.

The first TASP tournament in Texas took place in February 2006, with 126 students representing 13 schools. The third annual championship last March drew 476 students, and attendance at this year’s tournament is expected to approach 700 students, teachers and parents.

Changing lives one arrow at a time

Since the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) came to Texas in September of 2004, organizers have trained more than 900 archery instructors at all three levels—Instructor, Trainer, and Specialist—including more than 400 classroom educators at 200 plus schools across Texas.

Since the national program’s inception in Kentucky seven years ago, it is now established in 46 states and four other countries. On May 8-9, 2009 the 8th annual national tournament will be held in Louisville, Kentucky. The 2008 NASP national tournament was the largest archery event in the history of North America, with 2,865 participants.Last school-year across the nation, 866,000 school children in grades 4-12 received archery instruction from their teachers and an estimated 1 million will participate this year. This makes NASP the most successful youth archery program in history. The program expects to be operating in every U.S. state by the end of 2009.

NASP lessons are taught by physical education teachers with a focus on international-style target archery. The program teaches a lifetime skill in a controlled, safe environment. Universal fit NASP equipment is useable by all 4th – 12th grade children and teachers, and is durable, affordable and identical in appearance and function. In order to meet and enhance student learning and accountability standards, many schools integrate archery into core content areas such as math, science, and history.

NASP is intended for all students regardless of athletic ability or experience. Accommodations are routinely made for physically challenged students.

“Although we just began the NASP this year, it has had a tremendous impact on our school district,” said Brian Gray, school superintendent with Union Grove ISD based in Gladewater in northeast Texas. “The participation levels are through the roof and the program is allowing our staff to teach kids about how to be successful in life, while promoting a lifelong activity.”

- Source Title : http://www.kwtx.com/iwitness/headlines/38715497.html

Olympics Champions Tied the Knot

Olympics Champions Tied the Knot
Lausanne – 2 February 2009

Korean archers PARK Sung-Hyun, 25-year old, and PARK Kyung-Mo, 33, united Olympic destiny. They were blessed in the presence of many guests on 6 December 2008.

PARK Sung-Hyun won two gold medals (individual and team) at the 2004 Athens Games. She repeated as an Olympic champion in the women's team final in Beijing last year, leading her country to a sixth straight Olympic title. She also won individual silver in Beijing.

PARK Kyung-Mo, who also won team gold in 2004, had similar success as her fiancée four years later. In Beijing, he helped the men's team clinch the Olympic title for the third straight time and won the individual silver medal.

The newly-weds started dating two years ago while preparing for the Olympics but kept their relationship secret to avoid affecting the national team. The two are the first gold medallists in the country's history to marry each other.

We wish PARK Sung-Hyun and PARK Kyung-Mo a wonderful and happy life together!

FITA Communication

- SOURCE : http://www.archery.org/

Coroner: Archery Death Accidental

The archery death of a Deer Park Middle School student was unintentional, the Stevens County coroner said Sunday.

Alex Niskanen died Thanksgiving afternoon, after being shot with a hunting arrow while visiting friends south of Chewelah.
The Stevens County Sheriff’s Office has not identified the boy who released the arrow. County Coroner Patti Hancock said he was older than the victim.

"The two boys were outside playing," Hancock said. "They didn’t’ have a lot of power on the bow, but with a broadhead arrow, it doesn’t take much."

The arrow hit no bone, but severed the axillary artery in the 12-year-old boy’s left shoulder. He bled to death, Hancock said.
It’s not clear whether the two had been hunting. Whitetail deer currently are legal game for archers in the Chewelah area.
A man who answered the phone at the Niskanen residence in Deer Park said the family did not want to comment about the death.

Arrowheads used for hunting typically are made three or four razor-sharp blades designed to cause bleeding. By contrast, the heads on target arrows are cone-shaped, like a pencil point.
Deer Park elementary, middle and high schools are among 30 schools statewide that participate in the National Archery in the Schools Program. And while the training is designed for the controlled setting of a target range, students hear "over and over again" that bows can be dangerous, said Dave Mack, state program coordinator.
At least 100 students from Deer Park Middle School participate, Mack said. It’s not clear whether Alex Niskanen was part of that program.

A Deer Park seventh-grader with the same last name, but a different first name, placed fourth in a state championship held in March in East Wenatchee. The relationship between the two Niskanen boys was not clear Sunday.
- http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=18010

Professional National Coach in Ireland

The Irish Amateur Archery Association is looking for a professional national archery coach. You can stand as a candidate if you meet the following requirements:

Desired Qualifications

Ø Proven skills in developing archers for international level
Ø A degree in Sport Sciences would be commendable but not necessary
Ø The successful candidate must have excellent communication skills
Ø Able to work with coaches and tutors, archers of all levels, in Recurve and Compound, target and field disciplines
Ø Must speak English
Ø A proven track record of coaching and/or competing at international level.

Duties, roles and responsibilities

Ø To make training plan for and coach the national team
Ø Preparation to international archery events
Ø To offer any technical advices requested by the federation
Ø To coach the athletes of the national archery squad
Ø To maintain and analyse data on national athletes, then develop programmes to maximise performance
Ø When required, to coach athletes at international level tournaments
Ø Liaise with coaches in the preparation of training programmes and archery technique
Ø To serve as an advisor to the national archery domestic committee in:
- Improving competition opportunities
- Establishing successful national major events
Ø Other: Assist tutors in the development of a national coaching structure

Assigned objectives
Ø Forward our athletes to top 16 position at European championships
Ø Forward our athletes to top 32 at world championships
Ø Qualify our athletes for Olympic Games

Main clauses of the working contract

Ø 38 month period preceded by 6-month test period
Ø Contract starting on 5 January 2009
Ø The successful candidate will be expected to travel to various training venues in Ireland
Ø Salary, remuneration and expenses to be negotiated

Contact, information and application to:
Irish Amateur Archery Association
Pat Lyons
president@archery.ie

Candidates must request and complete the candidature form and return it with a resume to the above address by the application deadline.

Application Deadline: 28 November 2008

- Source : FITA

Professional Compound Archery Coach in India

Professional Compound Archery Coach in India
Lausanne – 30 October 2008


The Archery Association of India is looking for a professional Compound Archery coach. You can stand as candidate if you meet the following requirements:

Ø Proved skills in developing Compound Archers for Elite level
Ø Academic level: Professional Compound Archery Coach as accredited by FITA
Ø Communication skills: able to communicate with archers & coaches in English and through demonstration
Ø Organizational skills: holding of seminar for coaches up gradation of their skill as well as special coaching assignment for second-line archers
Ø Able to work with the top 16 Men and 16 Women archers in preparation for the Commonwealth Games 2010 and also take special assignments at different venues for short term training programme
Ø Must speak (language): English
Ø Required experiences: must have trained National Team for Continental Championships/World Championships and training National Teams/Elite archers.
Ø Other: willing to travel from one venue to other venue and maintain close monitoring of the performance of the archers at all venues

Duties, roles and responsibilities – the following are examples only:

Ø To make training plan for, and coach the national team
Ø Preparation to international archery events
Ø To offer any technical advices requested by the Federation
Ø To coach the athletes of the national archery training Centre
Ø To maintain and analyze data on national athletes, then develop programmes to maximise performance
Ø When required, to coach athletes at international level tournaments
Ø Liaise with coaches in the preparation of training programs and archery technique.
Ø Other: holding clinic for the junior/cadet archers

Detail below the main clauses of the working contract

Ø One year period preceded by 3 months test period
Ø Contract starting on (date): December 2008
Ø Place of work: Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Pune and any other place as recommended by the Archery Association of India
Ø Salary: USD 3,000.00 (US Dollar Three Thousand) per month to USD 5,000.00 (US Dollar Five Thousand) depending on the experience and qualification of the coach concerned
Ø Free Accommodation
Ø Air Fare from place of origin to India two times in twelve months
Ø Medical Insurance during entire tenure of stay
Ø One month leave with pay in every twelve months

Contact, information and application to:
President:
VIJAY KUMAR MALHOTRA M.P.
6, Dr. Bishamber Dass Marg
New Delhi-110 001 (India)
Phone: +91 (11) 2410 2527, 2371 5051, 2371 5070
Fax: + 91 (11) 2371 5045
Email: archery_association_india@yahoo.com
Website: www.archeryassociationofindia.org
Secretary General:
PARESH NATH MUKHERJEE
DN-38, Sector-V, Salt Lake
Kolkata-700 091 (India)
Phone: + 91 (33) 2367 2920, 2367 0734
Fax: + 91 (33) 2367 0374
Email: sreerupa@cal2.vsnl.net.in


Application Deadline: 15 November 2008
Advert in PDF format
Paresh Nath Mukherjee
Secretary General
Archery Association of India


- Source : FITA ( http://www.archery.org )

Surprise City Council backs off of city bow-and-arrow ban

by Tony Lombardo - Sept. 27, 2008 07:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

The Surprise City Council on Thursday exempted bows and arrows from a list of weapons banned inside city limits.
The decision came after the council heard passionate pleas from archers, including an athlete who competed in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
On Sept. 11, the council voted unanimously on a first reading to add bows and arrows, crossbows and blowguns to the list.
Weaponson the list include firearms, BB and pellet guns, dart guns and slingshots.
But Thursday, the council agreed 6-0 to exclude bows and arrows. Mayor Lyn Truitt was absent.
City officials will work with archers to reach a compromise that won't prohibit archery but will still increase public safety.
Meanwhile, banning crossbows and blowguns requires one more reading, likely to take place at the council's first meeting in October meeting.
The Surprise Police Department sought the ban because of safety concerns.
Surprise Police Chief Daniel Hughes said he is open to discussion about the ban.
Hughes said the ban was never intended to hinder sportsmen, but rather inexperienced or irresponsible shooters that pose a threat to themselves or their neighbors.
"It's always been about public safety," Hughes said.
He said the city ordinance's language concerning the discharge of weapons is too vague. Officers responding to situations involving bows and arrows are sometimes unsure how to respond because they are not explicitly listed in a weapons ban, Hughes said.
The ban amendment appeared on its way to passage Thursday until several archers spoke out at the City Council meeting, expressing alternative views.
Surprise resident Eric Bennett, 34, is an avid archer and competed this month in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Bennett said a ban would prohibit him from practicing for future tournaments, as well as his mission to teach youth.
"Archery is an Olympic sport that allows athletes, young and old, an opportunity to compete and be active," he said.
Kari Granville, a board member of the Arizona State Archery Association, told Council members they could write a policy to deter misuse but at the same time foster archery as a sport. Council appeared receptive to the idea.
Pat Crouch, a field supervisor with Arizona Game and Fish, also pleaded with Council to wait on a ban. Crouch was fearful a broad ban would impact his department's wildlife management, including hunters' abilities to use the rural areas of Surprise.
Before the meeting, Councilman John Longabaugh favored banning bows and arrows, but he changed his mind after hearing their remarks.
"The archery community made a very good case," he said.

- Source Title : http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/09/26/20080926gl-nwvcouncil0927cover.html

İstanbul’s Athletic Heritage

İstanbul’s athletic heritage

Before Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's political and social reforms and the rise of amateur sports in Turkey, athletics in İstanbul went hand-in-hand with military training.
Archery, wrestling and equestrian games, not to mention gladiator contests, sharpened skills required for battle. Covering two millennia, İstanbul's sports history is closely linked not only with the arts of war but also with politics and the choices rulers make about urban design.
Before the official adoption of Christianity, gladiator contests attracted crowds of spectators both in Byzantium and throughout the Roman Empire. In A.D. 326, Constantine banned gladiator contests, which usually resulted in the death of one of the combatants, and chariot races became the most popular spectator sport for Constantinople's elite and masses alike. Other sports allowed by the church included boxing, wrestling and track and field (running, jumping and disc throwing). Equestrian sports like polo, imported from Persia, and European-style chivalric jousting were also popular in Byzantine times, as was hunting.
Situated between the Hagia Sophia and the palace, the Hippodrome was the place where the emperor and the masses converged for sporting events and other public ceremonies. It measured 117 x 440 meters and is thought to have held 100,000 people. Construction of the Hippodrome, modeled on the Circus Maximus in Rome, began in A.D. 196, during the reign of Septimus Severus, and was completed during the reign of Constantine I (324-337). In 1261, when the emperor moved to the Blachernae Palace (in present-day Ayvansaray), most sporting activities moved as well, leaving the Hippodrome with only jousting and horse racing.
In 1609 the remains of the Hippodrome were cleared to make room for the Sultanahmet Mosque and all that remains today are three monuments, including the Egyptian obelisk, which adorned the spina in the middle of the race course.
The Ottomans referred to the Hippodrome as "The Horse Field" (At Meydanı) and used it for horse races and jereed (cirit) contests. Jereed is an ancient Turkic sport with origins in Central Asia. Individuals from opposing teams pursue one another in turns, the pursuer throwing a blunt javelin at his opponent. The fact that the game occasionally resulted in death may have influenced Mahmut II's decision to ban the game in 1826, but it continued to be popular in the provinces.
The main sporting facility in Ottoman İstanbul was Okmeydanı, which covered nearly 300 acres on the far side of the Golden Horn. Fatih Sultan Mehmet (1451-1481) designated this land as the city's "archery field" soon after the conquest. Beyazıt II (1481-1512) established a training facility there, Okçular Tekkesi (the archers' "lodge"), where talented archers and their coaches were fed and trained. Coaches and the captain (şeyh) of the archers lived at the lodge. To become a licensed member of this elite society, a bowman had to shoot an arrow at least 594 meters. Wrestling, running and equestrian games like jereed and polo also took place at Okmeydanı.
For 500 years, until the founding of the republic, Okmeydanı was strictly protected. Gecekondus began appearing in the 1950s and Okmeydanı has now become a densely populated neighborhood cut by major highways. It is a difficult place to walk, run or ride a bike and shooting arrows would probably result in police arrest. However, the İstanbul Ansiklopedisi indicates that 55 of an original 132 ok abidesi (stone pillars set up as monuments to the achievements of champion archers) can still be found in various parts of the neighborhood.
While archery training and contests were centered at Okmeydanı, oil wrestlers competed on a number of fields in and around the city. In addition to Okmeydanı, there were wrestling fields near the Theodosian Walls, next to the Süleymaniye Camii, in Kadırga and in Kağıthane. Contests between oil wrestlers also took place at the Topkapı Palace and, in the 19th century, at the Ayazağa summer palace in Maslak.
Oil wrestlers trained in İstanbul's wrestling lodges (pehlivan tekkeleri), of which there were several. The most famous of these, the Demir tekkeleri, were founded during the reign of Fatih Mehmet in the 15th century. In the 19th century the fates of wrestlers began to rise and fall according to the tastes and policies of successive rulers. In 1826, wrestling lodges were closed along with the Bektâşi lodges when Mahmut II disbanded the Janissaries. Mahmut II, however, continued to support some wrestlers and held matches at the palace.
Abdülaziz (1861-1876) included the best wrestlers in his entourage and had promising young athletes sent to the capital for training at a facility in İhlamur. Once Abdülaziz was removed from power, his wrestlers were sent away, some finding opportunities in villages like Maltepe, Beykoz and Dudullu and others traveling farther to earn their keep.
Wrestlers and wrestling returned to İstanbul after Abdülhamit II (1876-1909) was dethroned, and in 1911, a tent was set up in the Talimhane Square in Taksim for wrestling matches that continued throughout the month of Ramadan. Similarly, after declining in prestige and popularity due to the introduction of firearms, archery did not reappear until Atatürk reintroduced the sport in 1937.
Throughout history, sports have been linked with military training. Even today many Turkish men associate running, for example, with their military service. While private fitness centers and voluntary sports associations are on the rise in İstanbul, the city's sports culture still depends heavily on local and national politics, and inadequate urban planning restricts its development.
Note: most of the articles consulted for this piece were written by Cem Atabeyoğlu and appear in İstanbul Ansiklopedisi.
*John Crofoot is a runner and freelance writer in İstanbul.
24 September 2008, Wednesday
JOHN CROFOOT *

- Source : http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=154072&bolum=132