Winter 2024/25 and Grant Update
As the 2025 Outdoor Season is upon us it seems a good time to give you an update as to how the last 7 months have gone. I ended last outdoor season with several days at Lilleshall for the National Disability Championships and the National County Team Championships. I shot five WA50m rounds in two weeks and gained a lot of experience in head-to-head matches and single arrow shoot offs, each competition qualifying and finishing around the middle of the table. This was a positive end to the outdoor season for me and gave me lots to work on during indoors. In the National rankings I finished 69/143 and in the Welsh Archery Association rankings I finished 5/17, both reasons to be pleased and showed improvement on the previous season.Going into indoor season saw a move to a new club which gave me greater, independent accessibility and much more shooting time availability. With this move I had a plan in mind, to take the indoor season a little quieter and work on some new processes with my coaches. I’ve really enjoyed, and got an awful lot out of, spending many weekends in Stoke Mandeville with the British Wheelchair Archery Association (BWAA).I’ve shot a few indoor competitions: Deer Park Archers Inclusion Series; Chester Indoors; NWAS and Indoor Annual Portsmouth and the LAA Indoor Championships. These have seen mixed results, but they were expected with all the changes to form and process that I’ve been making, which was my main aim over the winter.The penultimate weekend of March I finished my indoor season shooting at the Civil Service Archery Association (CSAA) National Indoors and tri-way competition. What a fantastic event between the CSAA, BPAA (British Police) and RAFAA (RAF) and one I’ll look forward to returning to. I came away with silver in the individual Women’s Compound and with gold as part of the overall winning CSAA team in the tri-way shoot.March was a good month as mid-way through I also found out I had been awarded a grant from The Worshipful Company of Fletchers for a new archery specific wheelchair back. I am beyond grateful and know the positive impact this will have on my shooting longer term. This new back falls well within the limits for the height of a wheelchair back as I moved forward on my archery journey, and I know a lower chair back will benefit me in working on and improving the use of my back muscles and a more consistent release technique. Since I started archery in October 2022 I have gained so much, it’s not just a hobby, it’s become an important part of my life. I have ongoing battles with my mental health in light of what I feel I have lost as a result of my long-term conditions, but archery is the one place I always take myself to, it’s my peace and solace. Any archer knows how frustrating, challenging and unpredictable the sport can be, yet it’s one big family and it’s given me so much joy back in my life. Receiving the grant for the new chair back will enable me to continue to grow and give back to the sport that has already given me so much.I look forward to everything the Summer of 2025 has to offer me and owe The Worshipful Company of Fletchers a great deal of gratitude for their continued support.