[Archers] Interest to capitalize on

[Katherine Hawkins]

Events such as our Steppingstone Demo are ideal chances to get new archers.  We have over 225 people in attendance each year and we have worked with as many as 60 new archers.  Many parents would like to try their hand but we do not generally have enough help.


Lady Katarzyna Witkowska
Poeta Atlantiae
Seneschal, Barony of Bright Hills
 "Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history." ~Plato, Ion
 

________________________________
 From: Janyn Fletcher <janynfletcher at comcast.net>
To: 'John Atkins' <cogworks at triad.rr.com>; archers at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org 
Sent: Friday, July 20, 2012 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Archers] Interest to capitalize on
  

Message
I will only say that you can count on me going forward to promote Archery and these bigger events as much as I can. I will need all of your help to pull off these bigger events, but I am confident we can do it! Right after Pennsic I would like to get back to the discussion and planning for the Known World Archery Tourney.
 
In Service,
 
Janyn
 
 
From:archers-bounces at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org [mailto:archers-bounces at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org] On Behalf Of John Atkins
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 3:00 PM
To: archers at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Subject: Re: [Archers] Interest to capitalize on
 
Total agreement.  In my area, Sacred Stone, more people have either joined or tried the SCA because of target archery than any other activity.  But, as you say, what is most talked about is the heavy fighting.  Now in comparing the two to fight heavy one must buy armor, expensive, and "learn the basics", then get authorized, then they can play on a regular basis.  For archery a person can walk out to the range and say "that looks like fun, can I try?" and they get handed a bow and some arrows and they are trying it out.  No bruises, or worse, from "authorization" and no major cash outlay BEFORE they get to try it to see if it's really what they think it is.  And, as my nurse wife says, no physical damage that will come back to haunt you in your older age!  Plus, for archery size does NOT matter.  In heavy fighting going against a 300 pound guy BEFORE he puts on his armor is intimidating.  In target archery a 60 pound young lady can outshoot a
 250 pound muscle man.
 
So the question then becomes, what can we do to better advertise target archery?  One thing for which I am a major proponent is IF, big if most of the time, archery is included in a demo, it must be something that involves the crowd while displaying skill.  I love archery but watching others shoot is right up there with grass growing and paint drying.  Involve the audience and give them a reason to be interested.
 
cog
-----Original Message-----
>From: Jessica Mulligan [mailto:slaoen at yahoo.com] 
>Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2012 11:51 AM
>To: John Atkins; archers at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
>Subject: Re: [Archers] Interest to capitalize on
>Of course it is.  :)  How many of us read/watched Robin Hood books/movies as children?  When I took my daughter, Robin (can you guess what stories I liked as a kid?), to see Brave she was so excited because "she shoots a bow, like me!"  Growing up, I was either shooting while pretending to be Robin Hood, or swordfighting while pretending to be Madmartigan.  If I had known about the SCA back then I would have talked to my parents about joining.
> 
>I think the biggest problem is advertisement.  There is interest to be capitalized on, but we need to reach young people, and their parents.  I didn't know the SCA did target archery until I reluctantly agreed to attend an event at which my coworker was doing heavy fighting.  Up until then, the only thing I had ever heard about the SCA was that they did heavy fighting, and I only heard about that by word of mouth from heavy fighters.
> 
>We get a lot of newcomers who are interested in archery out at Wolfhou.  I'm not sure how many of them have been inspired by recent movies though.  The most common thing I hear is, "I've always wanted to try archery, but never had the chance."
> 
>Sanada Katsumi
_______________________________________________
Archers mailing list
Archers at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
http://seahorse.atlantia.sca.org/listinfo.cgi/archers-atlantia.sca.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://seahorse.atlantia.sca.org/pipermail/archers-atlantia.sca.org/attachments/20120720/237dd9e8/attachment-0003.htm>