For 14-year-old P. Yashoda, archery is a serious passion. She took up the bow and arrow when she was around 12 years old. In a two-year span, the youngster bagged a gold medal at a national tournament held in New Delhi in September last and continues to aim higher.
“It was an overwhelming feeling of both accomplishment and excitement to win the medal,” said the young archer, who was introduced to this sport during a summer camp held at her school campus.
Her sister, P. Lahari, is an equally passionate archer having participated in district, State and national-level competitions. “Our parents encourage our love for the sport and ensure that we practice well to get better at it. We would definitely like to continue archery, give it our best and dream of representing the country one day at the global level,” said the sisters.
Yashoda and Lahari are among the 30 young archers getting trained at the GVMC Summer Coaching Camp. At the crack of dawn, the two venues of VUDA Park and AU Football Ground bustle with high energy as the archers flex their arms and reach for their arrow, following instructions of their coaches from the Visakha District Archery Association.
Getting popular
Over the years, archery has gained immense fame as a major form of sport. Its transformation has been significant – from a form of warfare and a tribal game as considered in this part of the country to a sport with immense fan following. Archery is making a comeback and that too, with a bang.
When asked about the reasons behind the growing popularity of this game, P. Kishore Kumar, joint secretary of Visakha District Archery Association, explained: “When the association was formed in 2000, the founder P. Satyanarayana would conduct summer camps at colleges in the city to popularise the sport. In the initial years, we would have less than 10 people showing interest. But now there has been lot of awareness for the sport. Also, archery enhances your ability to focus, flexibility and core strength – the factors that people give importance to now.”
