As I have now described our club, it seemed somewhat more logical to just give you, the visitor, some idea of the sort of person I am.
I have been the Anchor Bowmen Club Secretary for a number of years now, and I have been an Archer for a wee bit longer.
Another of my hobbies, and the reason that I am typing this information is that I like to use the Internet.
I'm not a great expert compared to many – just a "Mr Average" as far as the Internet is concerned. I am an Engineer for the Open Reach communications company (which used to be known as part of BT Retail) and I have been working for them, or its predecessors, ever since I left school (The Summer of 1980). Apart from Archery, my hobbies tend to be kept to things I can do. I spend time on the computer (hence this site), I garden and I also Paint and Draw (see what I've done via my Home Site)
I am married to Cathy, who's a Deputy Ward Sister at the local hospital, and we have two kids – my eldest, Liam, is a very tall teenager, whereas Laura (whose image you may have already seen on the site) is our "baby" – and it she who is really, really into Archery – entering many of the local competitions.
In the scale of things – Laura is the Archery fiend of the house, followed by myself. But, and it’s a big but for me at the moment, I am being held up – as I type this – as I have a damaged back, so I am taking normal Archery very carefully – and I am shooting NO competitions at the moment.
Cathy, can , to some extent, “take it or leave it” as far as Archery goes, and finally Liam has so much else to do that he has problems prioritising (if that’s the correct way to put it) what he would like to do first. My guess is that Football/Rugby comes first for him. I have to admit – unlike his dad, who was never really any good at any sports; Liam seems to pick them up without any problems what so ever. He used to play Football for the Park Tigers Junior Football Club, for whom he now Coaches.He also plays Rugby, badminton, tennis, Table Tennis, he fires a Longbow of a Barebow when taking part in Archery – what more can I say. Laura, on the other hand, plays Netball. When she shoots, she is one "with the dark side" – (You'd have to know a Long Bower to get that joke) . Laura uses a Compound Bow. This is quite unusual for a girl, as there are not many lady Compounder's out there (this is, however, slowly changing) . She does take part in various competitions, having done so for several years. She has been included in various County and Regional squads – with some notable success. As I have already mentioned, although he started as a Recurve Archer, Liam is now a Long bower, although the term Barebow is more accurate. I was a Recurve shooter in the beginning, but I am slowly, but surely moving over to the Compound Style of shooting – although I have tried many of the other disciplines. At the moment, I tend to have a "half and half" existence. Some of the time I have the full Compound experience, with sights, balance bars and all. But, occasionally I go Bare Bow, another week Wooden Arrows and an American Flat Bow. There is just me, a bow and a set of arrows; one made of modern materials, the other old style wood, bow and all.
I must say, in some respects, I prefer it. It’s simple, straight forward.
But then, on other days, I like to be "modern". Well that's a basic run down of me. I'm an ordinary sort of fella – I’m nothing special, I just try my best.
