Archery can be practiced from eight to the years that come, it opens to everyone ». This is how the president summarizes … of the Biscay Federation of this sport, Octavio Rodríguez Andino, the wealth and the possibilities of an old and, in many cases, sport rehabilitator. It is a minority activity in the territory, with 510 federated, but who wants to expand and capture young fans. “In the Federation we are dedicated to the competition, to what takes you to the Spanish championships and the Olympic Games,” Rodríguez explains.
A total of 15 clubs are distributed by Biscay geography to promote archery. «It is a technical sport that requires, more than strength, skill, skill and training, a lot of training. It requires discipline. That is why it is a mixed sport. Force is not so important, but persistence. There are competitions in which a girl achieves a greater score than a boy. Sometimes the podiums are shared, it is very beautiful, ”says the president.
With the purpose of hitting the target of equality and increasing opportunities, in Bizkaia it was decided “in an assembly that if there were not enough women or men in the same age, genera could be unified so that both could obtain a medal.” In the Federation they have also opened «to the arc of diversity. We are all people and no matter if you feel a man, woman or neutral gender. The important thing in sport is to practice it and have skills to give to the target, ”says Rodríguez.
The disciplines of archery are in the field, outdoors, in room and 3D (volumetric figures to which they shoot in a forest). The divisions correspond to the arc types: barbow (bare arch, points with the arrow, not with a view. It allows to move along the rope and the face to point); Traditional (of wood body, is instinctively thrown, does not sign up); LongBow (typical English and wood body, arrows must be made of wood with natural pen, instinctive use); compound (pulleys); and recurvo (Olympic).
Therapeutic utility
Biscay archers are higher, those who exceed 50 years predominate. To rejuvenate the fans, the Federation, in union with the Diputación, has led to archery to school sport and created four schools that serve minors of Portugalete and Arrigorriaga; Sopuerta; the Duranguesado, Etxebarri and Igorre; and Getxo and Sopela. The number of students has grown from 99 to 150, with the prospect of reaching 200 and uploading the number of competitions to six. This approach to the modality will favor young people to federate through clubs later. Students can look at good shooters, with gold medals in Spanish championships, such as Javier Almagro, Santurtzi (Longbow), Lidia Cañete, Zaldibar, (Recurvo), Gabriel López Lamana, from Arkunautak (Barebow), and Esti and Javier Patino, of Arkulariak, (Gold in mixed team in the field).
Arch’s kick has an facet unknown to most. The Paralympic version was born to rehabilitate physical disabled. «Women operated with breast cancer, which can be mastentomized or not, pull with an arc, which is usually made of wood, without silencers to cause vibration. It is not thrown taking into account the laterality, but where you have operated to work the musculature of that part. The arch cannot be very power because the important thing is to work the muscles, but not force. They pull larger targets. They also throw people in a wheelchair, without a limb, with cerebral palsy, blind … », Rodríguez says.
The president of the Federation meets Octogenarians who come to throw «superfelices because, although they are little power arches, the vibration of the arc makes them work the musculature of the back in a fun way. They state that their back hurts because the musculature grabs the bone and has less lumbar pains, although knowing how to do things.
