Channel your inner Katniss: Archery is cool again thanks to The Hunger Games

Archery is on trend thanks to the latest Hunger Games, says Liz O’Brien. 

KATNISS Everdeen makes it look so easy and so very cool.

But archery is an ancient skill that takes practice, precision, mental and physical strength and discipline, all of which Katniss has of course, in abundance.

If you don’t know who Katniss Everdeen is, then you probably haven’t watched ‘The Hunger Games’ - a series of films adapted from novels written by American author Suzanne Collins.

The books have taken the world by storm since the first was published in 2008 and when movies followed shortly after, the hype escalated making The Hunger Games a worldwide phenomenon and its main character Katniss - played by Jennifer Lawrence - a role-model to women.

She’s even helped spark an increase in the uptake of archery worldwide and closer to home.

Ireland’s biggest archery clubs - Dublin Archers, Wicklow Archers, Greenhills Archers Club and Cork City Archery Club – have seen a noticeable spike in interest.

Set in the nation of ‘Panem’, the Hunger Games is a televised-competition that sees 24 contestants - one boy and one girl aged 12-18, from each of Panem’s 12 districts - fight each other to the death, until just one remains alive.

The final movie of the series -The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 – opens in cinemas from November 20; so ahead of its release I decided to see what all the fuss was about. I teamed up with Cork City Archery Club for a crash-course in archery, and to try to give Katniss a run for her money.

I met Pat Daly, CCAC’s secretary – who fitted me with safety-gear, measured me for my bow and arrow and told me all about the ‘surge’ of interest in archery among youth.

“It has achieved a lot more prominence with The Hunger Games coming in to existence,” he said. “It’s a popular media, it’s popular among girls of a certain age-group that’d be influenced by it, Katniss would be seen as a particularly strong role model - it’s the whole independent woman taking on the man.”

According to Pat, archery attracts all ages – CCAC’s members range from eight to 80 years. Pat’s daughter’s involvement in the club triggered his interest in archery, after many nights watching her shoot targets he decided to have a go; then he became club secretary.

It’s no secret that the club’s PR officer Karyn Barry joined CCAC because of her interest in The Hunger Games. “I have always had an interest in archery. I suppose everyone does growing up watching Robin Hood and wondering if you would be able to look as cool doing the same thing, however I never had a chance to experience it until a friend told me that the Cork City Archery Club existed.

“I was a massive Hunger Games fan from the books and with the release of the first movie my interest in doing archery grew even more.

“Katniss is one of those fierce women and she can use a weapon that requires skill, so when I found out about the club I joined.” She completed a beginner’s course in 2013 and afterwards bought a bow and arrow; she was hooked.

And truth be told; I can see why.

Once Pat had taught me the basics, I was raring to go.

Standing shoulder-width apart, my left arm outstretched holding my bow at face-height; I pulled the bowstring close to my nose.

Eyes on the target I released my arrow and watched it sail high in to the air. I’ll be honest, it took a while to hit the target and I quickly realised that archery wasn’t as easy as I’d expected it to be.

It gave me enough of an adrenalin rush to understand why CCAC members Conor, Saoirse and Emma describe the sport as ‘exhilarating’.

“At head-to-heads you can feel that weight on your chest and it’s pure adrenalin pumping but you have to be so calm, it’s great craic,” Saoirse said. “It’s really a performance sport.’” The three teenagers started with a beginner’s course in 2012 – one class a week, with a trained instructor, for six-weeks costs €85; equipment is supplied. Now they can shoot distances of up to 70-metres and like Katniss they can handle a bow and arrow with ease.

Emma’s initial interest in archery developed after reading The Hunger Games, it was further spurred on while watching the 2012 Olympics; that’s also what reeled Conor in. They have now honed their skills to such a high-standard that they compete at a national level. Conor is one of five club members on the national Junior Development Squad comprising 15 archers; Emma and Saoirse are trying out for the team. As for me, my crash-course with Pat certainly tweaked my interest in archery, and like many others I can’t wait to see Mockingjay – Part 2. Karyn Barry expects it will bring a new wave of enquiries.

“Every time a new Hunger Games movie comes out, or now even The Avengers, or movies where there’s an archer involved, there’s always a spike in our waiting list. Even better yet, whole families can partake in it together.”