17 April 2012 - South African National Championships a success

South African National Championships a success Lausanne – 17 April 2012   The South African National Archery Association (SANAA) held their national championships in the University Town of Grahamstown, where archers from all over the country came together to compete for the title of national champion.     The South African National Championships were well supported by neighbouring country Namibia. South Africa have been driving para-archery in the region, and for the first time, a full complement of CMO archers were on the line, proving that the sport is game for all. The championships were also used as a demonstration of how archery is being used as a means of physical rehabilitation, when some 20 young para-archers, eagerly assisted by the competitors who gave up freely of their time to coach, gave a demonstration of their skills—all earning themselves a gold medal (photo).   The first day consisted of a FITA round which established the national champions, followed by a 720 Round and eliminations.  According to Barbara MANNING, Secretary General of SANAA, "These championships were a progression as it was for the first time that we ran the mixed team event between our eight provinces".     "The mixed team event was a highlight for all the archers as many of our archers have not been exposed to the international line, as this was a first time event", she added.   The seven judges on duty reported that this was one of the most smoothly-run tournaments in which they have officiated in, enjoying the experience of having to judge the mixed team event.   According to National Judge Noneen KNOX, "The tournament went so smoothly, and without incident that we were almost bored. It is because of the infrastructure that SANAA has created over the years which has ensured a smooth tournament".   Namibian team manager Rudiger WOORTMAN, who travelled with his team of 12 archers over 1800 Km to compete at the Championships said "Our goal is junior development where we aim to expose the youth to international competitions. The exposure is beneficial and helps us to develop the sport in our country. The tournament is also a way of allowing us to learn and identify new techniques including mental techniques, and to allow us to get out of our safety zone".   "We hear names of archers very often and by exposing our archers to the real live archers in South Africa, it gives them something to strive towards and establishes new goals".   "We welcome the opportunity to shoot against our neighbouring archers and expose the youth to this type of competition. It allows us to determine the level of archery back home and test our competition skills", he concluded.   Namibia who are the reigning compound men's champions of the continent proved their skills by taking home a bunch of medals across all categories.   The 62nd South African National Championships were used as a selection for a number of events in which South Africa will be competing this year, including the Stokes Mandeville para-archery Championships (Great Britain), the 3rd Stage of the Archery World Cup in the USA and the University Games (Spain).   Results and photographs of the event can be found on the national federation's website www.sanaa.org.za.   Selwyn MOSKOVITZ / SANAA Edited by World Archery Communication