The Skill of Ski-Archery

Historically used as a weapon for hunting or in combat, today archery is primarily a recreational activity. Archery is sometimes referred to as an art, rather than a sport, and it certainly takes a lot of skill to propel an arrow, by means of a bow, with the accuracy required to hit a target, whether stationary or in motion. Ski-archery, also known as ski-arc, combines the skill of the archer, with the strength and endurance of cross-country skiing in a sport that is gaining quite a following.

It is believed that ski-archery has its roots in the Scandinavian countries, with the first documented evidence being a picture from the mid-1500s of a skier carrying a bow, poised in the shooting position. Ski-archery was established as a sport in the mid-1980s in Italy, and has gone through a number of refinements before being recognized as a competitive sport by the governing body of archery – Fédération Internationale de Tir à l’Arc (FITA) – in 1991. The ski-archery craze soon spread from Italy to France, Germany, Slovenia, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand and the USA. The International Biathlon Union (which represents a similar sport, but with shooting) and FITA combined forces to develop ski-archery as a recognized competitive sport. As of the northern winter season of 2006, FITA became the sport’s official international governing body.

In a ski-archery competition, the archers carry their bows and arrows in a specially designed backpack during the skiing section of the event. Over the 12 kilometer distance for men, and 8 kilometers for women, competitors shoot one end of four arrows every 4 kilometers. In one of those ends, the archer is required to shoot from a kneeling position. The archer’s feet may not lose contact with the skis throughout the competition, so when kneeling to shoot, although the archer may loosen his/her skis for comfort, the feet must remain in contact with the skis. Targets, which are 16 centimeters in diameter, are placed 18 meters from the archer. For each target that is missed, the archer is required to complete a penalty circuit of 350 meters before continuing with the race. The first competitor to cross the finish line is declared the winner.

Archery has come a long way since it was first invented for hunting, possibly in the late Paleolithic or early Mesolithic periods (more commonly referred to as the Stone-Age), with competitions currently being held for target archery, field archery, 3D archery, clout archery, crossbow archery and flight archery. Ski-archery adds yet another challenging dimension to this ancient art.

Cross Country Ski Association Gets Olympic Grant

It’s official – the Central Cross Country Ski Association (CXC) is one of the grant recipients of the 2009 Olympic Opportunity Fund. The financial support provided by this facility will no doubt go a long way to helping the association with its Support Adaptive Ski Program efforts.

The Olympic Opportunity Grant Program was begun by the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2007 as part of efforts to give sport organizations in the U.S. financial aid. At the start of 2009, the decision was made to extend this program to Paralympic Sport Clubs, member organizations of the USOC Paralympic organization, and any veteran and military organizations that are currently working to help injured military personnel and veterans through the development of certain Paralympic programs.

According to CXC Executive and Athletic Director Yuriy Gusev, the organization has already been developing adaptive cross-country skiing programs for several years. Commenting on the grant, Gusev said: “Receiving this grant is a new and very exciting step for our organization. CXC is looking forward to offering free loaner equipment while partnering with ski areas, events and local ski clubs to provide the opportunity of cross country skiing for individuals with disabilities, including military personnel and veterans.”

One of the highlights of the CXC Adaptive Program is the putting in place of numerous Opportunity Centres in the Central Region. As part of these efforts, various ski clubs, parks and ski areas will be offered free stand up and sit skiing equipment on loan so that they can provide this service for paralyzed skiers. A number of instructors and coaches at each location will also be given additional instruction and certification in order for them to provide adequate instruction and help.

Commenting on the choice of CXC for the grant, Chief of Paralympics (USOC) Charlie Huebner said: “We are proud to invest in the incredible work of Central Cross Country Ski Association. Together we will have a tremendous impact on the availability of Paralympic sports programming and be able to provide more opportunities for persons with physical disabilities and injured service members to participate in Paralympic sport at the community level.” No doubt he is right and these efforts will go a long way to helping people with physical disabilities to adopt a healthier lifestyle.