Paralympic Archery is governed by the South African National Archery Association (SANAA) in terms of the President exercising his right under Article 12 of the Constitution which allows the formation of Sub-Committees, with specific assignments.
This was the wish of the para-archers when they met in Johannesburg in mid January 2012 to discuss the road forward and to vote on the structures that would grow para-archery.
SANAA is incorporating the governance and management of this program, previously handled through the SA Sport for Physically Disabled, with hopes of unifying archers competing within the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The South African National Archery Association (SANAA) Para-Archery Committee has just been elected and has begun the year with a number of plans over the next few months after meeting in Johannesburg for a new dispensation to raise the profile of para-archery.
Under the auspices of Archery South Africa (ASA), all interested parties were invited to attend a meeting to decide the future of para-archery in the country. The meeting was attended by ASA President, Marietjie Kleingeld and chaired by ASA vice-president, Selwyn Moskovitz.
After debating the road forward, the delegates opted to request SANAA that Para-Archery South Africa be an independent sub-committee of the national federation until they were able to form their own national association. Accordingly, the SANAA Council will be ask to consider this proposal.
A positive response will result in members of Para-Archery South Africa having their license to shoot in competition being issued by SANAA, allowing access to international tournaments, including the Paralympics, where both the recurve and compound categories compete. Para-archers would then be able to earn National and Protea colors for their members.
At the meeting, the new committee was elected. Shaun Anderson was elected chairperson, with committee members Hennie Myburg (Athlete Mapumalanga), Joey Swart (Archers representative Eastern Pprovince), Catherine van Zyl (Expert Advisor), Aurelle Medalie (Physiotherapist), Chisto Myburg (Athlete North Gauteng), Dr Hans Myburg (Medical), Ria Kaal (Specialist Coach), William Brown (Coach), Elizabeth Barry (Classifier & physiotherapist) and Ilza Anderson (secretary).
Amongst the import issues discussed was the impact of belonging to an archery family and the positive impact that archery has had on the disabled. The committee welcomed the news that South Africa would be sending a fully funded team to Stokes-Manderville in July to compete in the world ranking para-archery tournament. Plans are underway to utilize the existing structures nationwide and to grow the sport as a means of medical rehabilitation.
In addition, the discussions included plans to create communication hubs to better inform other associations of the area of para-archery.
"We will be able to further integrate the Paralympic Archery program into all our activities by bringing the Paralympic Archery program under our umbrella," said Selwyn Moskovitz, SANAA President. "Our para-archers have seen some great successes over the two years and the promotion and development of Paralympic Archery is an important facet for us to further develop and expand across the country."
The Paralympic Archery program has reached some significant milestones over the past few years, including participation at the Stokes-Manderville Championships, Para-Archery World Championships in Italy, our National Championships and more recently in Bloemfontein where we had five para-archers on the line in our indoor championships.
"The Para-archers have competed at Archery tournaments for years and it's great to now be an official USA Archery group," said Shaun Anderson, the newly elected chairperson of Para-Archery South Africa.
Depending upon the individual athlete's disability they are classified into one of four classifications that will provide an equal competition platform for both men and women.
The four Paralympic Archery classifications are:
W1 (AR1) Archers - have disability affecting upper and lower body, use wheelchair for mobility and have some loss of function in hands and/or arms; no peep sights or magnifying sights and maximum draw weight of 45 lbs. for men and 30 lbs. for women.
W2 (AR2) Archers - use wheelchair for mobility but have good hand and arm function. Able to shoot recurve bow from wheelchairs, following World Archery rules.
W3 (ARST) Archers - have a physical disability and shoot from a standing position, many use a stool or a support while feet are on the ground, and compete with recurve bows, following World Archery rules.
Open Compound - archers who fit into one of the above categories, but choose to shoot a compound bow following World Archery rules. World Archery rules allow a peep sight, magnifying sight, a mechanical release, and maximum weight of 60 lbs.
Another division of Paralympic Archery is the Visually Impaired Division currently competed only at the World Championships.
The archers follow the guidelines for ranking and elimination rounds as established by World Archery, the international governing body. Ranking rounds of 70 meters are shot during even number years by both men and women of all classes, which includes the Paralympic Games. A FITA Round is shot during the odd number years with all women and AR1 men shooting distances of 70, 60, 50, & 30 meters, which includes the World Championships. The FITA Round of 90, 70, 50, & 30 meters distances is shot by AR2, ARST, and Open Compound Men classes.
The visually impaired archers compete in their own round, which consists of 144 arrows at 30 meters; 36 arrows shot at a 60 cm face; two rounds at a 80 cm and 122 cm faces.
Para-Archery's goal for the future is to transition the Paralympic archers into all facets of the sport, with high performance archers participating in international events.
For more information about para-archery, contact Ilza Anderson
2012-2012 Para-Archery Committee Shaun Anderson (Chair) Hennie Myburg (Mapumalanga) Joey Swart (EP) Catherine van Zyl (Expert Advisor Physiotherapy & Special needs) Aurelle Madele (Physiotherapy) Chisto Myburg (North Gauteng) Dr Hans Myburg (Medical) Ria Kaal (Specialist Coach) William Brown (Coach) Elizabeth Barry (Classifier & Physiotherapy) Ilza Anderson (Secretary)
