But English Bowman has neglected to say that we are doing an exhibition shoot at the International Festival of the Sea held in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard end of June, begining of July. I love doing shows, [as Dan says, the exhibitionist comes out, grrr, just love those green tights!] it takes archery to the people, they may have seen lots of films but you still get an ooh ah when an arrow shatters on a helmet or takes a target in the throat, it certainly generates a lot of interest.
We will always get people coming up to us afterwards and asking where they can learn to shoot and conveniently Dan is one of three coaches on our team, who run classes at Fort Purbrook, behind Portsmouth.
This year, IFOS, nautical theme and all that, our display is based on the naval battle of Sluys, 1340, where Edward III used his archers to great effect and went on to win a great victory.
Thankfully we will be in a drydock and not on the water 'cos my mail shirt alone weighs 25 kilos and you tend to float like a brick with one of those around your neck! I am praying for cooler weather.
Typically, if we weren't down a drydock, we would also run a 'have a go' section using 'jelly' bows and blunts, targeting knock-down knights' heads sticking up from behind a castle wall. Kiddies [and grown ups too] enjoy this! And so do I, the grin on a kid's face when he, or she, hits the target makes a long hot day worth it and you never know, you may be instructing a future world champion. I have seen quite a few 'naturals'.
As always, safety is paramount. We have turned down 'gigs' when our safety rules could not be met, we are all experienced archers and are insured for any mishap.
Love it!