Shooting Arrows at the Castle
(Originally Published in Barcelona Metropolitan, May 2004)
Juan Martinez gestured to a line of archers standing in the former moat outside the castle of Montjuic. It was a brisk Saturday morning and they squinted, poised in the sun. The points struck targets with soft distant thuds as Juan talked with an odd blend of intensity and calm: “The most important thing is to take a class first. Anybody can go to a sports supply store and put down some money for equipment and a license. But there are so many types and styles, and every person’s body is different. It’s impossible to find the right bow unless you’ve got someone to advise you.”
Martinez is a member of the Associació Excursionista D’Etnografía I Folklore (A.E.E.F.), one of numerous clubs with permission to use the archery range at the foot of the castle. Three dozen archers, whose ages ranged from seven to 70, were spread out in small groups. Juan wasn’t there to shoot arrows, but to go over plans to add more stalls for the five new clubs that have joined the Federacío Catalana de Tir amb Arc (FCTA).
The FCTA gives a rough estimate of 1,500 members in Catalunya. These are people who shoot either as a hobby or for competitions. Their Web page, www.fctarc.org, lists events in the area that take place about every two weeks. In competitions, points are scored in range events by landing an arrow within concentric circles worth between one and 10 points. There are, however, numerous kinds of competitive events, but not everybody shoots to compete; many –if not most—simply prefer the private pleasure and cameraderie. The basic personal traits of a good archer are patience, steadiness, discipline and balance –both physical and mental. The focus that archery demands flourishes in Kyudo, a Zen practice which is considered as much a way of life as a martial art.
At first, it would seem unwise to combine a bar with archery lanes, but L’Arquer on Gran Via, directly across the street from the Rex Cinema, has cleverly done just that. “We were written up in Marie Claire Paris as the ‘only archer bar in Europe,’” said Jordi Hamadi, manager of L’Arquer. Inspired by Antonio Rebollo’s dramatic lighting of the Olympic flame in 1992, the bar opened nine years ago. With wrought-iron chandeliers, three-metre tall mirrors along the walls, low light and the ever-present flow of chill-out music, the places looks and feels like a medieval Post-modernist French officer’s club. “We get some serious archers in here, but also a lot of people who just want to unwind after work by drinking a few beers and shooting some arrows. Many people who have never shot a bow in their life come here for ather first time,” said Hamadi.
The staff offer basic instruction on technique and scoring, and the lanes are rented out in increments after the first half-hour at five euros per quarter hour. Weapons are provided at no extra cost. For anyone who is simply curious what it’s like to shoot an arrow, it is an ideal place to begin.
However, those who seriously want to consider dedicating time and money to the sport should first take a class with one of the numerous clubs around, said Maritinez. “A lot of people think the best equipment is also the most expensive, and they spend €1,500 on something that doesn’t even fit their body.”
He holds up a Hoyt bow with a light-weight aluminum grip. “You can get one of these for about €400. And it has won many tournaments. Many. “
Membership in the A.E.E.F., for example, costs only €30 per year, plus €6 for unlimited use of their 10-metre range set within first-century Roman walls at Avinyo, 19 in the Barri Gòtic. Even nonmembers are invited to take their six-week, 27-hour course for €36, which is a real bargain. “It’s not about making money,” said Cristina Lloré, president of the archery section of the club. “It’s about bringing more people to the sport.”
But, caveat lector. This passion for archery seems to pierce the breast of many who originally pick up a bow and arrow out of nothing more than mere curiosity.