In brief: Jersey Evening Post reporter Oliver Kidman visited the Jersey Archery Society at Crabbé for a coaching session with former GB compound archer Lucy O’Sullivan. Under her guidance, Kidman progressed from missing the target entirely to consistently hitting the bullseye, all within a couple of hours. O’Sullivan, whose credentials include two World Cup Stage silver medals and a Commonwealth Games appearance, is a passionate advocate for the sport’s accessibility and mental health benefits.
Bullseye Beginnings at Crabbé
There is something wonderfully humbling about picking up a bow for the first time and discovering that what looks effortless on television is, in practice, considerably less so. Oliver Kidman, writing for the Jersey Evening Post, found this out first-hand during the latest instalment of the paper’s Tryout Thursday feature, returning to the targets of the Jersey Archery Society at Crabbé more than a year after a previous visit with Island Games medallist Heath Perrett.
This time, Kidman’s guide was Lucy O’Sullivan, and the credentials on display were formidable. O’Sullivan has claimed two World Cup Stage silver medals, two World Championship medals, and represented her country at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. If you are going to learn archery, you could do considerably worse.
The early stages were, by Kidman’s own candid admission, not pretty. Shooting at a competition target from 10 metres, several of his first arrows missed the board entirely and buried themselves in the bank behind. For context, competitive archers shoot from distances such as 70 metres. The gap between beginner and elite, it turns out, is not merely a matter of distance.
The O’Sullivan Method
What transformed the session was O’Sullivan’s coaching approach: patient, observational and precise. With each round, she stepped in to make small adjustments, covering everything from posture to aiming technique, and the improvement was rapid. By the end of a couple of hours, Kidman was hitting the target consistently and occasionally finding the bullseye. O’Sullivan, the JEP reports, was genuinely impressed.
The session’s undisputed highlight came when O’Sullivan attached balloons around the target for Kidman to pop. He cleared the entire supply, and reports the satisfaction as difficult to overstate. It is the sort of detail that makes you want to book a session yourself.
O’Sullivan is clearly as effective an ambassador as she is a competitor. She described the sport’s benefits in straightforward terms: “Archery’s been so good for me, mentally and physically. Mentally, it’s been really good for me, because it gives me a clear, calm focus. We’re out here in nature, it’s relaxing and I absolutely love it.”
She also made a compelling case for the sport’s inclusivity: “No matter your height, shape or ability, archery is a sport for everyone. There are even disabled archers out there who do it with their feet.”
A Sport for Everyone in Jersey
One of the more striking aspects of Kidman’s account is the calibre of company available to beginners on the range. During his session, Island Games medallist Francis Rocha was shooting alongside him. In most sports, a newcomer does not find themselves practising next to international-level athletes on their first proper outing. In Jersey’s archery community, it appears to be entirely routine.
For anyone inspired to give it a go, O’Sullivan outlined two clear routes in. Both the Jersey Archery Society and the Archers of Jersey hold have-a-go weeks and run six-week beginner courses covering safety, equipment setup, eye dominance and shooting technique. Those who cannot wait can also visit Creepy Valley to pick up a bow and try it informally before committing to a course.
Contact details: Jersey Archery Society at jas.membership1955@gmail.com and Archers of Jersey at archersofjersey@gmail.com.
Source: Jersey Evening Post
