Article and images courtesy George Tekmitchov.
The Easton Archery Centre of Excellence hosted a week-long training camp for 70 archers from five countries following The Vegas Shoot 2017, offering a chance for some nations to get a head start on the road to Tokyo 2020. Athletes trained together, simulated world-class competition and received advanced technical support from resident archery experts.
Japan’s full 16-strong national squad was joined in sunny Southern California by members of the French senior and junior teams; Australian senior and junior teams; Canada; the USA Olympic team, Easton Centre resident athletes and members of the US junior development squad.
“This week’s activities are just the start of what we hope will be regular and wide-ranging archery camps and technical support for teams from across the world,” said centre director Keaton Chia.
The schedule included plenty head-to-head matchplay, plus shooting custom archery rounds designed to increase the mental capabilities of archers, high-speed video evaluation, motion capture and brainwave analysis.
“Camps, cooperative training and high-level instruction for aspiring archery Olympians are key aspects of my father Jim’s vision for the Easton Archery Centre of Excellence,” said Easton Foundations President Greg Easton.
“The great sportsmanship and cooperation that was so apparent among the participants of this week’s event really underscore all that’s great about international archery.”
Similar camps are planned in the lead-up to the next Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.
“We are able to create a custom experience – and offer some of the best weather in the world – and want every country to feel welcome to contact us to see how they can leverage our facilities as the Games draw closer,” added Chia.
The Easton Archery Centre of Excellence in Chula Vista, CA, USA opened in October 2015 and offers programmes for archery development at every level, from beginner to Olympian.
