Archery Catches Fire Outside the Theater
Katniss Everdeen is doing more than just drawing audiences into theaters. Thanks to movies like The Hunger Games and Lord of the Rings, archery is also flying high.
“Hollywood adores archery for the moment,” said World Archery secretary general Tom Dielen in a Sports Illustrated article. He manages the federation of a sport that is seeing an increased interest since competitors made an impressive showing at the London Olympics.
But the movies are making a big impact on the local level as well. Archery clubs across North America are experiencing a rise in the number of people who want to learn the sport.
“Whenever a Hollywood movie comes out with archery as a major component, we see a huge spike in interest,” said Brian Struthers in a Calgary Herald article. He’s the president of the Calgary Archers club. At this year’s fall registration, the club had people lined up around the building.
But what may be most interesting is the number of girls participating in the sport. While Robin Hood and his Merry Men have been flinging arrows in the movies for decades, today’s films are showcasing more female characters behind the bow. Along with the character of Katniss, Susan Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia and the animated Merida in Brave are girls with impressive archery skills. And that’s encouraging more young women to pick up the sport.
With
