They are not many, but it is striking to see them in any field on the island. They are the archers of Lanzarote, a group of 40 fans of this sport, who wanted to tell their experience to La Voz. They belong to the Club La Flecha de Mácher, which was founded in 2007, and is chaired by Stefan Weaiand, with the help of the secretary Silvia Franke. This team wants to tell their adventures so that the practice of this sport becomes known in Lanzarote.
Today, Club La Flecha is one of the most important archery associations in the Canary Islands. In Lanzarote, archers of all categories train, that is, with traditional recurve bow, Olympic recurve bow, longbow and compound bow.
They even have a summer school, where last year 31 new archers were trained. According to reports from the club, between July and September the "novices" were able to enjoy initial training and received the first instructions. All of them obtained the license of the Canary Islands Archery Federation.
Now the club has a wish, which it hopes to fulfill in the near future. Its objective is to offer a permanent 3-D installation, a widespread but little-known modality by the general public. It is practiced outdoors, in forests or open fields and is shot against targets that represent animals.
A place to practice the sport
Lacking these facilities, for the moment Club La Flecha organizes its 3-D tour in the facilities of "Lanzarote a Caballo". "Due to its natural location between two ravines, the terrain is ideal for this purpose. For the archer it is a real challenge. Targets are shot at varying distances, often on rough terrain and sometimes at unknown distances. The ground is pure lapilli, which prevents the arrows from breaking," they indicate from the club.
The next 3-D competition is scheduled for this spring in a huge area of sand, located between San Bartolomé and the Villa de Teguise, extending to the beaches of Famara. Here the archers will be able to demonstrate their skill. "There is only sand, more sand and sand as far as the eye can see," they point out.
New competitions
At this time, Club La Flecha is trying to get the municipality of Haría to let them organize a competition in the surroundings of the Mala dam and the ravines, a place they consider "ideal" for practicing this sport.
As this sport is not very well known in Lanzarote, to participate in a competition this club has to travel to Fuerteventura, Tenerife or Gran Canaria, where this modality is practiced. However, they assure that this discipline is booming and that more and more people are signing up for the courses offered by the club in Mácher throughout the year.
