Inspired by The Hunger Games, Kate Leaver always believed she might be incredible with a bow and arrow. In her early 20s, she watched the film every Saturday night, imagining herself as Katniss Everdeen. A decade and a half later, she booked a class at Warringah Archers in Sydney's northern beaches to test her fantasy.
Arriving at the Range
Doubt set in as she arrived at the large open field. Memories of finishing 93rd out of 100 in a primary school cross-country race and taking three hours to complete a 20-minute navigation course flooded back. She wondered if she should be allowed to pick up a weapon.
The class had 14 participants, aged seven to 60, and two instructors: Ben, who qualified for the Olympics but said it was too expensive to attend, and Elizabeth, who claimed to be 'the mean one' but seemed perfectly lovely.
The First Shots
Ben measured each person for bows, handed out three arrows, and reminded them not to aim at anyone they did not wish to kill or maim. They stood straddling a line in the grass, left shoulder towards a target 10 metres away. Inhaling, Leaver lined up an arrow with trembling hands, pulled back the string, and watched it sail past the target into the grass. Beside her, her boyfriend shot his arrows directly onto the target, earning praise from the instructor.
Feral Determination
Leaver spent the past four years mostly horizontal, recovering from long Covid, while her boyfriend is obscenely fit and able-bodied. However, she made up for lack of physical prowess with feral determination. She stomped through the grass, retrieved her arrow, slowed her breathing, and blocked out everything around her. She took her time, aimed, and struck the target again and again. Each hit resisted the urge to do a victory lap, fearing an embarrassing death if struck by another student while gloating.
Overcoming Pain
The only downside was the pain from retracting her elbow into her left breast with such force it felt bruised. A veteran archer suggested a shield on that side. Though made of mesh, it looked extremely cool. Boob safe and spirits high, Leaver moved on to the first challenge: bursting a small balloon taped to the target. She pierced it on the first go, describing it as a high like no other. She slipped the ripped balloon skin into her pocket and nearly cried.
Hitting the Stress Ball
Next, the instructor attached a small red stress ball to the board and said, 'You have to get this one dead centre to pierce it.' Leaver did it twice. She has not shut up about it since. For two hours one Saturday morning in mid-winter, she was incredible with a bow and arrow.
Reflections on the Experience
The pierced stress ball now sits on her mantlepiece, propped up on the lip of a small glass jar. Every day she looks at it and thinks, whatever else may happen in her life, maybe if she wants something rabidly enough, she can make it happen.
