Archery

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Competitive Archery - is "the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows at a target with the use of a bow." The sport calls for pinpoint accuracy from a set distance or distances and requires nerves of steel on the part of the athletes. And while they maintain their composure, it's thrilling for the spectators to see an archer hit a 2.5 inch target for a "bullseye" from a distance of 229.66 feet (70 meters). Loading

What to watch out for:

The object of the sport is simple: To shoot arrows as close to the center of a target as possible. Adding to the challenge is the fact that the athletes compete with recurve bows, distinctive in that the limbs curve outwards at the top.

Men and women compete separately, both as individuals and in teams of three.

Archery jargon:

Boss – the target, usually a square black block made of compacted foam, to which the target face is attached
Bowman – an athlete
Draw – the act of pulling back the bow string in preparation for shooting
Nock - a notch at the end of an arrow that attaches to the bow string

What the Judges look for:

Scoring judges are positioned in a protected area or blind behind the targets and come out to score when shooting is complete.
The spotters are stationed at the opposite end of the range by the shooting line using telescopes to record each archer's arrow values.
Scores are determined by these values and the closeness of the arrows to the target.

More... You can find more details about this sport, and others, in the great infographics we found for the summer games (as shown above) that give you visual insight into the individual event. For many of the winter games, you'll find in-depth explanations at this site with more fun visuals. And if you'd like to hold some mini events that mimic the big Olympic Games try these mini games and relay race ideas in your own backyard.

CHART BELOW: We added these winter "one-pagers" to our Sports Know-How category in time for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) that were held in January 2012. We got inspired by the 2012 London Summer Games to add to our Summer Sports category. We'll be adding sports periodically so keep checking back. If the titles are shining brightly in white text, they're ready for you to click on! ^.^

Summer Sports
Archery	Water Sports ( + Triathlon - Pentathlon)	Barrel Racing	Trampoline - Artistic - Rhythmic	Martial Arts
Athletics	Beach Volleyball - Table Tennis	Equestrian	Soccer	Cycling

Winter Sports

Curling Long Track Speed Skating Luge Ski Jumping Cross-Country Skiing

Figure Skating Short Track Speed Skating Bobsleigh Alpine Skiing Nordic Combined Skiing

Ice Hockey Snowboarding Skeleton Freestyle Skiing Biathlon

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Archery

Archery jargon:

What the Judges look for:

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