As a child, Samira Duncan would watch television shows, movies and documentaries featuring persons with the arrow and bow, and she fell in love with the thought that one day she would be aiming for the bullseye.
Fast forward to 2022, and the ambitious Duncan has not only fulfilled that dream, but she would be representing the Golden Arrowhead in archery in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at the Inter-Caribbean Development Championships in September this year.
The sport involves aiming an arrow with bow held tightly, and firing the sharp-ended object at a target set at various distances on a range.
Lord of the Rings fan, this multi-talented young woman, who studied psychology at university, is also an ardent player of the violin. She also has a knack for information communication technology (ICT). She is referred to as a wizard, but archery lies close to her heart.
The former Bishops High School student told Guyana Times that she has been involved in the sport some five years to date. “Archery is a sport that I saw on tv as a child watching Lord of the Rings, watching Legolas, or any movie that involved archery,” she said.
She said she fell in love with the sport, and one day she grabbed the opportunity while on the shooting range with her father. “I wanted to do archery immediately,” she said of that experience.
Describing her experience as “amazing since from the beginning,” she said she learnt to be better disciplined from the sport. In addition, the sport entails the need for exercise and good posture.
Overall, her skills have seen her being designated one of the best female shooters in the Guyana archery circle, a sport which is still in its embryonic stage here. She said she has attained pivotal skills over the years, and she is now able to teach others how to be an archer.
“I want to encourage the sport more here, because it’s fun and can be used as a great stress relief,” she added.
Started her own club
Historically, archery has been associated with hunting or combative activities, but, as time evolved, it has become a sport or a recreational activity. In addition, the sport is seen by many as male-dominated, but as one of the few females involved in the sport here in Guyana, Duncan is encouraging other females to get involved in archery.
“Actually, I have since started my club,” Duncan has said. She said the number of females who have joined is more than she expected. She said, too, that they are even more willing to participate in competitions, “and it has been a great experience so far.”
As regards her chances in Santo Domingo, Duncan has said she would be putting her best foot forward. “I cannot say what my chances will be, at this is my first time shooting against people on an international stage, but I do know that I will practise and try my best, as I am very excited to go to my first international competition,” she noted.
