Archery

Timeline 1900 1904 1920 1931 1937 1939 1951 1953 1956 1961 1969 1971 1972 1982 1992 Now

Archery comes to the Olympics This Picture is of Henry Richardson He was an American archer who won two Olympic bronze medals. Richardson was the first archer to win medals at two different editions of the Olympic Games as well as the youngest medallist at the 1904 Summer Olympics at the age of 15 years and 124 days Back to timeline Archery joined the Olympic Games as a men's sport in 1900 in Paris.

Girls can do it too! Back to timeline Women archers began competing at the Olympic Games in 1904 in St Louis. This Picture is of Jessie Pollock She was a female American archer who competed in the early twentieth century. She won two bronze medals in Archery at the 1904 Summer Olympics in Missouri Back to timeline

Archery Disappeared!! Between 1920 and 1972, archery was not contested at the Olympic games Back to timeline

FITA The international governing body for archery, the Federation Internationale de Tira l'Arc (FITA), was founded in 1931. It took many years before all countries accepted the new international rules for competition Back to timeline

First use of bow-sights Millie Hill got the idea to make a sort of sight by attaching a black-headed pin to a piece of felt on the bow. Bow sights were first used at a Tournament in the USA with a 'sighted' archer, Emil Pikula, winning second place Original Bow Sights Used to look like this Back to timeline

Aluminium arrow shafts first used The aluminium arrow story begins in 1939 when James Easton first began to experiment with aluminium as an arrow- shaft material. Two years later, Larry Hughes was the first archer to win the American National Archery Championship while using aluminium arrows These are more modern aluminium arrows Back to timeline

Plastifletch vanes replaced feathers Max Hamilton introduces "Plastiflech" vanes to replace feathers Originally real feathers were used Back to timeline

Recurve bows were made Bear Archery develops and sells the first working recurve bows Previous bows were straight-limbed longbows like this one Back to timeline

First "Pistol grip" bow handle Hoyt Archery develops the first "Pistol grip" bow handle Back to timeline

Torque stabilizer Introduced Stabilisers are added to the bow to give it more stability when aiming. Stabilisers also balance the bow so it will sit comfortably in the archer's hand while drawing and aiming Back to timeline

Compound Bow Holless Wilber Allen is granted a patent on his invention of the Compound Bow Back to timeline

Andy Rimo develops the “Flipper” Example of a Recurve Bow Arrow Rest. The support arm of the rest is spring loaded and will 'flip' out of the way of the arrow fletch. Back to timeline

Archery, back at the Olympics Munich, 1972: Fifty-two years after its last appearance at the 1920 Games, Archery returns to the Olympics with men's and women's individual events. Reigning world champion John Williams, an 18-year-old army private, wins the gold, setting a world record for total score despite once completely missing the target. Back to timeline 1972 saw the beginning of the modern archery competition at the Olympic Games. The events began to use standardized forms and many nations competed.

Cam wheels on compound bows first appear Previous wheels where perfectly round. Back to timeline

Olympic flaming arrow The Olympic torch, in Barcellona, Spain is ignited using a flaming arrow shot by Antonio Rebollo of the Spanish Olympic Team. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match No longer does an archer merely pull back on a bowstring attached to a makeshift bow and let his often-misshapen arrows fly. Nocking points, kisser buttons, levels, stabilizers, contoured grips, sights and clickers have all become standard equipment. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match Laminated bows come in a rainbow of colours and can send an arrow hurtling downrange at 175 mph. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match Feathers have given way to plastic vanes that produce truer flight. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match Bowstrings, once made of barbers' linen or from sinew boiled in water and then pounded to the proper texture, now are made of nylon. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match When an archer prepares for a shot, the first thing he does is to fit his arrow on the bowstring. But he no longer has to worry about it slipping out of position; it will be held there by a nocking point, a small metal or nylon disk clamped to the string. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match A bubble-type level tells the archer if his bow is true or on tilt. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match Helping to assure the archer that he has pulled the arrow back properly is a little gadget fastened to the string, a plastic button that at full draw fits between the shooter's lips. Kisser Button Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match Stabilizers are steel rods on the front of the bow that help balance it while the forward hand cradles a form-fitted Pistol grip Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match With his aiming eye, the archer squints through a bowsight. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match When the bow is level, balanced, sighted in and comfortably gripped and when the kisser button is in place, there is just one more thing to do before releasing. That is to listen for the clicker. This fingerlike metal device on the side of the handle clicks when the tip of the arrow has been drawn past it. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match The clicker allows the archer to concentrate on aiming without having to look at his arrow tip to be certain he has pulled back exactly the right distance. Back to timeline

It's A Whole New Shooting Match With all this gear the bull's-eye opens wider every day. Back to timeline

The Modern Bow