British great-grandfather David Sherry, 79, is taking on competitors decades younger in archery, and very often winning.
He was the oldest competitor in the French 18m Archery Championships in Paris in early March.
“I shoot in almost all the indoor competitions and continue, thankfully, to be successful and am privileged to be in good health,” Mr Sherry told The Connexion.
The sprightly septuagenarian took up archery relatively late in life, joining his local archery club in Villiers-Saint-Frédéric, in the Yvelines department, when he retired 14 years ago.
He had the distinction of being the only British member.
“I was made so welcome and have made so many friends,” he said.
Entering archery competitions was the next logical step for Mr Sherry, who has not lost his competitive spirit.
“There are not many sports where you can still excel at 80 and l must admit I do get some satisfaction from bettering the younger guys who think you are past it at my age.”
“But whether you are competitive or not it's a great sport, I get lots of support at all the competitions from my French friends.”
He says he has never lost his competitive spirit and takes great delight in bettering the younger guysDavid Sherry
While archery attracts people of all ages, bows can be heavy, which makes the 18m competition, which Mr Sherry took part in in early March, more of a level playing field.
“The 18m competition is inside and conducted during the winter (which is) interesting for me because younger and stronger archers don’t have much of an advantage,” he said.
Mr Sherry can still shoot at longer distances of 50 and 60m, but competitors with stronger bows have an advantage.
“With equipment, the older one gets the less muscle one has so to shoot with a certain fluidity a bow less strong is the answer.”
Many ageing archers, he said, either stop shooting altogether or change to a compound bow, which is easier to draw.
But despite the advantage younger and stronger archers have at this distance, Mr Sherry is proving a formidable opponent.
“I competed last year at 50m and won on both occasions,” he said.
Mr Sherry was born in England, and spent his childhood travelling around because his father was in the RAF. The family eventually settled in Anglesey, north Wales, a country with a strong tradition of archery, Mr Sherry explained.
“In the middle ages they were considered the best archers, sadly shooting the French,but fortunately they don't hold it against me!”
Mr Sherry was working in the construction industry, which was experiencing a downturn in the 70s and 80s, when he came to France on a skiing holiday and decided to stay.
“I had always loved France, had spent many holidays here, and felt strangely comfortable here, I also wanted to learn another language,” he said.
He ended up starting a language school which he sold upon retirement in 2012.
Today, the father of four, grandfather of seven and great-grandfather of three receives strong support from his family.
“My family is always interested in my archery antics… A great-grandfather (archer), that must be a first!”
But while foreign archers with French licences can take part in French championships in the qualifying rounds, they cannot compete for the individual title in their category.
This is something Mr Sherry is hoping to remedy by starting the process of applying for French citizenship.
“I have shot in two national championships and if I continue to shoot well I would love to return next year as a French national and who knows, win. I've always been an optimist!”
Integrate with archery
Martin Pike, a friend of Mr Sherry’s and an archery club trainer in France, said there were a "surprising number of Brits shooting in the area” and many had found it a great way to experience local life.
“Archery is open to people of all ages, shapes and sizes, including those with handicaps. Joining a local archery club is a great way to integrate and make new French friends,” he said.
Mr Pike, who has been elected to several of the national archery federation’s (FFTA) commissions, was recently appointed to the executive committee of the new sports federation, Viser Juste, which aims to raise funds for archery-based social projects. Click here for more information and to make a donation.
