Canada Day weekend went by quickly, spent at a wilderness camp in the area, enjoying nature, taking pics of wildflowers now just starting to appear with some sunshine.
I also had the opportunity to read a book with some buzz, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, understanding there has been an upsurge in archery interest connected with the book.
The read was enjoyable, a page turner to the very end, complete with romance, plenty of adventure, intellectually satisfying with an underlying message and philosophy.
No sensationalistic assaults, explicit sex, or long, drawn-out redundancy to undermine the well-written story.
Katniss Everdeen is a 16-year-old girl, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister.
They live in one of the 12 districts surrounding the shining capital, in the ruins of a place once called North America and known now as Panem.
The districts are kept in line by the harsh and cruel capital officials, all forced to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death, participating in the annual Hunger Games and shown on live TV.
Katniss steps forward to replace her sister who regards an entry into the games as a death sentence.
Participants are chosen based on a lottery selection among poverty stricken families with children in the applicable age range.
Survival for Katniss is second nature, having been close to death before, she became a contender, making choices concerning humanity, life, and love.
Hunger Games left me feeling empowered, ready to take on challenges in life, with emphasis on focus, and a raised level of consciousness.
Archery targeted
At the most recent Youth Activity Committee meeting in Chase, Tim Kenning of Tim’s Archery World, was acknowledged as an active leader working in the area. In addition to lessons at his shop, as a certified The National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) instructor, Kenning teaches classes at Chase Secondary.
Administrated by the BC Wildlife Federation, NASP was initiated as a pilot program in 10 schools across the Province.
The program has since engaged more than 4 million school children in archery training as part of the regular curriculum in schools around the world.
When Kenning was asked why the connection with increased archery interest and the Hunger Games, he said “The main character uses a bow and arrow as her weapon of choice.”
Learning discipline and training to put everything together to make that perfect mark is what archery is about. Kenning said.
“It’s no different than golf that way, consistency and practice are important to success.”
Though the skill is ancient, today’s bows and arrows are more high-tech, made of composite materials,
Kenning said every bow sold from his shop comes complete with three hours of lessons and setup, with safety paramount.
Kenning came to Chase from South Africa in 2008 and Tim’s Archery World also has a small collection of African animal heads mounted on the wall. “That Genet was road kill,” he said, pointing to a ferocious looking ocelet-like animal.
Archery is a skill for survival, progression in self development, relevant in terms of all life’s activities today.
The Hunger Games is inspirational in terms of strength of character, the bow and arrow a symbol.