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Un article sur les SOA dans le magasine de tir à l'arc allemand "Compound Magasine 01/2017. Excellent !!!

Traduction en anglais aimablement fournie par Julia Rieger. Un Très grand merci à elle au nom des romands qui ne parlent pas bien l'Allemand ! :-((

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SoA was featured in a German Archery magazine !!

Here the text in English:

Sons of Archery – A worldwide group of free archers.
An Interview with Thomas Colclough, the driving force behind the Sons of Archery.

Many of us know the TV series Sons Of Anarchy about a motorcycle club, ot let us call it rocker gang, and their history. Thrilling and well performed, the series gathered a worldwide fan society. Very well done is the logo of the series, the reaper with scythe and automatic rifle. The logo of the Sons of Archery looks near by, instead of scythe and rifle, their reaper stands with bow and arrow at full draw.

I saw the shirts with these logo on many tournaments and events over the last year. At the last 3D-Championships in Germany, I have got the address of Julia Rieger, one of the driving forces behind the German chapter of the SoA. This was it first and small info. A search on Facebook lifted up some more information, but not as much as I need for an article. So, where is the phone – will be much faster.

Got her at the door and she gave me a short briefing about the Sons of Archery. My first estimation was close by, but far away at the same time. The Sons of Archery are organized in international chapters, like the Sons of Anarchy in the TV series. But that is all. For a close look behind the scene, I have got the mail-address to Thomas Colclough. Thomas, an irish archer, is the founder of the Sons of Archery. So I could get a close look behind the courtain – no, no, there are no hidden secrets, but a first-hand account.

CM:
Hi Thomas, great that you can give me more information about the phenomenon Sons of Archery. I saw the shirts on many tournaments in Germany. Looking on the web, I have found a few information on Facebook. The SoA is a worldwide spreaded group of archers. The logo is inspired by the TV series Sons of Anarchy, I suppose? Was it only a gag, or is there more behind? When did you founded the Sons of Archery, and how many members do they have? What was the idea behind? I know, that are a lot of questions, but, start with you want to.

TC: Hi Elmar. .The designer/creator/owner of Our logo is Oscar Penate. Oscar wanted a Cool design for himself and some of his friends, and is an excelent Designer. He is also a big fan of the TV program Son's of Anarchy. So his first design was with his club name , He sent the design to his friend , Jose 'Bena' Benavente, . Bena then asked for it to be modified to have Son's Of Archery Spain. . So the shirt was born. Bena is a very active Archer and proudly wore the shirt at international competitions. Then he made some for friends in France and Germany.
A good friend of mine Jose Luis Martinez posted a picture on Fb , and I thought it was fantastic.

The idea!
However the design had a different meaning for me.
I have been involved in Archery for almost 30 years, and was often excluded from shooting with friends in competitions because of Archery Politics. Also excluded from shooting in parts of Ireland because Politics, .The Reaper is widely know as a symbol for death, and in death we are All Equal, No exclusions , No politics, No Bullshit. No Color
So I was given permission by Oscar and Bena to make a chapter in Ireland., I also started the Facebook Page/Group Sons of Archery about 4years ago.
We currently have over 1800 members spread over 33 countries Worldwide.

CM:
Thomas, how would you describe the current position of the SoA in the world of archery, and what are your goals for the SoA?

TC:I believe the current position is the same as original concept. We are Son's of Archery, We love our sport with all the different styles ,ages, nationalities,
My goal for SoA is simple , Let it Evolve ,
If you are an active Archer you are very welcome to join our group. There will never be a SoA Munich London,Dublin California. There is already too many divisions in the World and we are about Inclusion not Division. So if any member wants to wear Our Logo, It will be with your Country name, ie Germany France Ireland etc etc.

CM:
Are there any rules if someone wants to become a member? In the TV series, you have to deserve your spurs as a prospect to get the full membership. How is this managed at the Sons of Archery?

TC:The only rules are you Must be an Archer, We are not affiliated to any association ,federation,or governing body . We are Sons of Archery .. Whatever skin color nationality,religion,political views, you have it has nothing to do with us
We are just Sons of Archery
Have respect for all other Archers in our Group.
Anyone who wants to join can just send a request to the Group page , I will look at their FB profile , If they are an active Archer they normally have Pictures on their Profile Page , If I cannot see any Archery then they are declined. If I see they are only selling , they are declined. This is a Group for Archers not a For Sale Group.

CM:
You say, the first principle is ″Archery in Cooperation″, by whatever means. Archery first, despite style, release or not, sight or not, technical or traditional, gender, age. What was you intention, focussing these principle? I saw some dissonance between traditional and technical archers very often, on many tournaments, fairs and other events. The trads are mocking about the long time a compounder may need to release a shot. On the other hand, the compound archers are mocking about the long time the trads need for searching and finding arrows.

TC:I will never tell people how to behave at competition. I have shot with longbow ,recurve, compound Archers . I have huge respect for all Archers no matter what style. Because anyone who can control their shot to place the arrow in the spot deserves that respect. A Compound Archer can miss the spot just as easy as a Trad Archer, A compound Bow is probably one of the most Technical pieces of Archery equipment out there. However The skill of shooting a Longbow acurately should never be frowned upon. Just like a Compound shooter the Longbow shooter rqeuires long hours of practice to perfect his/her skill.

CM:
Thomas, I know, that the SoA is not only a virtual group. Are you meeting other chapters in Europe or worldwide for a shot? And what is your prefered type of archery? Indoor, Outdoor, Field, 3D or FITA?

TC: The German members organised a Gathering last year in the beautiful Collenberg Parcour.I attended with some of the Irish members, It was Amazing to meet people that I would only see on Facebook. Real people with their families and friends, not just Fb Friends. These are people who gave up their weekend to go to Collenberg to meet other Archers they had never met before.
Because of their love of this sport,
The members in France have organised a Gathering this year, .This probably is the best part of SoA. Because this is where people meet each other and befriend each other,as a result of the SoA Group.. I attended EBHC in Austria where i met lots of members these are memories I will keep forever.

I shoot Indoor, Outdoor Target ,3d ,Field. But to be honest I love 3d shooting , Especially the International Competitions.

CM:
How can I get the nice shirts? What do I have to do for it? Nothing beside the law, I suppose? ;)

TC:The shirts are only available to Members If you are a member Just ask on the Group Page , and someone will direct you to the person who can help . We are not a Shop. We are not a Business. We dont keep a stock of clothing, Everything that we have is made to order

CM:
Thomas, what does the Sons of Archery means for you personally? You are the founder, it is your baby. Are you happy with the development of the last years?

TC:I am very happy with the development of the group. I believe that the members are the Life and Soul, of the Group.
Personally it gives me great Joy to be part of this group.
There are so many different levels to Archery, Social,Competitive, Technical, Teaching,etc etc. . When I see pictures of members proudly wearing the Reaper at competitions, fun shoots it makes me really happy.
There is so much knowledge in this Group, and if any member needs help with their Archery , there are World Champions here that give their advice and knowledge freely,

CM:
What are your plans for the Sons of Archery? Or, let me spread the question, ″Where will the Sons go in 2017 and beyond?″

TC:2017 will be a very busy year for me. . There is the Gathering in France, I will attend the IFAA World Indoor champs in Romania and the World Bow Hunter Champs in Italy.and I am sure there will be lots of members at these competitions . I am a Level 4 Master Instructor with the IFAA, and Level 3 Coach with USA Archery. This keeps me very busy.

CM:
Thomas, thank you for the insights. It was very, very interesting. I hope that the goals and principles of the Sons of Archery find favour in the archery community worldwide. Maybe we will meet on some tournament. Thank you for the nice talk.

TC: My hope is that other Archers do not look at us as a Cult, We are just normal people , Normal Archers. We are proud of our sport, and have a passion to shoot the Bow. Some of us will never be great Archers. Some of us will never compete. Some of us will never win a Medal. But that one moment when we put all our energy ,concentration, focus, on the Target , then the string is gone that is the moment of pure bliss. .
Thank you so very much for your interest and for taking the time to ask about SoA.