By DAVID COULTER david.coulter@hexham-courant.co.uk

Published at 09:38, Friday, 18 December 2009

PENSIONER Stephen Slater has proved that you are never too old to be on top of your game.

On target: Archer Steven Slater, from Acomb.

The 80-year-old, of Redburn Crescent, Acomb, is still regularly competing in the sport of archery and has just smashed the Durham and Northumberland Archery Association Old English longbow county record.

Stephen, representing Cleadon Archers, accumulated the record-breaking total of 235 at a competition held at Boldon Cricket Club.

He emerged victorious out of 80 entries after being required to shoot at 16 targets from varying distances, ranging from 20 to 100 yards.

The success has delighted the talented archer, who was proud to gain recognition for both himself and Cleadon Archers.

He said: “I was chuffed and the rest of the club was surprised but very pleased that it was me who won it.

“With my age, it surprised everyone because I am, supposedly, the oldest shooting member in the counties.

“It felt great for me, and for the club, because there was a lot of people there from across the region.

“It was quite an achievement so I am quite elated.”

Stephen has been a member of the Cleadon club since 1952 and has picked up a host of medals and trophies over the 57-year period.

Joining the club extended a childhood passion for bow and arrows, and has allowed him to carry out his favourite pastime.

He explained: “It is a thing that goes back in history because I used to make bow and arrows as a kid and it just went from that really.

“It was just what kids did at the time and, because we couldn’t afford toys, we made bow and arrows to play cowboys and Indians.

“My enthusiasm for it has never died and has always been there.”

In a sport which requires first class technique, Stephen has spent many a hour perfecting his stance with his 42lb old English longbow.

Once an archer has mastered the technique, they should have little problem succeeding he said.

And, after hours of hard work, the biggest reward of all is when you start hitting the target on a regular basis.

Stephen said: “I like the longer distances because you get a great deal of satisfaction from hitting the target, and scoring, from that range.

“Archery is a satisfying sport and nothing beats hearing your arrow hit the target from such a long distance out.”

Despite all the technological advancements in the sport over the years, Slater has chosen to stick with a traditional wooden bow.

He claimed that there was a lot more skill involved in mastering a ‘piece of wood’ than using the mechanically pulled crossbow that has become popular in recent times.

Stephen said: “If you are not enjoying any sport, it is immaterial and not worth being in it.

“You see a lot of people that have ‘wheelie bows’ but that takes less skill.

“Some people using these bows are more bothered about winning than having fun, so they get frustrated when they don’t win and don’t stick at the sport for too long.”

As a degree of strength is needed to shoot the bows, Slater makes sure that he can cope with the best of them by visiting the gym at Wentworth Leisure Centre, in Hexham, two times a week.

Despite suffering from emphysema and bronchitis after working down the coal mine at Westoe Colliery for 40 years, he battles the respiratory problems and is fighting fit.

The training, he said, had ensured that he has managed to compete in tournaments over the years.

He said: “If I didn’t go to the gym, I would not be as fit as I am today.

“Some of the chaps I compete against are only 20 years old and upwards so I have to be fit enough to manage that bow!”

And what does the future hold for the old-aged archer?

“I will keep competing for as long as I can”, he said.

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk