Shoot an arrow through an apple (but not off someone’s head).

It may have been Swiss marksman William Tell that shot an apple off his son’s head but the National Archery In The Schools Programme (NASP) is hosting a Robin Hood Shoot The Apple as part of the NASP SA Schools Archery Championship October18 in Cape Town.

Hundreds of school learners now take part in archery following the efforts of the Section 21 non-profit that works to establish archery as an alternative to the main sporting codes. Their motto,  improving the lives of children one arrow at a time, has been instrumental in changing the lives of children who have been marginalised in the schools due to their non-participation in mainstream sports. According to NASP’s Jacques du Preez, the sport does not require exceptional strength or absolute talent, to succeed. “This is a sport that rewards hard work as can be seen in the incredible improvement in the scores of the Western Province children in the last while,” he says.

Apple and pear marketer Tru-Cape has decided to sponsor the shoot the apple event, at the Bastion Primary School, Brackenfell, as part of their #GrowingPotential campaign to capture the attention of children in healthy-lifestyle environments.

Conrad Fick, Tru-Cape Marketing Director says: “Tru-Cape doesn’t have the big budgets of fast-food and sugary-drinks companies but has to do what we can to attract children to the benefits of eating fresh fruit as a healthy source of energy and nutrients. Tru-Cape especially likes the message that people can become expert at archery with practice and that physical strength, or fitness, is not necessarily a requirement for success.”

See www.NASP.co.za for more.