My name is Lou, and I need your help. I am an Instructor at Lykopis Archery in Vancouver, a traditional and historical archery school. The chief instructor and owner of Lykopis is Patricia Gonsalves. We are passionate about horse archery as a historical martial art and have been building a new program to teach Historical Horse Archery in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Patricia and I have an outstanding opportunity to attend the Train-the-Trainer Bootcamp with Christoph Némethy at the Némethy Horseback Archery Academy, from this 27th July in Pomáz, Hungary. Over the eight-day intensive, we will: Learn from the most experienced and established coaches in the sport Expand our skills and broaden our understanding of historical horse archery techniques Learn more training approaches to better instruct our students Form personal connections with other horse archers and coaches from around the world Through those connections build the strength of our horse archery commmunity here in Canada ABOUT THE CLINIC Christoph Némethy is a three time European Champion in horseback archery, a qualified archery instructor, and horseback riding coach, continuing his family’s long tradition of excellence in horsemanship. The Train-the-Trainer Bootcamp is an unique opportunity for us to access rare skills and knowledge. Christoph Némethy’s dedication to improving the sport through coaching excellence is second to none, and we are excited to have the opportunity to learn from him and his staff. The Némethy Horseback Archery Academy in Pomáz, Hungary has more than a decade of practical educational programs for competitive and sport horse archery, and has an international reputation for excellence within the sport. The Academy and their coaches are known for facilitating close professional cooperation with foreign horse archery organisations, and are renowned for their efforts to strengthen local and cross-border friendships. All of these aspects would benefit the young sport in Canada. The value of connecting with like-minded coaches cannot be overstated, as I know personally from previous experiences attending Japan Karate Federation-Wado Kai Technical seminars as well as Australian stage combat certification workshops. I have found that attendance at such clinics gives me access to technical expertise that cannot be found outside of these environments. In addition, the networking and sharing of experiences with like-minded practitioners from all over the world leads to deeper connections about the material and within the community. I know that all of these things will inform our teaching and coaching moving forward. OUR VISION FOR HISTORICAL HORSE ARCHERY IN BC AND CANADA We have a vision: to create a world-class school where people can learn and practice horse archery safely, informed by historical techniques to enable horse archery for those who may not have access to a horse, or those who are not able to practice where their horses live Horses give us the gift of seeing ourselves as we truly are, here and now: they reflect our thoughts and emotions back to us if we take the time to pay attention. Horses also require balance from their riders, physically and emotionally. Archery as a martial art also requires us to stay focussed in the present moment, and like all martial arts teaches patience, perseverence and the value of practice. As a combination of these two disciplines, horse archery is a gateway for us to understand our true power and strength. My personal teaching methodology is informed by more than 23 years of martial arts experience and more than 19 years of experience as an instructor. Patricia in addition has over 30 years experience, training and instructing ancient and traditional archery weapons, tools and techniques. We learn by our mistakes, but I also like for my students to learn from the mistakes I have made. Every student arrives with different experiences, skills, learning styles and body mechanics, and I excel at addressing what each student needs, lesson by lesson. YOUR DONATION While Lykopis Archery has covered the airfare for the trip, which is a significant investment by the school, there are several other costs to account for. We are hoping to fundraise for the additional costs: clinic fees ($1950 CAD) accommodation ($900 CAD) travel fares, meals and other expenses ($900+ CAD) Asking for help is scary, and like many people, I am used to being fiercely independent and just making things work on my own. This has not always played out in my favour. However, I have come to realise that the connections and support of all of you wonderful people is truly important. As horse archers, we are at this interesting intersection of vibrant and passionate communities of horse people, archers and martial arts practitioners. In bringing these groups together we hope that our vision will grow faster and with more emotional investment from all these walks of life. It is through such connections and support that all communities are strengthened. We are hoping with this fundraiser to be able to concentrate on learning and honing new skills and approaches to sharing knowledge, instead of being anxious about how to cobble together enough resources. Just as we need your support to attend this intensive, so will the connections we make during the clinic help to support the growth and continuing development of this sport in BC and Canada. We will return with invaluable perspectives, techniques and connections, and hope to share these across all the spheres in which we operate. By donating to this fundraiser, you are contributing to the continuing development of the accessible and safe study of this ancient and historically important martial skill.
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