Bullseye!

Elsjen Wilders proudly flourishes in archery competition!
Mariselle Stofberg
Quincy Beukes

Elsjen Wilders took part in an international archery competition, proudly representing Namibia. The best sixteen Namibian archers participated in this competition. The competition is known as the NASP African Competition in which Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa participated. The competition was hosted by South Africa at Paarl on 3 and 4 May 2019.

According to Wilders, the competition was a completely different experience: “The environment and energy was on a different level. Unfortunately, the weather was really cold, windy and rainy. To make matters worse, the ground was very muddy that made it impossible to find equal standing, but I adjusted well. I am used to shooting outside, but at this competition we shot inside. What an unexpected change!! I never thought this would happen to me. At the beginning I had to adjust to it, but, surprisingly, I find it easier to shoot inside than outside now. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would take the challenge again.”

Wilders proudly excels in school archery tournaments, usually finishing first in every competition she participates. This competition was no different. In the Bullseye event, she drew with Leonise Human from Gobabis for the best Namibian girl. In addition, she finished as the best Namibian girl in the 3D-animal event.

When asked how she found the competition, Wilders responded, “There were more people than I expected and that I am used to. Obviously, discipline was strict but everyone was disciplined. My opponents were very competitive, especially those from South Africa. They were not enjoyable competition because they were rude. They tried very hard to intimidate me. Contrastingly, the Zimbabwean competitors were extremely nice. They encouraged me and made me feel comfortable by taking the stress away. The first flight shot was very stressful for me. After a while I was used to all the spectators and the competition became easier. I was interviewed to encourage other people to join archery, which was fun. The group that came from Namibia was an incredible group. I feel like we build good friendships and we all had a really good experience. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would love to do it.”