I returned to Korea to put my skills to the test in competition. Here, I finally achieved my goal of representing my club and Seoul city on Korean soil, impressed with my shooting form, led the scoreboard, got a prize medal and became the first western female to formally take part in the District and the Korean Traditional Archery (KTA Women’s National Championships.
I will not go into the depths of history here, nor discuss the informal competitions (games); information on those is readily available in Professor Thomas Duvernay’s book on KTA. My aim is to provide an insight into the experience of being involved in a formal, traditionally run competition. It is a uniquely Korean world, with its own pace and rules, one where westerners don’t usually go.
FORMAL COMPETITION: TYPES
Most common types of formal competitions are district, inter-city, national and grading events. District competitions are very popular and populous, partly because logistically they are more convenient to attend. Here, all the local clubs in the city or province compete against each other in a series. These series normally take place twice a year, but dates are not fixed, and they are largely dependent upon weather conditions and the ability of the venue to host a said number of people. District competitions typically take place after the rain season when the summer heat
