Empire Archery

18/03/2026

Jayden came to try archery yesterday, i think we have converted another person to the best sport in the world!
After one arrow he said 'im going to buy a bow' 😁
Glad you enjoyed yourself Jayden!

For anyone interested in making a $35 leather shoulder harness, please feel free to reach out. They have minimal adjustability but are great to get anyone started. Either triggered from the shoulder, by a cord, or via the chin.

10/03/2026

Does anyone else use the weirdest things as training aids?

Introducing 'el chapo' ! Patent pending 😜

Alex is giving a great demonstration on how to use this training aid, to keep his fingers in a relaxed position during the entire shot process.

It prevents his fingers from adding extra flare, and eliminates sideways torque that could be introduced by the muscles in the palm.

Always think outside the box!

08/03/2026

Happy International Womens Day to these powerhouses of the para archery world!

Keep reaching for your goals ladies, anything is possible when you can surround yourself with great people.

05/03/2026

I found an old photo of Mark at an Australian Paralympic Team Green and Gold event in late 2024.

Mark is well into the swing of things, building his own shoulder harness basically overnight, and adapting his grip (version 1.0) to the shooting style required.

He had a great day at the range, chatting to our engineer friend Dr Shane and amazing physio Dr Courtney who both have special interests in prosthetics and adapting equipment.

Exciting changes to come!

04/03/2026

We're prepping our very first W1 mixed team for their first international event in four weeks time!

Not everything goes to plan, but we can control the controllables for now.

Our equipment order hasn't arrived yet although our supplier is doing their best, but we've had an amazing friend to the para group step up and give us an identical bow to shoot in preparation for the new bows arrival.

A massive thank you and shout out to Matt McDougall . We couldn't have done this without you!

Overall it has been an extremely productive (and long) weekend, with engineers, prosthetists, and a whole squad to manage, but we got there as a team.

Check out these little cuties though!

01/03/2026

I also get to do things that aren't archery related. Which is not this haha!

I had the absolute pleasure of introducing my fellow Queensland Academy of Sport Gen32 para coaches to archery (also making them sit through my slide presentation on para archery).

There's some talent in the group for sure! If they ever wanted to give up coaching and start shooting, i know an archery coach!

Thank you to Sunshine Coast Archery Club for having us along for the day!

01/03/2026

Surround yourself with great people and they will always have your back!

Today was a big session on Teams Matchplay. Many of the developing archers hadn't experienced teams matchplay so it was a great opportunity to expose them to something new.

As always, with something new comes the added pressure of the unknown. This is why we do what we do at such a 'young' age, so that it becomes normal once archers get to their first competition.

Making the uncomfortable, comfortable 😊

Queensland based sports psych Mathew Grey always leads a great chat post event, allowing us to reflect on pressures, emotions, and experiences during the session.

Thanks also to Dr Courtney and Dr Shane for their assistance with the prosthetics today!

20/02/2026

Marcus was back at the range with us yesterday! New harness and new bow in hand, and absolutely smashing it!

Gaining strength and coordination will be some of the biggest challenges, but luckily he has a super supportive mum, and a great team at UQ ParaStart program.

The future of para archery in Australia is looking great 🏆💪

10/02/2026

Check these guys out! Super proud of you all 🏆

🎯 World Archery Para Series | Teams Announced

Archery Australia is pleased to confirm the athletes who will represent Australia at the World Archery Para Series in Bangkok, from 31 March – 4 April.

Compound Men’s Open: Patrick French & Jonathon Milne
Recurve Men’s Open: Richard Davis, Thomas Holland & Stuart Hume

Men’s W1: Christopher Davis
Women’s W1: Rosie Attard

Team Manager: Graham Winston
Coaches: Ricci Cheah & Sarah Fuller
Performance Support: Lauren Mackay

08/02/2026

Im slipping, sorry ☺️

I'm so busy these days, i forget to post, so here's another few photos from the last few weekends with the Brisbane based para group.

One week we are working on a skill based game, the next we are working under time or scored based pressure. Both to learn something about ourselves what pressure does to our mental and physical state.

We want to be the most prepared we can be, before travelling overseas and taking on the world. Becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Pressure makes diamonds 😉

23/01/2026

The amazing Emily shot her second tournament, after taking some time to learn more about her shot process.

She effectively doubled her initial QRE (qualifying and ranking event) score from her first tournament! 🥇🏆

In archery, a QRE can be shot, to obtain an MQS (minimum qualifying score) to put towards selection for a squad, national team or program.

Soon archery will re-ignite the previous pathways program into a Futures program where athletes like Emily can use scores (amongst other things) to obtain a place in the program.

For now, Emily is showing that she is motivated and self driven to achieve her goals.

21/01/2026

It's been a hot minute right?! The world is moving fast at the moment and it's hard keeping up.

Here's a highlight from this week. Our first W1 combo is gearing up for their international debut together.

If anyone remembers Rosie's journey only started 12 months ago (almost to the day!). Now she's about to pair up with the 'veteran' of the National Squad, Chris, to jump on a plane and go places to do things!

Excited is an understatement 💪🏹

Australian Paralympic Team Archery Australia