Among his many attributes, Apollo was the God of poetry, dancing and the sun. He was also the God of archery. In 2021, he must have been smiling down upon a small corner of the Algarve as the GPP archery club of Portelas won the General Henrique Godinho trophy and, in doing so, became national champions. David Lugg speaks to Carlos Pacheco, the sports director of GPP (Grupo Popular das Portelas), about how winning the trophy was not even in their thoughts and why, first and foremost, GPP is a social club for the community.
Please tell me a little about the club.
This is a community club with social activities such as dancing or BTT (all-terrain mountain biking) where people can meet for a drink in the cafe or play cards. Archery is just one part of the club. We only have between fifteen and twenty members who practice archery.
Is archery a popular sport in Portugal?
Not yet, but it is growing. In Portugal, we have two federations of archery – firstly, the Portuguese Archery Federation (FPTA), which is the archery that you will see at the Olympics. They only use two types of bows – the compound and the Olympic. Then there is the Federation of Archers and Batsmen (FABP), which we belong to. This federation uses all types of bows, such as recurve bows, longbows, crossbows – everything. These are used in field archery, hunting archery, even historic archery where we compete in castles.
How did you get into the sport?
Throughout my life, I have played all kinds of sports. I am also a football coach. But now that I am 53, I practice archery as a way to relax. I meet people at the club to have a good time, but I also like to compete. So, after we have finished the competition, we always have lunch or dinner together.
There must be many physical and mental benefits to playing archery?
Yes there are. Archery really helps you relax, but with this type of archery you need to walk. It’s not the type of archery where you just stop and hit a target. You walk up and down hills trying to discover the targets.
I understand that you have just been crowned national champions? Could you tell me about the competition?
Within our federation, there are four different championships. There is ‘medieval’ archery where we dress up and compete within a castle. There is also ‘hunting’ archery, ‘field’ archery and ‘indoor’ archery. Each time you enter a competition you can score points and the points get added up throughout the year. At the beginning we didn’t realise that we were doing really well, but towards the end we really fought for it. We were very lucky, but we became champions.
Now that you are champions, what is your next goal?
In June, four of five people from the club will go to the European Championships in France where they will be representing Portugal. Then at the end of August, we will have the European Championships of Medieval Archery in the castle of Óbidos.
That’s amazing. What a location! So, how do you mentally prepare yourself for such a tournament?
That’s a good question. Archery is largely a mental sport. If you have a bad day at work and you try to compete, it can be difficult to focus. When I go to a competition, it is important to sleep well. When I get up, I don’t rush. If you are late for a competition and your heart is pumping, you don’t do so well.
Where do you practice?
Our club is located in Portelas (near Lagos), but our training ranch is in downtown Lagos at the Parque Júdice Cabral. We meet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after 4 pm.
Does the club accept new members?
Yes. The club is open to anyone of any nationality. It is for men and women of all ages. There are people who compete that are around seventy-five years old. We already have extra players for the new season, but we are always welcoming new people to join.
If you are interested in joining the club, contact Carlos on +351 917 166 666 / arcobestagpp@gmail.com
