#Archery July 12

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When it comes to ARCHERY there are many folk lore names that come to mind. William Tell and Robin Hood are two to start out with.

Howard Hill is often billed as “The World’s Greatest ARCHER” and I never heard of his name until I started some research. Alabama is where Howard was born (1899) and where he died (1975). He was a fantastic high school athlete and he continued as a college student, playing baseball, basketball, and football at Auburn Polytechnic Institute (a name it was known by from 1899-1960) which is now called Auburn University.

He paid his way through college by giving ARCHERY lessons during summer vacations.  Hill graduated from API in 1923 and began to focus entirely on anything that had to do with the bow and arrow.

He excelled at all three branches of the sport flight, target, and field. He is the only person to win 196 archery field tournaments in succession, a streak that ended in 1928. The same year, he set a world record for the furthest flight shot by shooting an arrow 391 yards.

Hill became a celebrity because of his appearances in movies. More than his appearance in movies he advised or directed a slew of films. At the end of the post I shared one of those films from 1940 that was narrated by former US President Ronald Reagan.

In 1941, Hill performed for 35,000 spectators at Grant Park in Chicago. After the shooting exhibition, the crowd allegedly tore the shirt off his back and took his bow and arrows for souvenirs. 

Here are a couple of YouTube Clips

1940 Film called Shark Hunting narrated by Ronald Reagan just might be a preview of the blockbuster Jaws.

Coach4aday

My purpose in life is to coach. I am a former collegiate basketball coach, director of athletics, and chief of staff. I worked at four NCAA Division I & II universities during my career. At each campus I learned timeless lessons on teamwork and leadership. Today my passion is coaching others on what it takes to lead, serve, and succeed.

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