Sean van Wyk, 16 years old, was awarded his Junior Protea colours for archery in July 2017 before participating at the All Africa Championships in Namibia.
He started archery 4 years ago and has represented South Africa in archery in 2015 (Nashville, USA) & 2016 (South Africa) but this year was the first year that Junior Protea colours were awarded to the National Archery in Schools Programme (NASP) archers. Sean is also the NASP record holder with a score of 299/300. Archery is a sport that requires great mental fitness, concentration and focus.
Sean was born premature and with heart failure and this sport has helped increase muscle tone and focus and has provided him with a sport that he can excel in without having to have to great physical exertion. As a toddler he always had a bow and arrow but it took until he was in grade 6 to find a local archery club so that he could begin formal training. He has never looked back and still thoroughly enjoys his archery.
Home schooling has provided him with the flexibility to put in extra hours of practice and get the necessary coaching in order to excel in the sport. Repetition is very important in archery being able to put arrow after arrow in the middle of the target and being at home has allowed him to go outside and practice after completing a subject /section of work and this repetition is what has helped him succeed.
