Parin Archery Open Championship 2009

Written by Voicu Mihnea Simandan

Although archery is not as popular as muay thai or takro, there are still a few Thai archery clubs where amateur and professional archers can train. One of these clubs is Parin Archery, a private club ran by Parinroj Palasunthon, also known as Ajan Parin or Khru Wai. Ajarn Parin is a well-known Thai archer who has done well in multiple national and international archery championships. Since April 2009, he is also a member of the Thai national archery team.

Sunday, May 31, 2009, Ajarn Parin organized the first edition of Parin Archery Open Championship 2009. The event took place at Hua Mark Archery Field in the Hua Mark Sports Complex on Ramkhamhaeng Road in Bangkok. The championship was open to all archers, no matter of age, gender or equipment. The competition accepted archers shooting both recurve and compound bows.

Out of the 40 archers who are part of Parin Archery, 12 of them took the time and participated in this relaxed and fun event. Two of them were foreigners: one from Romania and the other from France. The youngest archer was 8 years old while the oldest one was 54 years old. The event lasted the entire morning and all the participating archers shot at the 18-meter target.

Because of the big age gap between the archers, all adult archers (over 18 years of age) entered the competition with a 20-points handicap. After each archer had shot 30 arrows, the following competitors were rewarded with Parin Archery medals:

Compound (mixed)
1^st place: Napatsorn Unkarn (Ploy)
2^nd place: Narabodin Anutaporn (Indy)

Recurve (mixed)
1^st place: Chan Chukeaw (Chan)
2^nd place: Benjamin Anutaporn (Benny)
3^rd place: Parvit Soontornjitakarn (Vit)

According to Ajarn Parin and the participating archers, the first edition of Parin Archery Open Championship 2009 was a success. “We’ve already started organizing our second archery championship, which will take place towards the end of June,” said Parinroj Palasunthon.

Parin Archery is open to all foreigners and Thais, the club being a member of the National Archery Association of Thailand. Upon successfully registering with Parin Archery, all members will also be granted membership to the National Archery Association of Thailand.

If by now you’re still not convinced that archery might be the next great thing for you or your children, here are some of the benefits of archery:

– keeps you physically fit (especially your upper-body);
– corrects your body posture;
– helps you clear your mind (through meditation);
– creates a good self-image;
– boosts you attention spam;
– gives you a feeling of freedom and empowerment;
– increases your self-confidence;
– teaches you teamwork skills.

In case you do not have the necessary equipment to practice archery, Ajarn Parin can help you choose the most adequate bow style. Fortunately, this is not done through a third party, but straight from Parin Archery Shop, thus considerably reducing the costs.

Anyone interested in archery is most welcomed to contact Ajarn Parin at 081 4141 558 or through his website. You can also pay Ajarn Parin an impromptu visit at Hua Mark Archery Field. He is always there training or coaching his students. Don’t be afraid to approach him. His English speaking skills are quite good!

Voicu Mihnea Simandan is a Romanian writer who has been living and working in Thailand since 2002. He is the author of “The Ironman. A Play”, a book for children well-received in educational circles.