Flight Lieutenant Frank Jones lines up the target.

FOR years Flight Lieutenant Frank Jones played a variety of mainstream sports, competing in combined services cricket, inter-service badminton and volleyball teams.
But the Air Traffic Control Instructor from RAAF Base East Sale has recently added another string to his bow, adapting to the comparatively low profile sport of archery with aplomb.
Just three years after firing his first arrow, FLTLT Jones is the best archer in his chosen category in Australia.
In May he won the International Field Archers' Association (IFAA) Victorian state titles in the Bowhunter Unlimited B grade section, a category for archers who use compound bows.
He backed that performance up in June to win the IFAA national titles, beating about 20 of the best archers from around the country.
Although somewhat surprised at his rapid progress in the sport, FLTLT Jones was quick to attribute his success to skills he's acquired in the Air Force.
"It's a continuation of the rifle skills I've developed in the Air Force, which have been invaluable," FLTLT Jones, rated a "first-class shot" with a Steyr, said.
"In archery, you've still got the skills of marksmanship - concentration, distance judgement and so on," he explained.
FLTLT Jones' introduction to archery came as a result of his son Evan's involvement in the sport.
"I used to go along and chat with some of the other parents and competitors, then one day decided to give it a go," he said.
He immediately loved it, and although success didn't come immediately, FLTLT Jones quickly gained an appreciation for the skill involved.
"You watch an archer pick up a bow, aim at a target 80m away and hit it smack in the middle and you wonder 'How did they do that?'"
Like father, like son, Evan Jones, now 14, has also experienced considerable success this year. In a performance that paralleled his dad, he too won the Victorian and national titles, competing in the Boys Recurve section, a division where competitors use recurve rather than compound bows.
Because he and Evan compete in different categories, FLTLT Jones rarely gets an opportunity to compete against his son, which he said was "fortunate".
"If I was shooting recurve against him he would win hands down," he conceded.
Contrary to popular belief, a fair degree of training and strengthening is required to cope with the rigours of competitive archery.
During the Australian titles, FLTLT Jones pulled back and released his 70lb bow in excess of 400 times - no mean feat considering the average person would struggle to pull back a 70lb bow just once. Most competitors use 55lb bows.
To meet theses demands, FLTLT Jones enlisted the help of some of RAAF Base East Sale's Physical Training Instructors to strengthen specific muscles, particularly the laterals and deltoids which archers rely on so heavily.
With this strength behind him, arrows released from FLTLT Jones' tightly strung bow travel at a frightening 100 metres per second.
Apart from physical attributes, a relaxed attitude was also a key to success in front of the target, FLTLT Jones said.
"I compete for fun and I take a fairly laid back approach. If you get tense you tend to shake and wobble, but if you stay relaxed you're in much better shape."
Buoyed by his most recent success, FLTLT Jones intends to compete in the World Masters being held in Australia in October.
An international meet scheduled for New Zealand in 2003 is also on the agenda.

By Ben Caddaye