Toronto entrepreneur makes it easy to take up archery during the pandemic
Bored in lockdown? Interested in living out your dreams of being Katniss Everdeen for a day? An archery company in Toronto is looking to inspire people across the city to take up archery as a hobby at home.
Arrowsoft Sports is a small business specializing in archery equipment for beginners. While the company focuses on promoting archery within schools across the city, founder Ed Wong believes the sport is beneficial to everyone.
“Archery is so ingrained into human culture — it’s across every culture across the planet, on every continent," Wong says. "Yet, we’ve come to this point in time where the majority of people who live in cities and suburbs have never done it before."
According to the World Traditional Archery Organization, bows and arrows were once used as weapons for survival in ancient societies thousands of years ago. As weaponry evolved, the need for the traditional bow and arrow became outdated and was rather used as a toy than to hunt and kill.
“We’re classified as a toy more so than archery equipment. Do it in your backyard and have fun or explore,” Wong says.
With a background in manufacturing and mechanical engineering, he’s created and patented foam-tipped arrows that are safe to use just about anywhere.
Arrowsoft Sports is currently registered with the Ontario Camps Association and is technically allowed within schools as a sport if gym teachers support it. But liability concerns have many teachers hesitant to do so.
Wong says he and his partner were in talks with the York Regional School Board and had reached out to camps across Ontario to bring their archery kits into their curriculums before the lockdown started.
“A lot of orders that were pending were put on hold because of the uncertainty surrounding COVID. We got hit quite hard,” he says.
But while his hopes to establish firm partnerships and deals with schools and camps may be delayed, it’s not stopping him.
Wong has now pivoted his operations to target anyone living in Toronto or beyond to show them the benefits of archery while managing his business for as long as he can.
“We’re doing what we can to survive. Shooting an arrow and releasing it provides a kind of physical and emotional tension to be released,” he says.
Arrowsoft Sports
