BowCast Blog

Boy, just came across this blurb and it kind of struck me the wrong way.  I copied the story below from the Outdoor Wire.  Here it is:

Meanwhile, in California, one of the nation's best paralympic athletes has been told he can no longer practice his archery in his driveway. Jeff Fabry, 35, of Tulare, California, has been practicing down his driveway and across the street (for longer shots) for the past years. In fact, he tells the Tulare Advance-Register, he's even had curious policemen stop and watch him shoot.

It's no wonder. Fabry, who lost his right arm and leg in a motorcycle accident in 1988, picked up archery ten years ago. Despite the obvious challenges, he's picked up numerous national and state archery records- in able-bodied competitions. As a paralympian, he's won a pair of bronze medals (2004 Athens) as well as three Paralympic World Championships.

He's scheduled to leave Tulare August 31 for the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. From there, it's on to Beijing for the 2008 Paralympics. With that in mind, Fabry's working intently to be prepared for the competitions.

Now, however, it seems a complaint about his shooting may be messing up his plans. After the complaint, he was told that a city park ordinance forbids his shooting - and he could be arrested if he didn't comply.

As you can imagine, Tulare residents aren't happy. A visit to the Advance-Register reader comments range from supportive to outright angry at the whole deal. The small town has a history of Olympic athletes. Bob Mathias and Sim Iness were both from Tulare.

So what do you all think?  Should the citizens of Tulare give Jeffrey Fabry, a distinguished Paralympian, a little slack and let him get as much practice as possible in his driveway?  I have to believe he is setup in a safe manner on his own property.  What do you say?  Let him play, or shut him down?  Post a comment to this blog and let all the BowCasters know what you think.

Gone,

Aneal