ONONDAGA — A few notable images come to mind when you hear the word “archer.” Hawkeye, Legolas, Artemis, Katniss Everdeen, and even a cartoon fox from Disney’s rendition of Robin Hood. But archery is not reserved for fictional characters, historical figures, or hunters of any era. Recreational archery is a hobby enjoyed by millions of people world-wide, and it’s something that the Town of Onondaga Parks and Recreation Department is offering for youth and adults to try!
This spring, the town will be offering a slew of classes for people interested in learning how to safely and accurately use traditional recurve bows in the style of Olympic Archery.
There will be a “Women’s Archery Class” on May 7, just before Mother’s Day, “Explore Archery” classes for youth (10+) and adults on May 21 and 28, “Archery Development” classes on Saturdays in June (for those who have taken the “Explore” classes), and a summer camp for children ages 10 and up at the end of June.
All of these classes are currently open for registration, and both residents of the Town of Onondaga, and non-residents are able to sign up. All of the programs the town offers provide equipment for participants to use during class.
For a lot of the participants, both youth and adult, the only other interaction they had with archery, if they had any at all was during a physical education class in school. Usually, school participants get some quick safety instructions, pointers on how knock, aim, and release. However, a single P.E. teacher doesn’t have the time to give feedback to each and every student in a class of 20 or more in less than 40 minutes.
This is how the town’s programs are different;
The program leader is a USA Archery certified Instructor Trainer, who has taught not only classes for the Town of Onondaga, but other municipalities and organizations.
The class sizes are small, max of 8 participants for youth classes, and 10 for adults. This allows the instructor to give more 1-on-1 coaching to each participant.
Safety is paramount. Before each “Explore” class, the instructor walks through how to properly handle the equipment when aiming, firing, retrieving arrows, and when they are waiting for their turn at the target.
The instructor makes sure participants have attainable goals each class, and uses props like balloons filled with baby-powder to make in-class activities exciting for participants.
In addition to the classes this spring, there will be additional classes in the summer and fall as the town looks to expand the archery offerings.
If there is enough interest and participation in these programs, they plan to establish a USA archery club, and designate an area to use as a range on a regular basis, and even hold local events and competition.
To learn more visit townofonondagarecreation.com and register for one of their many upcoming programs.
