Archery at Camp

Campers Love Archery

Why is it that Archery is such a popular activity at camps? Most likely it is that children don’t have much access to this shooting sport at home. While some school programs exist, there remain limited opportunities for children to learn and enjoy this Olympic sport under the supervision of trained instructors. Camps have always provided access to this wonderful sport in controlled, instructional settings and it is no surprise that it is generally one of the more popular activities in camps.

Clearly the popularity of any activity is directly related to the quality of instruction and the quality of equipment. The National Archery Association aka US Archery, is the national governing body for Archery in the Olympic Games. They also provide excellent courses to train Archery Instructors and athletes. In June, the Cape Cod Sea Camps hosts such an instructor’s school for their archery counselors. In addition to instructor training, NAA fosters competitive outlets for beginners up through Olympians. The Junior Olympic Archery Development Program JOAD, is very popular among young athletes who have gained an interest in archery and want to move further with the sport. Membership in the NAA keeps athletes informed of local events and offers access to many regional tournaments.

Again, we ask why would such a sport be so popular among campers? There is no hunting involved and free style shooting on the fly is also discouraged. The reason campers enjoy this sport so much is their ability to succeed so quickly at such a challenging sport. Campers who receive good instruction can soon be hitting the target at short distances with their enthusiasm growing by this early success. As campers move up to greater target distances, they soon appreciate the challenge in actually mastering this wonderful sport. Soon they are dedicated to completing various award levels and shooting for more accomplishments.

Good equipment is equally important to a beginner archer’s success. Traditional programs generally teach with re-curve bows but Compound bows can be easier to hold a draw during aiming. Traditionalists however will argue in favor of learning the basics with re-curves and that is how we start. For Junior Archers, Hall Arrow in Manchester CT provides a wonderful line of entry level re-curve bows and synthetic arrows. They also have an indoor range for local shooters and are very well connected with programs throughout the US. Their expert staff is always available to consult on the sport.

As campers roll into camp on opening day, the 16 bright new target faces will be greeting them. And on visiting day, moms and dads will be lined up at the Archery Range to show off their prowess while campers instruct them in the finer points of proper anchoring and aiming. We can’t wait.