Ep 133 | Pensacola has an archery park?

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Kids win scholarships. We have a young lady in our club who's now at Carson Newman on a partial ride for archery. And she didn't start shooting until she was a teenager. Archery is one of those things that you could pick up, and you could pick up very quickly, as long as you have the patience and the drive to do it.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambi County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. They say patience is a virtue, but in today's busy world, how are you supposed to have it yourself, much less teach it to your kid? My next guest is the president of the Panhandle Bow Hunters and Archery Association. This 119-acre park is home to an archery field range for both compound and traditional bows, an elevated archery platform, and 20 3D targets spread throughout a walkable course. Today he's going to get us up to speed on this amazing resource and share how under-recognized sports like this may be the key to one of life's top virtues, guiding the next generation to aim high and shoot straight, enthusiastic and aerodynamic leader, Tyler Newton. See what I did there? I'm so glad that we can get together and talk about this because archery is a sport I don't think is top of mind for a lot of people in Pensacola.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

It's actually not in top of mind around the U.S. It's more of an international sport, but it is growing in the U.S. Colleges has actually started archery teams and given archery scholarships. We have programs now here in the U.S. The big one is clastic 3D archery, yes, S3DA, and it's all about the kids. They have national championships and kids win scholarships. We have a young lady in our club who is now at Carson Newman on a partial ride for archery. And she didn't start shooting until she was a teenager. Archery is one of those things that you could pick up and you could pick up very quickly as long as you have the patience and the drive to do it.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

I think people would be shocked to know that because when I talk to them about, oh, you know, what did you do this weekend? I said, Oh, I went and and uh I went to the Klondike Archery Park with my archery group. And they're like, You have an archery group and we have an archery park. And then after that, their second question is, Well, how would I even begin to participate in that? I don't know how to do it and I don't have the equipment.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

We have all the equipment. We do lessons, we teach the basic fundamentals every time. Because the biggest thing about lessons is getting them introduced to archery. And we don't care if they come out one time, three times, fifty times. As long as they get a bow in their hand and actually get to use it and see what it's like, it may not be for them.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

And these teachers are not just, you know, adults that happen to be free on a Saturday. You have a certification, correct?

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Most of us that participate have a certification for teaching archery or instructing. Mine is through USA Archery. I'm a level two instructor. And our lessons are the first and third Thursday of every month. They start at six and they end at seven.

SPEAKER_00 3:30

And just to paint a picture of what it looks like, it is not what people uh expect. When I bring guests to it, they can't believe how nice it is. It's got very clean restrooms and it's even a handicap accessible minus the walking course. And it's very safe. It's not like a free-for-all.

SPEAKER_01 3:49

Panhandle Bohorn Archery Association has been around since 1966. We've had several ranges in the local area. The range we have now is Klondike Archery Park, and that's the 119-acre facility. That facility has so much opportunity out there because we are partnered with the Scambia County and FWC, the Florida Fish and Wildlife. And what partly built the facility is federal grants for outdoor programs like archery and hunting and programs like that. We have a long-term agreement with FWC to run the property, maintaining the facility. But we have a very nice facility. We probably have the one of the nicest facilities, I would say, in the state of Alabama, because we're more close to Alabama than we are anything else.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

So tell me more about who the members are. You said you've got really young people who come and really um senior people that come.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

We do free lessons to anybody, all ages from three-year-old all the way up to, I think our oldest member now is 96 years old. It's really funny. We have two or three members that if you go out there at nine o'clock every morning, they're out there. They're retired. They like to go out there when no one else is there. We have a member, an older gentleman, who's trained his dog actually how to fetch how to find arrows. And he goes and then he'll put a piece of blue tape if he finds an arrow and puts it in the lost to found. If you know, if it's got a piece of blue tape on it, you know his dog found it. And they shoot and we host like the Florida senior games for archery. Our treasurer, Mr. Don Hires, came in second in the state of Florida in his age class for Archery.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

So we've got some really skilled people coming.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

He's gone to nationals and one and came in second or third in nationals.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Are there competitive events for kids as well?

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Yes. That's where S3DA and BHA comes into play. We are going to be hosting the S3DA 3D state championship at our range for the state of Alabama on May 3rd. So we're going to have approximately about 75 to 100 kids out, and they're shooting for state championship and scholarship opportunities. And then at the end of May, we're going to be hosting a S3DA regional outdoor event, which is what they call a 720 round, where they shoot at 50 meters and then at 70 meters, I believe. So you're looking about 55 yards or 75 yards. And for kids to be able to do that, who've just some of them just picked up a bow this year is amazing. Because even myself, I've been shooting now for many years, and I still have a hard time hitting at 55 and 75 yards.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

So the kids are uniquely positioned to just pick it up quickly. So we've talked about scholarship opportunities and how amazing the facility is. Why should parents consider archery as a sport to introduce their kids to?

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Archery teaches kids patience and it teaches kids a routine. You have to do the same steps over again to be consistent. Like I I tell this in a lot of our lessons. Archery has three names like everybody else archery, frustration, and consistency.

unknown 6:58

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Because you will get all three to get consistent. And we have found that a lot of science and math, kids are good in science and math do really, really well in archery. Don't know why, but it just seems like those kids that have those good grades and do really well on those subjects are really drawn to do art and shoot really, really well. But BHA-wise, as well, has youth or has youth classes as well. So we have kids that start out at elementary school and they shoot all the way up through high school. From ages 14 and below, some events, they can't win money or anything like that. But at starting age 15, they can start winning their classes and winning money and winning scholarships so they have a chance to go to school after high school. And that's where when we do lessons, it's that once they hit that target the first time, that look on their face that just is I got it. That's me, I want to do it again, I want to do it again. That's what draws least of me into it. Seeing a kid get frustrated about it and everything else, I hate that. Because that's gonna make them want to quit. And that's the reason why we tell parents bring out, bring them out, come out, do as many times as you want. Even we get the parents to shoot. A lot of times the parents have more fun shooting than the children do. They're like, oh man. We had a probably 40s, about three or four, 40-year-old women came out for their birthday party on our free lessons. Because that's what they want. They wanted to do something different. And that's that's the amazing thing, is people don't know where we're at or well what's out there. A few years ago, we had an event where we were collecting door prizes. I went to the first tea on Navy Boulevard, asked for a donation for a door prize, you know, free round of golf or something. And she lives in the neighborhood right behind the arch, right in front of the archery range, and she didn't even know we were there. So it's stuff like this getting our name out and letting people know that we're there for this stuff. Our and the lessons are first come, first serve. You show up, no matter if we have 50 kids or 100 kids, or 50 people or 100 people, we're gonna do, we're gonna get you in as best we can.

SPEAKER_00 9:26

And you provide the bows and the arrows during the room.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

I provide all the equipment.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

How do you decide if you want to be a traditional archer or a compound archer?

SPEAKER_01 9:36

The way I tell people is when that new iPhone comes out, do you want that iPhone? Or would you rather have that flip phone that was back when I was growing up? If you want that new iPhone that comes out every year and you want the newest and greatest technology, you're probably gonna want to be a compound shooter. If you're more laid back and oh, yeah, I'll have that flip phone, it'll take me 20 minutes to send a three-word text message. Yeah, I'll uh you're probably gonna be more into the traditional side of the house. If you're in it just for the enjoyment, I can't, I'm not saying traditional archer, you can't get great accuracy with practice. You can, but if you're out there just to have fun and relieve stress, traditional is probably the way you want to go. But if you want out there and you're worried about your groups being a three-inch within a three-inch circle or I want to shoot at 80 yards, you're probably gonna want to shoot compound. The bows that we teach on are are Genesis bows, they look like compound bows, but if you could shoot this bow, you shoot a compound or a traditional style bow. Because yes, it has the wheels or cams on top and bottom like a compound bow. But when you draw it back and you the way you draw it back and aim is the same way you do a traditional bow. The same way you hold your bow. If it's compound or traditional, it is the same. You grip it the same way every time. That's where consistency comes into play. But if they can shoot the Genesis bow, they can shoot any bow they want to.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Well, you mentioned earlier that a student who is particularly good in math and science for some reason tends to be really, really good at archery. They take to it really quickly. Parents are always so hesitant to sign their kids up for new sports when, you know, equipment purchases tend to be involved, understandably, right? Because the kid, you know, the next shiny thing comes around and then the kid's not interested in it anymore. How else could a parent kind of pre-qualify that their kid might be interested in archery? What other qualities or commonalities do students have who are into it?

SPEAKER_01 11:36

A lot of it is just getting a bow in their hand. A lot of them don't know about it. The one of the kids that we do have out there, a lot of them are, oh, my dad's a bow hunter. Oh, my mom, my family, we've shot forever. For example, me and my wife. My wife's the one who got me interested in archery. She was a Girl Scout program director. She had to get her level one or two certification for instructing during her events. Got our whole family in interested on it. My 15-year-old shoots. I shoot. My five-year-old now shoots. Or tries to shoot at least. But it's one of those things that you have to get them out there and get a bow on their hand to really tell if they'll be interested in it or not. It's getting that, oh, I hunt and play a video game and hunting with a video game. No, let's get that bow in your hand and actually feel what it's like. Because seeing that kid's face light up as soon as they hit that target, that's when you know you've got them. And that's really the only way to tell if you've got them or not. And we tell them, we tell them all our lessons, come back as many times as you want. Archery equipment is just like every other sporting equipment, it gets expensive fast. We would rather have you come out as many times as you want to know what equipment that you want and to know that you are ready for it rather than come out one Thursday, next Saturday morning, and you're out at our range with a brand new bow. That then all of a sudden you realize, man, I wanted a traditional bow, not a compound bow. Because bows don't hold their value very well. Once they're sold, the shops really don't buy them back. So that's where we try, that's the reason why we tell people to come and buy or come out as many times. We don't care.

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Well, I love that you mentioned the expression that comes over their face because the patience mixed with the confidence. I think that's such a winning combination for young people to transfer successfully into adulthood. Yes. And you're outside, you're with other people, there's a social aspect, there's a nature aspect, and you have those free windows of opportunity where people can come without being a member. But membership is what, $75 a year?

SPEAKER_01 13:49

We have memberships to our range, which are $75 a year, check or cash, or we have an opportunity for PayPal as well. And that gets them access to the range 365 days a year, dawn till dusk. But at that point in time, we we would really recommend they have their own equipment because there's only a few of us that have access to the equipment to pull out. Sometimes on Saturday mornings, because our club is open to the public, usually two days a week, Thursday nights and Saturday mornings from nine to one. And if our range attendant isn't busy, a lot of times they'll pull out a couple of bows if someone asks. But it just depends because their job, we only have one range attendant out there on Saturdays, and their job is to maintain, take memberships, answer all questions and everything else. But there are some days that, like in summertime when it gets really warm outside, parent might bring them out because or the busiest time at the range on Saturdays is when it's rainy or cloudy. Because people are like at home on their phones. Oh, what do I want? Just random. It's like, oh, there's an RG range, it's open. Let's go look at it. That's the other way they find us.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Hopefully, more people will be able to check it out now and realize that you never know until you try. Like you said, I'm glad that you pointed that out. And that it is just another option for plugging kids into a physical activity, but one that's super family friendly. So I'm so glad that you came and talked about this. How can parents stay up to date with any events that are going on?

SPEAKER_01 15:18

On our Facebook page, Pinhandle Bow Hunters and Archery Association is the best way. That's how we put out all of our information. The first Tuesday of every month, we have our monthly meeting. It's at 6 30. It's usually at the range. If we change it up, like change meeting location or something like that, we'll always post on Facebook. But we always post all of our events on Facebook. That's our main mode of media for members. A lot of times we'll do emails separate, stuff like that. But 99.9% of it is Facebook.

SPEAKER_00 15:50

Awesome. Well, thank you again. This was great.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

No problem. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 15:55

Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of the Scambia County Public Schools.