LAYTONVILLE >> The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Activities League and the Laytonville Community Christian Church have teamed up to provide a Youth Archery Club in Laytonville for children ages 6-12 years old. The program is a National Archery in the Schools Program and is coordinated through California Fish and Wildlife. After an initial three-hour orientation and training course, students are able to participate in the weekly session held indoors during the winter months at Hampton Hall in Laytonville. During the spring and summer months, the sessions will be held at the Laytonville Community Christian Church. NASP-style archery is noncompetitive and focuses on archery safety and an 11-step process to archery success.
A group of seven mentors and coaches participated in Basic Archery Instructor Training through California Fish and Wildlife and NASP, including Dino Rogers, Seth Musgrave, Micheal Moody, Micheal Braught, Mike Davis, Lieutenant Steve White and Head Coach Terry Guerrero.
According to the NASP website, the archery equipment used in the program is “highly standardized to be safe, durable, economical, and most importantly, universal fit for almost every student” and “learning the process of shooting is stressed far more than arrow scores.” NASP states that, according to the National Safety Council, “archery is safer than every ball sport offered in schools except table tennis.”
Regardless of the assured safety, Guerrero made sure to address the 23 participants in attendance on Tuesday, saying, “We are here to have fun, we are here to shoot and we are going to have a good time, but as archers we have to be responsible. These things can hurt, injure or kill people. I need your attention all the time.”
Students began the first session by practicing with bow strings, running through the 11-step process and reviewing whistle commands. Some of the participants had some form of experience with shooting a bow and arrow with either family or friends, but said they want to learn more about shooting and be able to hit targets.
“Tuesday session was awesome,” said Guerrero. “The kids had obviously listened well on Sunday and there was very little remedial instruction needed. The range ran smoothly as a result. I expect within the next two sessions the range will run more expeditiously. It was a great group of kids.”
One mother of two children participating in the program said she was “excited about having an activity that’s not team based” because it gives children a chance to excel individually. She also said she was “impressed with turnout and the amount of effort put into it by the people running it.”
Another mom, who said her 7-year-old son shoots a bow with his dad occasionally, said she really liked the idea of having the archery program for hunter safety and also weapon safety.
For more information, email Guerrero at laytonvilleyoutharcheryclub@gmail.com.
