I am not much of an archer, but I recognize greatness when I see it. We all know about the father of modern bow hunting, the late, great Fred Bear and thank him for his contributions to the sport. Most of us have seen the trick shots Byron Ferguson makes with his traditional bows, and some of us have seen Ted Nugent hit a pheasant in mid-flight. Legends of great archers such as Robin Hood and his Merry Men still stir the hearts of those who read their stories. But how many take notice of the greatness of the average sportsmen and women to be found in their local bow hunters' club? I met some great archers this winter, and I would like to honor them with a little well-earned recognition and many heartfelt thanks.

Last fall, my parents gave me some money and told me to buy Lisa, my daughter, something special. Since she had been talking about wanting to take up bow hunting, I bought her an adjustable youth bow, a dozen arrows, and a quick release. Now what? Although I was pretty good with a longbow in college and had shot a recurve for a short period of time many years ago, I had no clue how to even begin to use a compound bow. My husband put it together for us, and we set up a dense hay bale in our rifle range.

I used what I could remember and what I could guess to at least send an arrow to the target. My daughter just got frustrated, and I knew that if I did not get good help fast, this interest of hers would die quickly. As a mother and a hunter who wants her to be the best she can be, I was not willing to let that happen. I went right in the house while she was still trying to find her lost arrows and called our local archery club.

I had seen the sign for Perry County Archers for the last eight years along one of the routes we often drove. I had never actually seen the club as it is a few miles down a side road. I had most recently heard about them through my local sporting goods dealer. He told me that they give lessons in the winter, but he did not know any details. A couple of months prior, I had tried calling the club to ask about lessons, but there was never an answer, and there was no answering machine. I was afraid that this would once more be the case, but to my surprise, the club president himself picked up the phone.

Dale Bates and his wife happened to be at the club, using the indoor range. I asked him if there were any lessons available, and when they started. It just so happened that they started the next morning and would be held for ten Saturdays. Club membership was only $35/family/year, with a $5 sign-up fee the first year. For this fee you have 24/7 use of indoor and outdoor ranges. Youth members get free lessons, and all equipment is provided for those who do not have their own bows and arrows. Lessons for non-member youth are only $15 for ten three-hour lessons.

Lisa and I were there the next morning, and I purchased a family membership just in case I wanted to use the facilities if I also got back into archery. The local archery store owner, also a club member, instructed the young people about safety, club privileges, expected behavior, and the importance of devoting the next ten weeks to the sport. He said he knew that there are so many school sports in which they might be involved, so they would have to make a choice. They had to prioritize these lessons, or they would not benefit from them. No problem for Lisa. I, her homeschool teacher, scheduled this as phys-ed class. She wouldn't have it any other way.

The instructors were so wonderful. Nineteen-year-old Justin Haas, who has been shooting since he was eleven, took time out of his busy life to help other youth fall in love with the sport as he had. He proudly showed me a picture of his first archery class at the club. There were twice as many students then as there were in Lisa's class, he sadly noted, and there had been two classes that year! It upset me to see the decline of youth involvement in our rural county. Clearly something was wrong! I was glad that Lisa and I had made the decision to come.

The other instructor, Donald Schaeffer, brought his own son and daughter to the classes. Don's face would light up as he related Lisa's progress every week. He loves archery with a passion, and he told me that Lisa was a "natural". He worked with her to fine-tune her skills, suggesting equipment for me to purchase that would make the arrow fly better.

I was not able to watch my daughter's lessons, unfortunately. My mortal enemy, black indoor mold, is a big problem in the club building. The week I took the pictures seen here, I was wearing a huge mask. Even with precautions, it got to me. My eyes itched and watered, and I was ill for some time afterward. If I ever shoot at the club, it will have to be outdoors! No problem. They have 110 acres of beautiful wooded land with more targets than I could count during all the walks I took those Saturdays while I was waiting for Lisa. What a treasure I had found!

Lisa had so much fun with the other young members after lessons each week. They would put up special targets and have shooting contests. Nobody was envious of each other's skills, or if he or she was, nothing was said. They all simply enjoyed being together and shooting their bows. The instructors are to be credited for that. They managed to strike a good balance between doing one's best and simply shooting for the fun of it.

The club also has grocery shoots in winter and 3-D shoots from spring to Labor Day. In August, they have weekly shoots to help members to prepare for deer season. So far, we have not been able to attend any such events but plan to go to the next 3-D shoot to be held on Fathers' Day. I look forward to seeing these wonderful people again. This is such a wonderful club, filled with nice people. The nicest of all are the selfless instructors who sacrificed their Saturdays to help my daughter to fulfill a dream. In my book, these are truly the World's Greatest Archers.