Archery: social or family fun

Aryssah Stankevitsch  

Times Reporter  

 

Anyone from three-year-olds to 60-year-olds have tried their hand with the Strathmore Archery Club for the past twenty decades—inside and out. From January to the Victoria Day long weekend, the club is based indoors at the Ag Grounds; from May long to the fall, they have an outdoor range just south of No Frills on Orchard Park, equipped with 3D animal mannequins and paper targets. This year, the club has close to 60 members.

“This year we had a large number of new families join our club, which is really nice to see,” said Club President, Kevin Kemp. “It’s a great family sport. It’s something that anybody of any age or ability can do. It’s just a whole lot of fun.”

The club is considered a non-profit organization and is an affiliated member of the Alberta Bull Hunters Association, who supply the club’s insurance. Member fees are $55 for adult, $45 for youth, and $110 for families. Lessons are available as well, even for first-time non-members, at $5.

Members can borrow the club’s equipment to go out and practice shooting for the summer, but can only use it to hunt if licensed by the government.

“Hunting is something if you want to get interested in it, it’s an option. Other than that, it’s just an awful lot of fun to shoot the targets,” Kemp said. “We don’t give lessons on hunting, we basically teach how to use your bows properly, and safety on the range. All that is done in-house and there’s no extra charge for that.”

The club does not face any other members of the Alberta Bull Hunters Association, but the members do challenge each other on the range.

“It is a social activity when everybody’s in there. The camaraderie, the stories…it’s just a really good group of people that come in and have fun,” Kemp said.

The range is open daylight hours now after the Victoria Day long weekend. Kemp invites anyone to drop in for the Memorial Fun Shoot event June 2.