Iowa Games: Archery is catching fire

AMES - Rick Rogers of Marion surveyed the long line of archers, young and not-so-young, and nodded approvingly.

“Archery goes in phases,” the 56-year-old president of the Waltonian Archers of Linn County said between shots Saturday at the Iowa Games. “At the moment, it appears to be rolling up again.”

One reason: Youth outreach efforts through the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) among others. NASP arrived in Iowa six years ago, providing education and training in a venerable and confidence-boosting Olympic sport.

And numbers continue to rise, as evidenced by Saturday's turnout in the broad, grassy Iowa State Veterinary Medicine parking lot.

It's even bigger each winter at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, when the best young Iowans compete under one roof.

“Our state championships event last year, we had about 750 competitors,” said Ben Berka, shooting sports coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “We expect about 1,000 (this March).”

Berka and Rogers stressed how archery can become a healthy, family-friendly, lifelong pursuit.

“It's a great sport,” Berka said. “A lot of these kids aren't doing other activities in school. And there's no real age limit, so you see a lot of parents, grandparents, several generations competing together.”

Family tradition piqued Alburnett High School graduate Steff Bisinger's interest.Her older brother, Zack, qualified for nationals when she was in eighth-grade and NASP was a new program in the state.She went along and got hooked.

“I decided that I would give it a shot,” said Bisinger, 19. “I ended up sticking with it all four years (of high school) and it's given me a lot of confidence.”

For good reason.

Two years ago, Bisinger set a set a NASP 11th-grade female world record, scoring 296 points. Needless to say she won nationals, and the archery bug bit even harder.

“It sounds like just hail on a tin roof when there's all those arrows: thunk, thunk, thunk,” she said.

The beat goes on.

For the love of the sport and the sense of freedom and accomplishment it fosters.

“This is something people can do close to home,” Rogers said. “You can shoot all day for a nominal fee. You can practice free. It's expensive to buy the equipment if you buy top of the line, but once you get all that you can stand somewhere and shoot until your arm falls off if you want.”

Entering the sport can be costly. Craig Waite, 56, of Cedar Rapids said top-end bows can cost thousands of dollars, so Rogers recommends young people start slow.

The success of London Olympics-bound Miranda Leek, a West Des Moines Dowling graduate, among others, continues to bolster intrigue and growth in the sport. Still, success can be measured many ways - by the process, not merely results.

“The old-timers called it ‘The mystical flight of the arrow' and there's an addiction to it,” Rogers said. “A lot of guys go a week without shooting and it's like going through withdrawals. Some days you shoot good, some days you shoot bad. I'm shooting bad at the moment, but I've had my days. We all do.”

Want to try archery?

The Waltonian Archerswill hold an open house Saturday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the 3985 Wickiup Hill Rd. Toddville.

Bows and arrows will be provided. Visit www.waltonianarchers.net for details.