Life is better with a bow in your hand

LIFE IS BETTER WITH A BOW

IN YOUR HAND

BY ZACH REDMAN, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT ARCADIA BLUFFS SOUTH COURSE

2022 total archery challenge with friends and archery pro John Dudley

For most people archery is strictly for hunting purposes, but for me and thousands of others, archery is a hobby, a lifestyle, a form of meditation, and even a career for some. I first picked up a bow around the age of seven. I was introduced to the sport on a “bring your child to work day,” where they had set up a small target range. At the time, my mother worked in the archery industry for The Bohning Company, a manufacturer of vanes, adhesives and other archery products. Our local 4H archery coach also happened to live right next door to us, so I had seen older kids shooting next door, but didn’t take much interest until I tried it at my mom’s work.

After this first encounter, I joined the local 4H club, along with my older sister. We would practice in our back yard with mom and dad giving us pointers. My dad was a bit of a bowhunter already, and my mom eventually picked up a bow of her own. It became a sort of family affair. We started going to local 4H tournaments and were lucky enough to represent our county at the State 4H Tournament a number of times. I developed several lifelong friendships through my time in 4H and while attending the various archery events.

From my time in 4H and throughout high school, my summers consisted of shooting almost every weeknight for practice, and then traveling to 4H club tournaments on weekends. In the summer I could practice in our backyard and in the winters our archery club would practice in the school gym. While I had great success from a young age shooting in tournaments, my main drive and passion for the sport, at that time, was bow hunting. I loved being outdoors. Having the skill of archery just extended the hunting season. Archery season in Michigan starts the first of October and doesn’t end until the end of December, while rifle season only lasts a couple of weeks. After I graduated highschool in 2014, I was too old to participate in 4H archery any longer. I still had the passion to hunt but now I was only shooting my bow a couple times a year. Usually a week or two before the hunting season started I’d shoot a few rounds just to make sure everything was still dialed in from the year before.

There are primarily two types of competitive archery. The first and most common is target archery. In target archery, the archer shoots at a circular paper bullseye, much like what you see in the Olympics. These targets are usually set at a specific predetermined distance, i.e. 20, 50 or 100 yards. The second type of archery is 3D archery. In this type, the archer uses 3 Dimensional targets that are generally in the shape of an animal to more closely resemble a hunting situation. A 3D course target is not set at any standard distance and it is up to the archer to determine the distance and make any necessary adjustments. I was introduced to target archery first. As I

grew and got better, I was then introduced to 3D archery, which I preferred because of the resemblance to hunting, as well as for the additional challenge it presented.

In 2019 a friend of mine asked if I would like to go to an archery event called the “Total Archery Challenge” (TAC). TAC is a national 3D event hosted at a number of ski resorts throughout the country. The Michigan event was previously held at Boyne Mountain but recently moved to Crystal Mountain in 2022 due to construction at Boyne. I decided to give it a shot and started looking into the event and watching videos from previous years. I then started shooting often again, preparing for the event. The Total Archery Challenge is a “just for fun’’ event to test your skills. The shots are often at a severe angle up or down the ski hill and often are at distances of 100+ yards. I ended up going to the event and had an absolute blast. Preparing for and attending the event re-sparked my passion for archery again - beyond the “just for hunting” mindset. After the event, I found myself shooting almost every night in my backyard or at my friend’s house. I began shooting weekly on a league at a local 3D course, and I even picked up a bow for my wife (Kaitlyn) and got her to start shooting with me. We enjoy our Wednesday “date night” out shooting our bows.

In the spring of ‘22 I bought a second bow specifically for competition shooting and joined a more competitive league. My wife, once again, joined me and we had a great time shooting together, meeting new people and making new friends. My passion for the sport was reinvigorated and I wanted to start shooting tournaments again. Since then, I have shot in a handful of tournaments and have placed very well for my first year returning to competitive shooting.

Archery to me and many others is a great form of meditation. It teaches focus and patience while calming the mind at the same time. Archery is something that anyone can participate in. It is something that can be taken to a serious level, or something that you can do in your backyard as much or as little as you like. With practice and repetition you can see quick results, as you will often see improvement with each shot. It is very satisfying when you see yourself get better and hit closer and closer to the bullseye, becoming more accurate each time.

This past year I have gained a number of friends who have been incredibly helpful in getting me back into tournament archery. I have also built a great relationship with my local archery shop, FPS Archery in Cadillac MI. They have all been incredibly welcoming to somebody coming back into the sport after being out of it for a while. The archery community as a whole is

My first win at the age of 8

ASA 3D 2022 state championship

Giraffe target at the Rinehart 100

My wife Kaitlyn at her first Total Archery Challenge My wife and I at total archery challenge My daughter on her birthday with her first bow

Gods country ministries benefit shoot 2022

a great community to be around, as the majority of the people are very kind and helpful. They all are very willing to help anybody who is interested, in order to grow the sport that they love.

My most memorable and favorite archery milestone will forever be my most recent one. On my oldest daughter’s birthday, September 5th, she (Raegan) turned 3 years old and my gift to her was her very first bow. She has been asking for one for the past couple months after watching me shoot almost every night. On the evening of her birthday we went out to the backyard and she was so excited to be flinging her first few arrows! The smile on my face was instant and could not be wiped off.

Events such as the Total Archery Challenge and the Rinehart 100, which I attended for the first time this August, are both great events for all to enjoy. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or an archer shooting nowhere other than your backyard, these are both events that can be a ton of fun! The Rinehart 100 was an awesome event as there was a Safari themed course that had a lot of targets I have never seen before, such as an elephant, giraffe, hippo, and many dinosaurs. This theme kept it fun for shooters of all ages, and there were archers of all skill levels!

If you have never shot a bow before, I strongly encourage you to head on over to your local archery shop and give it a shot. Whether you are into hunting or not, I think that it is something that a lot of people could enjoy. I have thoroughly enjoyed introducing my wife and daughter to archery and love the time we spend together shooting. Archery can be enjoyed alone, with your family, or with friends. For these reasons, I believe “life is better with a bow in your hand.”