Students at Pittsburg State University had the opportunity to participate in archery training and events during and outside of their regular class times.
An ancient art that is still practiced, archery is a skill that many may never get the chance to learn or participate in. After an absence of over fifty years in the Olympics, archery made its return in the Summer Olympics in 1972 and has been an event ever since. This year, Scott Gorman and Shelly Grimes brought archery to their students, as well as providing an opportunity for students not enrolled in their classes and local Boy Scout troupes.
“We did archery training in Theories I and in Camping Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday this week,” Gorman said. “Ms. Shelly Grimes also had her physical education majors participate at the Rappelling tower.”
Gorman feels many do not get to participate in a safe environment and points out the importance of knowing the precautions to take.
“Archery is one of the safest sports, when you observe the rules,” Gorman said, “Simple things, such as waiting for an instructors whistle before going to retrieve your arrows and never walking behind targets or shooting if someone is walking near the targets.”
Gorman believes archery should be considered as both a sport and an art. He feels that it is a unique way to get people moving and out of the house.
“Archery is a lifetime motor skill that can be, and is, enjoyed by millions,” Gorman said. “People do target shooting and obviously many progress into hunting.”
Besides fine-tuning motor skills, archery is used as a hunting technique. For those interested in learning more about archery in terms of hunting, Gorman says it is easier than expected, even being offered through Pittsburg State University this year.
“We had our hunter education certification training this week as well as part of our archery events,” Gorman said. “We also offered live fire training at the Quail Farm.”
In addition to providing local college students the opportunity to be trained in archery, grade school students in local Boy Scout troupes were also involved in the opportunity.
“It is very beneficial to get the Boy Scout troupes involved,” Gorman said. “We feel this is a great, interesting way to get the students outside and off their screen devices.”
Gorman says he’s been practicing this sport his entire life.
“I grew up shooting with my older brother in our backyard,” he said. “After that, I went on to teach it as a physical education instructor. I’ve now been teaching archer for forty plus years and have been a hunter education instructor since 1991 here in Pittsburg.”
Students in Gorman’s Tuesday camping class were particularly excited about last week’s class content. Seniors Matthew Riley and Austin Dyche both said it made for an interesting class time.
“I think this was a really cool, unexpected skill to explore,” Riley said. “Some of the students have grown up shooting a bow, but a lot of others have never even held one, so it was a really fun experience to have during class.”
Students were excited to show off what they learned during their class time training, and some said they would consider seeking further archery instruction.
“Dr. Gorman has a lot of experience in archery, so it was really great to get some tips from him on how to skillfully participate,” Dyche said. “I think it’s a great idea and definitely fits well into the class curriculum for camping.”
“Hopefully these events will spark some interest in people and get them to sign up for camping class or participate in some of the non-class time events,” Riley said. “As a senior, I know my chance to seize these unique opportunities will be over soon, so I really enjoyed learning more about archery this week!”