Seymour High School recently hosted an archery camp for the first time. 

Jill Purkhiser, head coach for the high school archery team and organizer of the camp, said she started with teaching the fundamentals.

“We took them from knowing nothing to hitting bullseyes,” she said.

The camp was open to any student interested in learning about archery, regardless of skill level.

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“We have kids that show up and are afraid of shooting the bow,” she said. “I mean, it’s a weapon, but after that first set of five, they’re hooked. Seeing the smiles on their faces, that’s what it’s about.”

Xavier DuBois attended the camp for the first time, though he came in with some experience.

“I learned a lot. I’m left eye dominant, which means I have to draw with my left and hold the bow with my right,” he said.

DuBois said besides teaching him about form and technique, the camp also taught him patience and waiting until he was ready to fire.

“There’s just something about it,” he said. “It’s the satisfaction of hitting a bullseye.”

For Rachel Lenart, it was her first experience shooting a bow.

“It’s really fun,” she said of the camp. “One of my friends saw the flier for it and asked if I wanted to do it.”

Through the camp, Lenart said she learned how to properly draw the bow, notch the arrows and shoot correctly.

“We obviously take safety seriously, but we want them to have fun, too,” Purkhiser said.

To make that happen, in addition to fundamentals, the coaches developed games that could be played in safe environment, including knock out, fill the target and others.

One night during the camp, the instructors invited the campers’ families to come out and try shooting the targets, too.

“You have to experience some things like this in life. You can’t go through life with no experiences,” said Jacob Schluckbier, a Seymour graduate and assistant coach at the camp.

Purkhiser invited any of the high school archers with more than two years of shooting experience to come and help the younger kids learn.

“I learned you have to do more than just tell little kids things. They don’t always get it. You have to help them learn,” Schluckbier said. “I personally enjoyed archery, and if I can bring that to other people, I’d like to do that.”

Purkhiser said a big part of the camp was instilling a love of a different sport in students and growing their confidence in the sport.

“This is especially for kids that might not be able to do or may not like other sports,” she said. “You can just stand there and see the confidence grow. They hit that center or that great grouping and they turn around and the smile makes it all worthwhile.”

The archery team also recently purchased several Mini Genesis bows for younger children to learn. The bows aren’t the right size for competition, but they serve as a way to instill safety and technique in younger children, Purkhiser said.

The archery coaches plan to continue the camp next year and hope to see the campers from this year attend along with new kids.