Youth in Queens County have learned that it never hurts to ask.
“A friend, whose son is a beginner archer, asked if there was any way we could organize a youth archery day at Queens Archers club during March break,” says club member Todd Leslie.
After thinking about it and noticing the unseasonably warm weather that March, combined with the fact he wasn’t overly busy, Leslie made a few inquiries. Together with help from Queens Archers club secretary Phillip Dagley and support from the Region of Queens who helped with registration, 17 youth participated in the event. The club provided 10 Genesis bows and arrows and used the same type of course used by the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP).
After the event, Leslie said several parents asked if the club could provide something like this on a regular basis.
“Of course, we can,” says Leslie.
From there, the junior archery program at the Queens Archers club was reborn.
Junior archery was first offered in the basement of the Milton Hall when the club initially opened in 1981. The next archery offering was at the high school with as many as 80 participants. That program ended with administration changes, says Leslie, and the program could no longer be offered. It has been several years since junior archery has been offered, until now.
The junior archery program will begin on May 8 at the Queens Archers club on White Point Road in Liverpool. The group will meet every Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for five weeks. After that, Leslie says, the program will be re-evaluated. The cost is $27 for club registration, plus small donations to help cover gear costs such as lost and broken arrows. This group is for those aged eight years and older, since that seems to be an age where kids can draw the bows, says Leslie. There is no age cap.
“Personally, I hope that we all have such a great experience with the five-week group that we continue for a longer period,” says Leslie.
Overall, Leslie hopes that other than learning archery skills, this group will give kids an activity that anyone can participate in and provide an outdoor activity away from screen time.
For more information or to register, contact club secretary Phillip Dagley at [email protected] or though Queens Archery Facebook page.
