HOW TO GET STARTED

Well, that indeed is the question.  The first few questions I asked were, where, when, how much, how hard and and so on.

The first question is where and when.  If you go back to the Welcome page you will find a link to Places to Shoot, and that will give you the addresses and the phone numbers.  You can phone for directions and the hours of operation and the people will be happy to help you out. 

Next question, how much.  Well, to begin with, it is very inexpensive.  The way I started was to rent my equipment from the range, as they have all the supplies and equipment there.  For a day it costs around $15.00 at the Calgary Archery Centre.  That includes all of your equipment and a little time by the owners or one of the other archers around to get you started.  I, personally, started with a recurve bow, which is pretty much your basic bow, a curved stick with a string.  You can, however, rent a compound bow, which is the one with the cams (roundy bits at the ends), and it gives you more power, but the basics are still the same. 

Now, how hard is archery.  It isn't!!!  At least to start with.  It is fun, hilarious, and pretty much great to try and hit a target at the beginning.  The hard part comes later when you get better.  It is the whole nature of archery, just to get better.  You never really achieve your full goal, or at least I have never met anyone who still isn't trying to improve even after ten, twenty or fifty years.  The way I handle it, is to try and get a little better each time, get a little closer to where I am aiming, or grouping better (putting your arrows really, really close together).  Some days I can be awesome, and some days, not so awesome, but I have never had a horrible time.  I have run across days where I get frustrated and a little annoyed (okay, that could be an understatement), but I just keep trying.  So does everyone else, even the best 'guys' have off days too.

Alright, so you have a bow.  The first lesson I learned was how to stand, this is called your stance.  You straddle the line (where you shoot from), with your feet as far apart as your shoulders.  You stand straight up, be proud ladies, if you are right handed like me, your left arm holds the bow out at shoulder level, and your right hand pulls back on your string, to a drawpoint (I used the corner of my mouth to start with), and you form a lovely looking T with your body and arms.  You look down your arrow, aim for the target, and LET GO.  It is as easy as that.  Now, you probably at this point, have either hit wood, wall, floor, anything but the target.  IT DOESN'T MATTER.  You have just shot your very first arrow.  You WILL be excited, and you WILL be laughing.  You shoot three arrows at a time, put your bow in the bow rack, and go and retrieve your arrows from wherever they landed.  There are not too many rules, BUT, there are a few.  First of all, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, make sure that no one else is still getting their arrows when you go to shoot again.  I know it seems to be a pretty logical rule, but even I have shot an arrow when someone was on the 'range' getting their arrows as I just didn't see them.  You also need to put your bow in the bow rack when you get your arrows, do not run (the floor is really slippery), and don't fool around with a bow that has an arrow on it.  These are pretty simple rules, and exceedingly logical, BUT, some people just do not listen and it is important to realize you are not the only one there, and to be courteous.