With crisp fall leaves resting beneath their feet, over two dozen students anxiously await the chance to draw their bows, let their arrows sail through the brisk autumn air, cross the library green and hit their target.
At Fairfield, this sight is nothing out of the ordinary – in fact, it occurs here weekly and is the actions of the Archery Club.
The club meets every Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the DiMenna-Nyselius Library to practice the fundamentals of the sport. Many students use the club meetings as a fun and relaxing midday break from studying.
Currently, club officers are being certified to teach new members basic skills such as how to properly use the bow and arrow, set up equipment, obey signals and whistles and follow safety procedures. “Once you learn the skills, you can teach someone else – and it’s really easy to learn,” said Dana Lòpez ’15, vice president of the club.
In addition to holding these weekly practice sessions, the club traditionally holds one event in the fall where members can shoot at pumpkins and one in the spring where the targets are replaced with balloons.
This year, however, the club intends to do much more. Lòpez and the rest of the club hope to plan multiple fundraisers as well as movie events that show archery-themed films such as “The Hunger Games” and “Robin Hood.”
Additionally, Lòpez would like to see the club attend off-campus shooting ranges. “It is a definite possibility this year,” she said. “We looked into it last year and there are a lot in the area.”
Lòpez also hopes that someday in the club’s future they will be able to attend and participate in competitive archery competitions.
The club has grown significantly since it began in 2008 under the advisement of Dr. Manyul Im, a philosophy professor at Fairfield. Practicing archery in front of the library was an extension of one of his philosophy classes, meant to teach students relaxation, tranquility and focus. Eventually, students outside of the course became interested and the Archery Club slowly took form.
“My freshman year there were days when only 5 people would show up,” said Lòpez. Today, the club is comprised of approximately 25 participating members. Lòpez attributes the club’s success to how welcoming they have been to new students at recent campus activity fairs.
“Anyone who has even the slightest interest in archery should definitely show up,” said Lòpez. “Even if you want to show up for a day and try it out, you definitely should.”
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