Trosper Archery News

President............................................................................. Rhonny Aebischer

Vice President..................................................................... Damon Thompson

Secretary..................................................................................... Dennis Lynch

Treasurer................................................................................... Kathryn Daves

Wow! Is it May already? Seems like 2005 just started yesterday, doesn’t it? We’ve finished the nine week indoor league, and are just starting the outdoor league (Thursday nights at 7:00pm at the Outdoor Range). Our T.H.E. Deerman Triple Crown 3D shoot is May 14^th and 15^th, and more 3D shoots are scheduled in the months to come.

We just finished an inventory at the Outdoor Range, and found that some of our 3D animals are just too “shot up” for tournament use. They can still be used for practice, though, so we’re going to offer them up for sale to club members. Proceeds will be used to buy new 3D targets.

With outdoor season coming into full swing, we need “range captains” on Saturdays from noon to 6:00pm on non- tournament weekends. (Keeping the range available to the public is an important part of our agreement with OKC. Please contact me or Damon Thompson about which Saturday you can work.)

Keep an eye out for a possible building for a more permanent indoor range. Our current location (6220 W Melrose Lane) is available on a week-to-week basis only.

Got a youngster who wants to shoot arrows? A JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) Club

is the perfect place to them to learn archery. Trosper’s JOAD Club (for archers 18 and under)

meets Saturday mornings, weather permitting, from 10:00am to 11:00am at the outdoor range (2201 SE Grand Blvd). Nationally Certified Archery Instructors teach proper shooting technique

and help JOAD shooters earn achievement awards. Don’t have equipment? Don’t worry! You bring the enthusiasm and we’ll supply the bows and arrows. Come on out and join the fun!

It was suggested at last weeks Officer’s Meeting that we may have to consider a change in the work rules if we don’t get enough volunteers for “range captains” at the Outdoor Range on non-tournament Saturdays. The proposed change, if approved, would require participating members to work a Saturday. Please be prepared to discuss this proposal at a future meeting if range captain duties keep falling to “the faithful few.”

There’s some talk of reviving the old Oklahoma/Texas Shootout competition. This event was built on the “friendly rivalry” that exists between folks on both sides of the Red River, and a traveling trophy brought yearly bragging rights to the best shooters. Trouble is, before we get things started again, someone has to find the trophy! Anybody have any ideas where it might be? If so, contact one of the Club Officers and let them know.

A young student-archer reached such proficiency in his art that he could shoot an arrow into a tree and then cleave it in two with his next shot. He began to boast about his skill.
One day his teacher, a venerable old man in his 70's, asked the youth to accompany him on a trip across the hills. They walked until they came to a deep chasm. A single log acted as a bridge. The teacher strung his bow, walked to the center of the log, and shot an arrow into a tree on the other side of the chasm. His next shot cleaved the first arrow in two. He then walked back to where his student was standing. "Now you," he said.
The youth, his heart in his mouth, stepped gingerly onto the log, and very slowly and carefully made his way to the middle. He knew that if he lost his footing, he would plunge to his death. His hands trembled as he strung an arrow into his bow. Preoccupied with the danger he was in, he found it hard to focus on the target. Consequently when he let go of the arrow, it missed the tree altogether and he almost lost his footing. Help me!" he shouted to his teacher. "I'll fall!"
The old man walked out to his student, took his hand and led the boy back to safety. On the return journey home, the teacher asked his student what he had learned. “To be a master archer,” the boy said, “it is not enough to control the bow. I must control my mind, too.”