Swap your typical couple’s night out for the Shooting Sports Education Center's Archery Date Night, where you and your special someone can learn the basics of shooting a bow and arrow in a small group class.
SSEC Assistant Director and level-four NTS coach Cassy Pelton led the most recent date night, guiding both beginner and experienced archers through the basic safety and technique of shooting a bow and arrow.
“I love teaching the date night,” said Pelton, “We get to encourage the competitiveness of this sport and have a good time with it.”
Pelton is a Georgia Southern University alum and has been practicing archery since her grandfather introduced her to the sport just before her freshman year of high school. She competed all the way through her college career and says she is passionate about teaching others the consistency and calming aspects of the sport.
The class starts with a brief introduction to bow handling and range safety. You learn the parts of the bow, range whistle commands, proper shooting form and eventually how to aim and release an arrow.
Safety is the biggest priority in shooting a bow and arrow, so participants must learn how and when to draw the string of the bow, retrieve arrows and conduct themselves within the range when practicing archery.
“We don’t want to become targets ourselves, that is not a good date night,” said Pelton.
Participants can choose to use either recurve or compound bows and will shoot at a close range target under the supervision of the instructor.
Students can participate in Archery Date night for $30, and anyone else 16 and up can join the class for $40, with all equipment provided.
The next scheduled date night is Friday, March 1, at 6:30 P.M. Visit the Archery Date Night Webpage for more information about the upcoming events.
