Fox Valley Park District sponsors archery event

by Paul E. Heinkel Fox Valley Park District

The Fox Valley Park District has targeted a tremendous special event that bowhunters across the country are enjoying in great numbers.

There has been a great surge in popularity with the sport of bowhunting in the last 20 years. The Fox Valley Park District and one of its co-sponsored groups, the Auroraland Archers, had an idea eight years ago to attract shooters to its 40-acre shooting range along the Fox River, known as the John A. Lippold Outdoor Recreation Center.

The idea of having a two-dimensional shoot with animals set up in a wilderness type setting brought 380 archers from the Midwest to the first annual event. A very challenging course was set up by the members of the Auroraland Archers. The contestants were taken along a route through field, forest and glade which required them to take their best shot at animal targets at unmarked distances. This would challenge the archers' skills as if they were actually hunting in the wilderness.

The competitors shot a total of 40 targets for a combined total score. The ethafoam targets varied widely in size from small rabbits and squirrels to large bears and antelope. Distances were as close as 15 yards and some shots were at 60 yards. During the competition no perfect scores were shot. These ethafoam animal targets are available from many archery manufacturers and are very life-like in appearance.

Scores are tallied on a 10-8-5 basis with the highest score going to the center of the animal's vital area. The next for any other part of the the vital area, and five for any remaining colored portion of the target.

Awards were given for many different classes based upon divisions for men, women and youth. There were also different classifications for the style of shooting, with or without sight aids.

Each contestant was required to pay an entry fee of $14. This money helped the district pay for the targets, awards, advertising, and other set-up costs for the event. In addition to receiving entry fees, the district also collected money for tent rental space from the archery manufacturers that erected displays on the grounds that arch-

Cub shooters practice before their round at the Aurora Bowhunter Nationals. Youth programs in archery are appealing to boys and girls.

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ers could visit after the competition. Entertainment and food were also arranged for the contestants on the site which made it convenient for the approximately 400 campers on the premises. Others left the grounds to stay at local motels in the community which were filled to capacity.

The sport and event is something in which an entire family can enjoy and become involved. Every year the number of families and participants has increased. During 1989 there were 1,405 archers in competition that shot at the Aurora event. Other bowhunting tournaments also grew in strength and unity across the country during the early 1980s. There was a definite need at this time to have an organization to help schedule and provide a unified front serving the interest of bowhunters and bring 2-D shoots to a national level of competition. Hence, in 1984 the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) was formed and one of the officers of the Auroraland Archers, Myron Rutledge, was a major force in developing the guidelines for the organization.

The IBO has steadily seen growth in membership and club affiliation in the past five years. The IBO is probably most well know for sponsoring the "Triple Crown of Bowhunting." This event is a culmination of three major shoots across the Midwest - the Aurora "Bowhunter Nationals," the "Midwest Classic" in Indiana, and the "Bowhunter Challenge" in Ohio. Archers wishing to compete for the crown of being national bowhunting champion must shoot in all three of these major events to qualify for honors. These events have proven to be very successful and one of the major reasons is that the IBO makes sure that the shoots offer uniform rules, good competition, and plenty of recognition.

Park Districts wishing to set up an archery program or those who have one set and would like to run a smaller scale version of a bowhunter tournament are encouraged to contact the Fox Valley Park District, 712 South River Street, Post Office Box 818, Aurora, Ill., 60507, (708) 897-0516. The district is fortunate to have the Auroraland Archery Club which is a group of around 300 members who actively promote archery and help the district with many other special events. This group has also hosted six National Field Archery Association Tournaments during the past 20 years. The club has a great deal of expertise and is willing to help others wishing to start a program.

Archery is a great family sport and can be enjoyed on many different levels with the state and national associations and in Olympic competition. Archery is great fun and with the good competition learning can bring your district plenty of recognition.

Two contestants take aim on a target across a pond at Lippold Outdoor Recreation Center in Aurora during the 1989 tourney.

Archers inspect one of the ethafoam targets that are used in competition for the Bowhunter Tournament in Aurora.

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