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The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) in partnership with Wasting Arrows indoor archery range hosted an introduction to archery class Sunday morning.
Three volunteers from NDOW were on site to help coach and maintain a safe environment, but most of the instruction came from Level 4 USA Archery Coach Lystra Pitts, who has been participating in archery his entire life and competing for the past 15 years.
Students learned archery basics from Pitts before putting arrows down range at targets. Most students were using bows for the first time, and under the supervision of Pitts and the NDOW volunteers gained confidence and were already making respectable groupings on their targets.
For those familiar with firearms, who have learned to lean into the shot and aim using rifle or shotgun sights, part of the lesson was learning the very different stance and point of aim archery requires.
The class served as a pathway to bow hunting in Nevada for some students. Others showed interest in the art of archery and future local competitions. Pitts explained that the Reno area has an active and very friendly competitive archery community and encouraged students to participate. The youth program he instructs has created national champions.
Ashley Andrews, a class participant, said she had a great time even though she had not taken part in archery before.
The two-hour class, which was limited to just 20 students, included all equipment and targets for just $5. Attendance was nearly evenly split in regards to gender, with multiple couples taking the class together.
On The Web:
https://www.facebook.com/WastingArrows/ or http://wastingarrows.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NvDOW/ or http://www.ndow.org/
