Robin Hood is alive and well in Wisconsin

With just a little imagination (which these guys have plenty of), picture tunics, pointy caps with maybe a feather, and a rowdy band of ruffians (waiting in the wings) and here we are in Sherwood Forest - AKA the back field of a Wisconsin farm.

The punks are in their second season of archery. A group of their homeschooling buddies meet with them every Thursday afternoon at the archery range for instruction, practice, and fun and games. Their impromptu practice at the farm was fun to watch, and impressive in their professionalism. They are being taught well, with safety foremost.

The bows they use are Genesis Youth compound bows. According to the info on http://www.genesisarchery.com/ (which is based in Longview, WA - isn't that ironic), "youth bows have zero let-off with the capability to adjust from 10 to 20 pounds of pull. These bows are ideal for kids of all ages due to flexibility of their draw lengths, ranging from 15 to 30 inches." This was explained to me with great seriousness when they got their own bows last year - its a good thing I had owned a compound target bow a number of years ago or it would have all been Greek.
(Note: making points as a Gramma is an ongoing challenge; I'm very blessed to have had so many great life experiences in the past that help keep me on the upper end of the chart - and when all else fails, making cookies with them is a fail-proof fallback...)

Robin and Little John prepare to demonstrate their skill at piercing inanimate objects. Namely the official target. Moving targets, as in cats, chickens, brothers, are out of bounds.

This photo is my favorite. (Hey - one out of fifty...that's average for a photographer, I hear.)


Although all the boys are right-handed, its interesting that Collin is left eye dominant, and shoots better with a left hand bow. He keeps his bow at a higher pull-weight than Than does, which is fortunate for Lee; he and Than can share a bow, saving mom and dad considerable bucks.
Than explained the Range Master's whistles. 1 = fire; 2 = have your bow ready, standing at the fire line (demonstrated below); 3 = retrieve arrows from target; 4 = STOP FIRING immediately. I was impressed that they kept themselves disciplined as taught, with Than providing the whistle (good pucker, there).

When at the fire line, the bows are held with one end on the floor or a foot - the punks seem to use their foot, which is a good thing because they do their home practice either in the big barn or outdoors and you can just imagine how a bow end could get mucked up...

There is also a correct way to carry/transport your bow, demonstrated by Lee.

Carrie just got new targets. These are pretty nifty - the black target is backed by bright green, so the strikes really show up. There are little black circles in the corners to cover the holes, but the boys informed me they hit so many times that there aren't enough circles, so they just use them for little targets (and if you believe THAT one....) The old round bales which had been left on the farm before we came are still coming in handy, this time as a target backing.

Nocking the arrows becomes a smooth operation, with a lot of practice. And just let me tell you, if you release with the bow at a bit of an inward angle, you get an almighty stinging whack with the string right across your inner arm - talk about soreness. I always used an arm guard...the punks are too tough for that, they tell me. Although I saw Lee grab his arm once, and I knew exactly what had happened. Ouch. My arm cringed in sympathy.

Nice form, guys.

Collin....COLLIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING??? NO, NO - NOT THE GOOSE, NOT THE GOOSE...
Umm - oops. The Canada geese have been using the air path over the farm as a flyway south. That may change... Goose for Thanksgiving, anyone??

What was Little John's son's name in the Robin Hood movie? Wulf? Trivia question of the day.

Lee is like whipcord, he is rock hard with muscle. This kid is in motion all the time, not an ounce of fat or flab. No matter what physical endeavor he tackles, he is poetry in motion.

This was Collin's bulls-eye. Lee does it pretty often. Once, at a competion, he was totally disgusted that he got a bulls-eye during the practice shots, and missed it in the match!

Than shows a good release, holding the pose until the arrow hits the target. Sort of like the follow-through swing of a golfer or bowler..They each have their own arrows, with distinctly colored flights (feathers, for you uninformed). Than's are white, Lee's are neon green and orange and Collin has neon yellow and orange. Makes it pretty clear who hit where when they go to retrieve arrows from the target.

Oh yes. You want to know just what Jayden and Max are doing while the rest of the Brothers are target shooting. They are part of the Merry Band, too, only they are off practicing with their swords. Honest. Any stick will do. Although there are some pretty fancy swords in various corners around the cabin and porch. Duct tape makes anything better...

Notice the arrow in one of the little corner patch circles...that was on purpose, I'm sure...yep, good shooting, couldn't do it better myself. That bulls-eye is pretty nice, too.

The Brotherhood of the Arrow have a good time together. The bows have been a great investment.

Uncle Pat and honorary Uncles Ty and Jarrod would be proud.