Book by emerson domke

Bowhunters Unlimited Aiming High

Emerson Domke

Bowhunters Unlimited Aiming High

Bowhuntes Unlimited Shed

Dedication I dedicate this book to everyone that participates in an outdoor activity. We often forget to take time away from our computers and get fresh air. Hiking, camping, or simply taking a walk around the neighborhood is enough. The archers the book is written about take time, weekly, to do what they love and be in the outdoors.

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Shooting target at the range

Acknowledgements Thank you to the many people that helped me throughout this project. Thank you to Freestyle Academy of Communication Arts and Technology for giving me the resources to create both my book and my film. Thank you to the teachers at Freestyle Academy - Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Greco, and Mr. Taylor - for helping me along the way. Thank you to my friends and fellow students who helped me in so many ways.

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President of Bowhunters Unlimited , Debbie Golzen

Table of Contents 9 11 13 16 21 27

Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Conclusion

Preface Bowhunters Unlimited is a beautiful location with a focus on an activity many people don’t know about in depth. I chose to write my book on the archery club because of the sometimes unapparent need of an activity or sport that brings people together. Many people only see archery as the things Katniss was pretty good at in the Hunger Games or what Legolas did in The Lord of the Rings, however, what people don’t see is the passion or the benefits they get from archery.

Living in the Silicon Valley, I have always been focused about the new and exciting technology for the future and I’ve never really looked at the “technology” from the past. I had no idea there was even an archery range so close to my neighborhood until I did this project on Bowhunter Unlimited Archery Club. After talking to the members of the club, it was clear to me that archery was much more than I’ve always thought.

Archery is a place to meet new people and make new friends. All of the people I talked to for this project were kind

to me, curious about the project, and willing to participate in it.

Archery is also a place with much more diversity than one would expect. Personally, I am against hunting, but I am more than willing to try to understand those who do hunt. Through this project, I’ve talked to many hunters and now I better understand the morals and personal struggles that they will go through. Because of this, I am able to better respect these people.

Finally, archery is a place people can go to in order to be more relaxed. Living in a community where everyone is extremely stressed and busy all the time, it was amazing to see how people deal with their anxiety. I wondered how so few people participated in this alternative meditation.

Overall, I was astounded by the effects archery could have on not only a group, but an individual. My curiosity on all of these subjects was what brought me to do my research on the Bowhunters Unlimited archery club.

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Compound bow

Introduction The bow raises just enough for the string to be perpendicular to the ground. The archer pulls back the string and holds it, using all their strength not to waver. They feel their fingernails and the edge of the string against their cheek. Down along the arrow, they see the creature. The wild boar eats the grass, unaware of the hunter only 20 yards away. As the archer double checks they are within the range and aim of hitting the animal, they let go of the string. The arrow, following the force and direction of the string, is pushed through the air, where the arrowhead and feathers serve to counterbalance the spastic movements. Later, the sportsman will prepare their game for a meal, in which they satisfy their natural need for nutrition. The hunter requires a physical source for their nutrition in order to live, which they get through shooting a bow and arrow.

Similarly, the bowman requires a few non-physical elements of which they can also get from a bow and arrow. The person

behind the bow needs a sense of belonging, to be around a variety of different people with different capabilities, and to have some mental peace.

At Bowhunters Unlimited, one can find all of these necessities and more. There is a tight-knit community at the range of people wanting to help in any way they can. The people in the club come from a wide variety of backgrounds, bringing diversity and different skill levels. The mental health one can sustain from visiting and participating in the club can be an extremely valuable asset to their life. Learning more about what makes this range special provides an understanding of how community, diversity, and mental health are just as important as the food a hunter will gather through archery.

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Wild deer on the shooting range

Chapter 1

The Community of the Range

Community is a prominent aspect of every activity that can make or break the experience. Community is made up of working with one another, bonding with each other, and supporting the group. At Bowhunters Unlimited, there is no shortage of a sense of community and bonds with other people.

Everyone at the range is kind and willing to help out with the range or anyone who looks like they need a hand. President of the club, Debbie Golzen, says, “everyone’s willing to share their knowledge with any newcomer.” Longtime member of the club, Mike Dickerson stated that “People tend to share their equipment and show and tell.” This sort of comradery

is an effective way to teach others about the sport in practice.

Bowhunters Unlimited is a place where anyone new to archery can come and learn a great abundance about the sport and the people. The range has lessons available for beginners in archery taught at the range’s own training area.

When the archers at the range help each other, not even a language barrier can stop them. Dickerson remembers a recent time when he was there: “A lady and her father had a little boy, they came up and the father didn’t speak English, but the mother did.” After some communication between the three of them, they were all able to enjoy the experience of

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“Kids can do archery as long as they’re standing and can pull back a bow.”

Debbie Golzen, President of Bowhunters Unlimited

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archery in a safe manner. The members at the club work hard to include everybody in every way they can, even if it takes some work.

Along with helping out other people on the range, member of the club Robert Wright describes the times when everybody helps out the range itself, too. When it comes to

the volunteer days, “All the board and the members, we all cut the grass and trees and afterwards we have a big pizza bash and we start shooting. It makes a fun day.” Everyone at all levels in the club are willing to help with the maintenance of the organization to support the place they love.

Young archer practising at the range

Chapter 2

The Diversity at the Range

The people that come to the range have a variety of backgrounds. Especially in the Bay Area, everyone is extremely diverse and welcoming to each other. The people at Bowhunters Unlimited come from all different occupations, age groups, and experience levels.

At Bowhunters Unlimited, the jobs of the members include doctors, nurses, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, lawyers, policemen, firemen, teachers, students, mechanics, and more (Wright & Dickerson). These members even use their outside experience to help out the range itself. For instance, Robert Wright, a high level archery competitor, works in the medical

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field and because of that he is in charge of first aid. There are even some members that are too young to have a job. Many archers start with archery when they are only kids. As Golzen puts it, “Kids can do archery as long as they’re standing and can pull back a bow.” When at the range, it is very clear to see many families working on their archery skills together. Most of the kids, under ten years of age, have parents or trainers who are teaching the kids how to get into the right position, or how far to pull back the string. Mike Guerra, an archer at the club and father to a young bowman, says “It’s just my and my son getting away from everything and just relaxing. We

Extra arrows at the range

come up here and have a good time.”

During most days of the week, many families can be found, working together to improve their skills.

All age groups are welcome and involved at Bowhunters Unlimited archery club.

Some of the adult members used to shoot archery when they were young. One shooter at the range grew up in Florida and remembers, “When I was a little boy, I observed the other kids playing with a bow and arrow. I made my own out of sticks” (Dickerson).

He grew up hunting in his area for the food he and his family would eat. Wright, a hunter like Dickerson, is originally from Louisiana. He started archery as a child because he was not allowed to own a gun when he was younger.

Both Dickerson and Wright still hunt today for a wide 18

variety of different animals. In the Bay Area, the most popular hunting game is the wild boar (California Department of Fish and Wildlife). Wright also has an annual trip to Colorado where he can catch more adventurous and rewarding game, or quarry, such as bear.

Making sure the shot actually kills the animal is an important moral of hunting to him.

If the arrow were to shoot somewhere that did not quickly kill the animal, but instead merely injure it, the animal would run back into the wilderness “When I was a little boy, hurt and struggling.

The majority of hunters I observed the other also use their hunting kids playing with a bow quarry as their nutritional resource. In Wright’s and arrow. I made my case, the meat he own out of sticks.” catches is his main source of food and he Mike Dickerson, Long-time only goes to the store member of the club for other food items.

This is considered the healthier lifestyle between the two options: a hunter eating their game or buying meat from the grocery store. Someone who shoots their game knows exactly where their meat has been between the times of the animal’s death and the consumption. When buying meat at the store, the shopper needs to be aware of the meat’s quality, age, oxygen exposure, and bacteria exposure (Lynch). These factors cannot be determined for sure from the buyer’s point of view. However, the bowman can know and understand exactly what has happened to the food they eat. Many of the members of Bowhunters Unlimited are hunters themselves and understand the precautions they take.

The hunters are also able to practice their shooting at the range. One of the clubs many fields is the broadhead shooting sand pit, where the hunters can practice using their arrows specially designed for hunting (“Range Rules”).

The diversity of age, job, interest, and experience that can be found at Bowhunters Unlimited is extremely vast.

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The trees at Bowhunters Unlimited

Chapter 3

The Meditation of Archery

Archery, a sport commonly seen as violent and filled with sharp movements, is actually a form of relaxation for most. The majority of archers feel a sense of pleasure when shooting. The activity causes an unexpected reaction of tranquility.

Although most people are not aware of this aspect of archery, the sport is extremely advantageous to the shooter’s mental health. Archery can be a chance to get out of the technology filled buildings of the Silicon Valley and give their eyes a rest. Being outside in the sun is a relaxation on its own.

Depending on where it is done, archery will also include a walk or hike in between the shooting targets, which can be

another form of stress-relief for some. Getting away from work, school, or anything else that may overwhelm someone may be exactly what they need to calm down.

However, simply calming down is not enough to be fully relaxed. Many archers see their shooting time as a time to relax and focus on what they are doing. In fact, a good amount of the members of the club come to shoot, purely for the recreation of the activity. Wright says he feel relaxed when he leaves,“If you have a stressful day, it’s just so relaxing to get out here, stretch your muscles, pull back, and just let the arrow fly.” He adds that archery is “not so much about hitting targets for me, I just

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“I can just concentrate on what I’m doing. I concentrate on my breathing and I can drown out all the ambient noise around me.”

Mike Guerra, Hunter and Archer at the club

Wright’s arrow in tree

love to see the arrow fly.” Wright’s enjoyment of archery is a common mentality throughout the sport. Even some kids that are stressed-out at school or adults with hard times at work can feel that when shooting, “they are relaxed, they are confident, they have a purpose” (Wright). Most archers that feel a sense of relaxation after shooting also say it is the individual focus during the activity that makes it so calming, there is no need to worry about other people in any way. It is a concentration only on the target and the muscles needed to shoot. Archery - an individual sport - can let the bowman focus on their own skills and thoughts rather than worrying about their surroundings.

“I can just concentrate on what I’m doing. I concentrate on my breathing and I can drown out all the ambient noise around me” (Guerra). This environment allows the shooter to center themself on the bow and arrow. While other sports, where participants work in a team, may give an adrenaline rush to the athletes, archery has the opposite effect.

Archery is seen as a form of meditation for many shooters, both at Bowhunters Unlimited and in Japan. Kyudo, or zen archery, is a form of the activity that is seen as not only a physical exercise, but of the mind as well. It is described as a martial art where to “achieve success in kyudo, one must free one’s mind from attachment to ideas of success or failure” (Pinker). Archery is more of a competition with one’s own personal challenges, rather than a competition with other people. Many people come to archery ranges like Bowhunters Unlimited to practice something similar to meditation or stress relief. Because it is a sport of personal records rather than competition, archers can focus on themselves and their own skill. One archer and practicer of Kyudo says “I stay in what I’m doing and have no time to worry about how others see me” (Pinker). Kyudo reinforces the individual mentality through the focus of only worrying about oneself.

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Outside of the range, meditation through archery can also be found. It is true that “hunters feel a therapeutic feeling when out hunting” (Abram). Even when hunting for the very food that keeps the hunter alive. The focus needed to shoot the small, and possibly moving, target is a feeling that gives a sense of relaxation. Especially while hunting, there is always some sort of factor of the nature to worry about, whether it is dangerous weather, animals, or terrain. These elements that require special precautions, making it all the more important to be able to relax and be able to shoot the target. Everyone needs an outlet for stress and archery is one of the best ways to do it. Bowhunters Unlimited is a place that many people go to for satisfying their need for meditation and focus to be able to relax.

Robert Wright, a nurese and a hunter, aiming for the target

The shooting range at Bowhunters Unlimited

Conclusion Bowhunters Unlimited Archery Club is a place many people are able to go to and practice one of the most interesting and history-rich sports in the world. Archery is a sport that anyone from any background and any experience level can enjoy.

Since the activity is an individual based sport, people have no reason to be worried about their surroundings, which lets them focus fully on themselves, their muscles, and the target.

A sense of community is something that every human needs. Something to belong to or be a part of is an important part of living; similar to packs of animals, humans want to be with friends. Helping one another and being kind is how people feel a community.

Any good community will have diversity. Having a variety of age groups, occupations, and experience is how a group can work together to reach a common goal. If the goal is to improve archery skills, these factors help the community pass

on their knowledge, fix a wider variety of problems, and help each other improve. The variation in backgrounds is what makes a group stronger, together. Although many do not see the connection immediately, community, diversity, and mental health are just as necessary as the nutrition feeding the hunter. Bowhunters Unlimited archery club is merely the means by which these archers choose to find their overall wellbeing.

Finally, the community is only productive if everyone can be relaxed. When a group tries to accomplish an objective in a rush, mistakes are made that cannot be fixed. The individual members of the group need to be calm and relaxed and many choose to do this through some form of meditation.

Community, diversity, and mental health are universal human needs that archery provides.

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Wild deer on the range

Works Cited Abram, Tracie. “Health Benefits of Hunting.” Michigan State University Michigan State University Extension, Michigan State University, 3 Dec. 2012, msue.anr.msu.edu/news/health_benefits_of_hunting.

Dickerson, Mike. Personal Interview. 21 Mar. 2018.

Golzen, Debbie. Personal Interview. 5 Mar. 2018.

Guerra, Mike. Personal Interview. 5 Apr. 2018.

“Hunting in California.” California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Government, www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting.

Lynch, Kara. “Wha.” Michigan State University Extension, Michigan State University, 1 Oct. 2015, msue.anr.msu.edu/news/what_to_look_for_when_buying_meat.

Pinker, Susan. “Aiming for nirvana: Zen archery may be a martial art, but the whole point is to achieve harmony with one’s self: and it doesn’t even matter whether or not you hit the target.” Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 14 May 2002. Global Issues In Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A30374076/GPS?u =moun43602&sid=GPS&xid=e7eb37b5. Accessed 13 Apr. 2018.

“Range Rules.” Bowhunters Unlimited, bhuarchers.org/bow7/.

Wright, Robert. Personal Interview. 22 Mar. 2018.

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Shooting target at the range

About the Author Emerson Domke is a student at Mountain View High School and Freestyle Academy. She has been interested in the arts since she started photography as a beginner. Three years later, Emerson is fully committed to learning more through Freestyle Academy as a Film Production student. She is also a member of her school’s robotics team, FRC Team 971 Spartan Robotics, and wants to pursue a career in the STEM field after graduating. For the past three years, she has been a volunteer at the White Stag Leadership Academy, which puts on a yearly summer program to teach the different levels of leadership and is in association with the Boy Scouts of America. Emerson’s other hobbies include engineering, camping, and, her favorite, 3D printing. In general, Emerson loves to learn as much as she can in every subject she knows!

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Bowhunters Unlimited Aiming High

Emerson Domke