TAMPA, Fla. — One of the oldest sports in the world is having a bit of a renaissance — so for Get Up, Get Out Week on Brightside we are going all in on archery.
Its history is ancient, but modern movies and TV shows like Brave and Hawkeye are helping usher in a new wave of archers.
We went down to Adventures Archery in Tampa to give it a shot and see what makes this Olympic sport, hobby, and way to hunt so much fun.
“It's just something everybody can do,” says Matt Hall, an archery competitor and coach at Adventures Archery. “Whether it's through hunting or competition, it's continuing to grow just fast.”
That includes young kids and even seniors in the Tampa Bay Area.
“In the state of Florida, luckily, we can shoot year-round,” Hall added.
Participation on the youth teams he coaches has grown increasingly over the past decade.
There's the traditional style, like what you’d expect Robin Hood to shoot, up to a compound bow with a bunch of modern bells and whistles including scopes and sights.
All can be used to shoot targets, 3-D foam objects or take on a hunt when FWC permits.
But what makes the sport so intriguing to so many, addicting even?
“It tends to be a little bit relaxing, something I can do with my friends there’s no stress in it. You can have so much fun with people you’ve never met,” Hall explained.
At Adventures Archery, they work with people of all skill levels, all ages and those with disabilities.
We gave it a shot, and they had us hitting near-bullseye within just a few arrows.
There is something quite Zen about it, like fishing, especially when you head outdoors — and like golf, you have that drive to try and shoot better each time.
There's also the community aspect, we saw people of all ages and backgrounds sending arrows down the range, working on a skill that people have tried and mastered for centuries.