Having done my first archery party in October, it was an unexpected surprise to be asked to do another one so soon. The last one was for a group of girls, so it was nice to have a boys’ 9th birthday party this time around.
With the usual weather at this time of year, it seemed that opting for indoors was the obvious choice and it seemed to work out well. Indoor ranges are not particularly common, but we’re fortunate to have Ellesmere College just up the road with their own ranges. Although they aren’t generally open to public use or hire, the amount of work I’ve done with them over a number of years now, has developed a relationship of trust.
We had 8 lads along for the party, which worked really well. The range is large enough to have 4 people shooting at a time, so having 2 groups on a rotation worked perfectly. Having got the initial briefs out of the way, the boys got stuck into some practice. It normally takes a few goes just to get used to how to hold the bow, never mind about becoming an awesome shot, but the boys were soon hitting the target with a reasonable degree of consistency.
With the basics covered, it was time to start a few competitions and challenges. Kids always seem to be up for a bit of competition and, especially when it involves bursting balloons, it works a treat.
I’m not sure we discovered a future olympic gold medalist, but the boys seemed to have a lot of fun, which always makes things fun for me as well. Thanks for inviting me to the party!