Each Wednesday afternoon, the members of archery club head outside to practice their rounds and shooting. Members carry the large bows, arrows, and other equipment necessary to their small range behind the football stadium. Their practice begins once the first arrow leaves a member’s bow, hitting slightly off to the right of their target.

The archery club at Niles West officially started only four years ago when alumni Daniel Lui decided he wanted to create the club after being introduced to archery by a friend.  After gathering a sufficient number of people to join, he begged every teacher he knew to become the sponsor.

“It actually started with one of our students, Daniel Liu. This was almost four years ago,” archery club sponsor Subica Rauf said. “He came in, and he wanted to start a club. Daniel was always a go-getter from the beginning. So he went to Ms. Odell, and she obviously told him that he needed ‘this many’ people and a sponsor. He went around begging everyone to be a sponsor. At that time, I was just like, ‘Archery? Really?’ I didn’t know anything about it, but I was fine to do it because he couldn’t get anyone to really do it.”

The first year of the club was difficult due to the students not having the correct equipment. Despite this, teachers were wholeheartedly supportive and a few even donated their personal bows and arrows for the club. Four years later, the club is growing at a positive rate, and the current members are hoping to become more competitive in the future.

“The first year, we had about 20 people. We didn’t have much equipment. We had three or four bows and a few arrows. I spoke to the P.E. Department, and some teachers donated bows and a few arrows. [P.E. teacher Dan] Vander Jeugt gave us two bows and two arrows. Everyone was really supportive,” Rauf said. “Archery was all trial and error then, but now, we actually want to take it to the next level and start competing in tournaments and such.”

The general interest towards archery is the primary aspect that attracts people to give it an attempt. From there, members often become friends with each other and acquire some well-deserved stress-relief.

“I joined my freshman year. I saw Archery Club on the clubs page for West, and I was like, ‘Hey, that’s cool; I want to try,'” current president Victoria Orben said. “I would say that I have a lot of friends on the team which has really kept me there. It really is more fun when you have people you know there. Also, it’s stress-relief. You can just imagine your teachers’ faces on the targets.”

Most members who join either know nothing about archery or have had a brief introduction to it beforehand. No prior practice is required to join, and all of the already-practicing students are eager to help any new member get situated from the get-go.

“I remember my freshmen year when a bunch of seniors actually helped us,” vice-president Mary Samano said. “People who have been on the team longer, and Ms. R, would teach [newcomers] the basics like posture and how to hold the bow. We usually help with the first shot, too, to help them learn how to aim.”

This year, the team is focusing on becoming certified with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) in order to be able to compete in the upcoming national tournament in Indiana. The primary obstacle is that the members lack the equipment necessary and are unable to practice inside due to safety concerns.

“We are planning to go competitive in March. First, we have to get certified with NASP,” Rauf said. “We’re almost on our way, but in order to get certified, we need more equipment; there’s a list of things that we need to have. One of the main things is that we need to be able to practice inside. Right now, all we’ve been doing is practicing outside because the school doesn’t feel that it’s safe to bring archery inside.”

The Archery Club members are always very helpful in many different ways, such as carrying loads of heavy equipment to and from the range. It’s clear to Rauf that this eagerness comes from an enjoyment of the activity all together.

“These kids have been so amazing. They’ve been very hard-working as well,” Rauf said. “When we bring the equipment out, they have to carry all of these things out and carry it back in. Sometimes, these targets are maybe 20 pounds or so, and they’re always bringing them back and forth. But they do it because they really enjoy it.”

Archery Club meets every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in room 2195, or the ELL Resource Center. From there, the group heads off to the archery range.