teacher Gary Sessions. All of his students participated in an archery unit during his classes every fall semester and the school provided them with inexpensive long bows to take turns shooting at a row foam targets. That same year, Mr. Sessions organized the club and started the tradition of taking the students on a field trip to Buckstop Archery in Brownstown. They were allowed to bring their own
compound hunting bows and would spend the day shooting both the indoor and outdoor ranges. Each member was charged club dues that paid for the course fees and cookout that took place under the shop’s pavilion. In 2006 when Mr. Sessions retired from teaching, Industrial Arts teacher Curt Jones took over as sponsor of the club. The trip to Buckstop was still continued as an annual tradition, but in the spring of 2007 the club set out to build a 3D course of their own. After many fundraising efforts, the club finally purchased their first 18 McKenzie targets. The City of Kinmundy granted permission for the club to use property at the Old Kinmundy Lake for the course, and with the help of several students and a few of their parents, trails were cleared for walking paths and placement of targets. Finally, in the fall of 2007 the club started holding their own 3D shoots. Participants were mainly the students, their parents, and local people from around the school district, but 18 targets just didn’t seem to be enough. So, with the desire to purchase more targets, the students continued to help with fundraising events and later that winter, the club purchased 30 used Rinehart targets from Rend Lake Sporting Goods in Mt. Vernon. Now with a full compliment of targets, the club organized a monthly schedule of shoots that started in March of 2008 and continued through to the last week of September. They were advertised as “open to the public” and shooters from other parts of central and southern Illinois gradually started to show up. As the club grew, more help and expertise was needed, so interested South Central alumni and former archery club students became involved. With their assistance, the shoots became more and more organized and ran much smoother. In the spring of 2010, the club joined the Archery Shooters Association (ASA), which is a national organization that promotes safety, guidelines, and rules for state and national 3D shoots. In June, the club hosted their first ASA Illinois State Qualifier where ASA member shooters with qualifying scores can advance to the state shoot, which is held later in the month. Currently, the club hosts not only their usual monthly shoots and annual Illinois State Qualifier, but are now offering a series of specialized shoots to peak the interest and competitiveness for their club members and guests.
