The first known use of bow and arrows was by the Babylonians in 2340 B.C.

Through the centuries, man has tried to master the ancient weapon for both hunting and sport.

Recently, a group of area youths were rewarded for the progress they have made in doing just that.

The West Penn Archery Club’s Eagle team - comprised of four girls and two boys between the ages of nine and 11 - won the Pennsylvania S3DA State Championship in February at an event held in Lebanon.

The club, located on Archery Club Road in Tamaqua, is in its infancy as far as competitive archery is concerned. But that didn’t prevent it from taking home the state’s highest honor.

The team is coached by Karl Bachert, who is assisted by Glenn Mummey, Steve Yerger, Brian Melochick, and Mike White. All coaches must be certified in the sport.

Mummey, who resides in Hometown and served as the spokesman for the club, explained what the West Penn Eagle team had to accomplish to win the state title.

“In this age group, the archers shoot at targets that are 10 yards away. The paper targets have five spots with inner and outer circles,” explained Mummey. “Each archer shoots five arrows, six different times. Hitting the inner circle scores five points for the team and hitting the outer circle scores four. No points are awarded for misses.”

Murray said the bows pull anywhere between 23 and 34 pounds - based upon the archer’s strength and ability. An electronic device measures the speeds of the arrows to be between 136-157 feet per second.

“Archery at this level is all about participation,” Mummey said. “The archers get to choose what string pull is comfortable for them to their strength levels and the tournaments are set up so that as long as you participate in a regional, you qualify for states ... and if you go to states, then you’re eligible for the national tournament.”

Grow the program

The success the team enjoyed this season was just an added bonus according to Mummey, who cited fun, learning and bonding among team members as some of the benefits derived from participating.

The next step for West Penn Archery is to grow the program and increase its membership. This past season, there were nine youths involved in the program - Tyler Buchman, Rylee Campbell, Eva Melochick, Lilly Parks, AJ Mummey, Lilly Rogers, Emily Buchman, Levi McCullian, and McKenzie Campbell.

S3DA (Scholastic 3D Archery) sponsors competitions in four age groups - Junior Eagle, Eagle, Youth and Young Adult - that encompasses boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 18. This past season, West Penn had members compete in two of the age groups - Eagle and Youth. But the club is hoping to eventually sponsor teams in all four age groups.

The state championship was far from the only highlight of the season, however.

Several members of the West Penn team traveled to Kentucky for nationals following their performance at States. Although none of the area youths came home with national medals, they turned in some outstanding performances.

Among the highlights was Mummey’s son, AJ, tying his personal best by scoring 25 points with five arrows hitting the bullseye.

Archery ‘seasons’

There are three “seasons,” or disciplines, sponsored by S3DA:

• The indoor 5 Spot that runs from late December to the spring

• The 3D, which began recently with a regional tournament in Liberty, Pa., on May 14.

• The Outdoor Field shoot, which gets underway on July 2. The outdoor targets are images of animals set upon bales of hay at 25 yards away with the purpose of preparing some of the older archers for the fall hunting season.

The S3DA (Scholastic 3D Archery) mission is to “foster, educate, and guide youth in the areas of indoor target, 3D (three-dimensional) and outdoor target archery as well as safe, ethical bowhunting practices.”

The organization provides after-school archery programs with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in communities. In addition, the S3DA expects an increase in participation during target archery events at the local, state and national levels. The program emphasizes the understanding and respect for our natural resources, wildlife conservation, and regulated sport hunting.

Tournaments are held in many places across the country. After traveling to Kentucky in the spring, West Penn has a new destination for some of its members this summer.

“We are going to Rend Lake, Illinois for a competition next month,” Mummy said.

A look ahead

Mummey hopes that the rising popularity of archery will soon help form an area school-based league that the PIAA will sanction as an interscholastic sport. He also pointed out how that could secure college scholarships for participants.

“The unique thing about archery is that it’s less physically demanding than other sports,” he said, “and besides the skills that are learned that are specific to the bow and arrow, the kids also learn about teamwork while still performing independently.

“They also learn about etiquette during competition. When there are as many as 80 archers at the line at one time preparing to shoot, the kids are taught stay and stand still if there is someone next to them in full draw or ready to draw so as not to disturb the focus of the shooter.”

Bow and arrows have come a long way from the primitive devices the Babylonians used over 4,000 years ago - and thanks to the efforts of Mummey and the West Penn Archery Club – the sport of archery continues to evolve and flourish across the region in the present day.