At action archery, a friendly rivalry forms

While waiting in line for action archery this afternoon at the Bows, I met Matt, a Scout from Troop A210 in Georgia. He challenged me to a friendly competition to see who could hit the higher number of targets at this difficult but exciting activity at the 2013 National Jamboree.

In action archery, foam discs fly through the air perpendicular to the archers. The trick is aiming the arrow far enough ahead of the disc to make contact. It takes a lot of getting used to and gave me newfound respect for Katniss Everdeen and all the nonfictional versions of her out there.

As I waited in line, I saw target after target get hit. When an arrow strikes the disc, its flight path ends and it falls straight down in a rather satisfying way. I was ready to see the same happen with a few of my shots.

I picked up my bow and grabbed an arrow. Just before we got the whistle signaling the start of firing, Matt offered one last helpful piece of advice: “You’re going down, Bryan!” Good to know.

Twenty arrows later, which of us came out ahead?

Let’s call it a tie. We each hit exactly … zero targets. But we still had a blast and high-fived each other afterward. All in good fun, and fun’s just what action archery’s all about. Does your council camp offer it?

Full, uncropped photo:

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About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.