Cupid’s Arrow?

Not the bow (so pretty, though!) or range we used, but a neat shot I saw when we arrived early.

Oh, I just had to, sorry! This week, my husband and I celebrated 21 years together. As a nice date, we decided to do something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager at least, and something he hasn’t done in a long time.

We took an archery class.

We lucked out, and there were only three of us in the class (the other guy was very nice and we enjoyed his company a lot too).

The facility we went to is called Cinnamon Creek Ranch, and is apparently a very big facility in the area. I know they have a lot of events and things going on, because the past couple times we’ve wanted to go there was something big happening. Thankfully, it was nice and quiet that night!

The instructor, Bryan, was excellent. He was funny, very laid back, but VERY helpful. To be honest, I was worried what sort of instruction we might get before we even saw the place for the first time, but he was there offering tips and encouragement the whole time. He also kept us relaxed and would occasionally chat to allow us a bit of a break to rest our arms and shoulders. The class was 1.5 hours long, and except for safety rules in the beginning, we spent the whole time shooting. All of us were very sore at the end (and two days later, we’re really hurting heheheh! It was worth it though). He was concerned with making sure that above all else, we had fun (and we did!), and he came up with games to test our skills, or keep us laughing when we struggled a little.

We were given some Genesis bows to learn on, and no protective gear for our arm or anything else. Very simple.

I have been doing a little better with fibromyalgia pain, but my upper body strength is very weak these days. I didn’t whack my arm, but the string gave me some fun friction burns. They went away by the next day and I guess I did whack my arm once, since there is a light bruise — I barely felt anything though. It was an issue with my wrist and being able to keep the bow steady that caused the problem. By the end, I was better about having the correct positioning, but I was also very sore and tired. I will try to do some exercises to build upper body strength back up, and I feel like I got the hang of it enough that I would be able to quickly find the right positioning to comfortably focus on shooting again.

We even got a coupon for a free range fee, so I’m sure we will go back sometime soon, even if we share a bow/lane between us. It will be more expensive for both of us to practice together until we get gear, and maybe we’ll find something affordable a little sooner while we save up for the kit we really want.

We want to go with a traditional bow… long bow or recurve, and when we do range fees will be so affordable that there will be no excuse to go regularly. Until then, you can rent gear from them and keep up with practicing and figuring out what you want to buy.

I would not have changed a thing about the class or the experience as a whole. I’m sad it’s over, and can’t wait to go back again. There are all ages and interests there, and the shop seems to carry a lot of items as well. I didn’t even get to see all of their ranges, but apparently there is a lot of shooting space.

I’m just so thrilled this is so close to us for a change. Half the time, when I want to take a class or try something, I have to drive a distance to get to it, or just accept there is nothing in my area. So to have a facility like this… I couldn’t believe it when we first found it. I only wish we’d tried it sooner!

I wonder if they allow costumes for Halloween? At least maybe… elf ears? *whistles innocently* 😉

The few photos we took came out blurry, but here is Christopher’s target.