AT HOME ON THE WINTER RANGE

Winter Range ().

Story and photos by

Dick Mason

The Observer

Don't let the low ceiling fool you.

This range has enough space to let archers take their skills to new heights.

The site in question is a well lit winter mecca for local archers, an indoor range in the basement of the Eagles Lodge. The range allows about 12 archers at a time to shoot at targets from a distance of 20 yards. Open to the public every Monday and Thursday, it gives archers the opportunity to keep their skills sharp.

Archers who make regular visits include Wes Johnson of La Grande. Johnson tries to practice regularly at his home near the Grande Ronde River, but said that the weather sometimes makes this impossible.

"I haven't been able to shoot the last few days with the wind howling,'' Johnson said Monday night.

Johnson welcomes the chance to come to the indoor range.

"It's warm and dry and a nice place to talk to people,'' he said.

Shooting at the range not only is more pleasant but also prevents archers from developing bad habits, said Ron Babcock of the Grande Ronde Bowmen. He noted that doing things like shooting in the wind hurts a person's form and can be detrimental to technique.

"To be successful you have to to shoot the same way every time,'' Babcock said.

Practicing outdoors in the winter not only hurts your form, it can be expensive. For example, it's easy to lose an arrow in the snow, said Norm Paullus of the Bowmen.

"Some arrows cost $15 or $20,'' Paullus said.

Shooting outdoors in inclement weather is sometimes costly and almost always unenjoyable.

"It's no fun pulling arrows out of a frozen target,'' Babcock said.

Paullus noted that practicing regularly keeps muscles toned for archery. This is critical.

"If you're not in condition for holding a bow, your form falls a apart,'' Paullus said. "It's important to stick with it.''

The Bowmen have had an indoor range in the basement of the Eagles Lodge for at least 10 years. Paullus said it would not be possible without the help the Bowmen have received from the Eagles.

Earlier, the club had ranges at the old National Guard Armory, in the basement of what today is the Oregon Trail Electric office building, the old gym at La Grande Middle School and the 4-H building at the Union County Fairgrounds.

The range today is open from 7 to 9 p.m. each Monday and Thursday from November through March. The cost is $2 per person. Children are charged $1, and those 6 and under are admitted free. People of all skill levels can shoot.

At each session, archers shoot for periods of approximately 10 minutes. Firing is then halted to allow people to walk to the end of the range to withdraw their arrows from targets.

The range is supervised by a member of the Bowmen at all times. Supervisors review the rules of the range and give safety tips to newcomers.

Paullus noted that the indoor range helps archers keep their skills sharp for winter target competition. There are a number of big winter tournaments archers from this area compete in. Perhaps the biggest is the National Field Archery Association tournament in Las Vegas Feb. 10-12. The tournament has a $35,000 purse and offers a top prize of $12,000.

Many local archers also want to keep their skills sharp for the bow hunting season and summer competition, the pinnacle of which is the International Bowhunting Organization world championships in Snowshoe, W.Va., Aug. 3-6. Almost every year local archers earn the right to compete at the world IBO championships while competing at regional qualifying tournaments,

Places like the Bowmen's indoor range are helping local archers advance to the world stage.

To get to the Bowmen's winter range, enter the door on the southwest corner of the Eagles Lodge. Walk down a flight of stairs to the basement floor and then turn right and travel about 50 feet to the entrance of the range.