Dan Vincent began shooting arrows from his bow when he was 12 years old, and today he is sharing his passion for archery with local youth shooters through the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District.
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ROCHELLE — Dan Vincent began shooting arrows from his bow when he was 12 years old, and today he is sharing his passion for archery with local youth shooters through the Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District.
Archers between the ages of 8 and 18 gather at VFW Park every Wednesday from 6:15-7:15 p.m. throughout the summer to hone their shooting skills while staying active and enjoying the outdoors. While some youths sign up to practice archery, others sharpen their techniques to prepare for bow hunting season.
“It helps clear your mind because you have to concentrate on what you’re doing,” said Vincent, whose daughter Cassidy participated in the archery session on Wednesday. “It’s something my wife, my daughter and I do together… It’s a nice, relaxing thing to do, especially on nice days.”
Vincent became a certified archery instructor five years ago, when he began teaching the sport through Ogle County 4-H. He coached archery for roughly three years before his wife Tina earned her certification to join him. A bow hunter since he was 16, Vincent and his wife are aiming to teach local kids the basic skills they need to succeed in both archery and hunting.
“We work on the fundamentals of pulling the bow back and stopping in the same spot every time,” Vincent said. “We teach them about different parts of the bow including safety features… A lot of the kids want to bow hunt, but some of them just like target shooting. They find it relaxing, too.”
Shooters begin each session launching arrows at a white canvas, and after a few warm-up rounds, the kids take aim at a colored target with scoring rings designed to award more points for better accuracy. After multiple sessions, Vincent said he and his wife bring balloons to help the archers stay interested in the program.
“It’s something the whole family can do,” Vincent said. “There’s a very low start-up cost… Nothing special is required for archery. There’s no state requirement to have a FOID card or anything like that. Anybody can do it.”
Archery sessions will run through Wednesday, Aug. 30, with sign-up costs ranging from $24 for residents and $29 for nonresidents. Sessions will resume on Sept. 6 and run through Sept. 27 at the same costs.
