This past week, students introduced a new club to Marshall University’s campus: Archery Club.  This is the first time Marshall has had this kind of club, and multiple students said they are excited and interested.

The first meeting for the club occured Tuesday, Sept. 3 in the university’s Recreation Center.  The club is open to all students interested in joining.

Archery Club was just starting out when the club’s advisor, Carrie Nilles, a sustainability coordinator at Marshall, got wind of it. Nilles had been shooting for a few years and wanted to know if the club was open to faculty and staff.  She and Andy Hermansdorfer, director of student involvement and leadership, began discussing the possibility of an advisor for the club.

“I was happy to volunteer and help out,” Nilles said.

Archery Club member and first-year student Blake Lacy said he was excited when he heard about the club’s emergence on campus.

“I was actually part of my school’s archery club for the past five years, and I have been looking for a way to continue improving on that skill and having fun while doing it,” Lacy said.

Other members said they joined for different reasons.

“I am joining the archery club because my dad is a part of ‘Almost Heaven Archers’, which is a local archery group,” sophomore student Olivia Sweeney said. “I have been around archery my whole life, and I just really enjoy it.” 

Archery Club is open to  students of all skill levels, beginner or expert. 

“You could never have touched a bow in your life, or even know what a bow is, and we would still welcome you,” Lacy said. “Just come and try it out.” 

Some club members have been shooting for years and are experienced in archery, while others have never shot a bow before.

Club members said they want to eventually become members of the U.S. Collegiate Archery Association and enter competitions, but there is a “for-fun” aspect as well.

“For me, the goal of the club this year is to reach out to students with all levels of experience and help foster a love of the sport,” Nilles said.

Julianna Everly can be contacted at [email protected].