The Langenburg Archery Club is a local, non-profit organization founded in 2017. The program is in place to promote and facilitate archery activities for any of its members. The club has two facets. A Junior Olympic Program (JOP) and an outdoor shooting range are part of the club’s initiative to introduce archery to Langenburg.
Four years ago, Langenburg Recreation Director Juli Mitschke began brainstorming new sports initiatives that could be introduced to the town’s citizens. She hosted a meeting in search of new ideas for activities in the community; in the meeting, they landed on archery. A few individuals including Jami Ingjaldson, Jill Faul, Lacey Moore, Megan Homeniuk and Ryan Anderson had a common interest in starting up an Archery Club.
To get the idea off the launchpad, volunteers familiarized themselves with the rules and regulations of the sport. Lacey Moore and Megan Homeniuk took in coaching clinics to help with the JOP program. The pair had a lot of previous experience with youth archery, and their knowledge was instrumental to getting the program off the ground.
Dedicated volunteers with experience on other boards made for a successfully run archery program. There is currently a board overseeing the inner and outer workings of the club. Consisting of Jami Ingjaldson, Jill Faul, Ryan Peterson, Nathan Nerbas, and Juli Mitschke, the group of five meets to discuss decisions concerning the club.
“I wouldn’t say that there was a large calling for an archery program in the area, but enough of one to get a club started,” commented organizer Jami Ingjaldson. The club has built a solid foundation of members. They now have several key pieces of equipment set up to ensure the success of the club for years to come.
“Archery would be most comparable for sports in our area, in my opinion, to golf,” mentioned Ingjaldson, “it is an individual sport. You can go out and do it by yourself to practice, or compete in a group, but it is still an individual skill”.
JOP members over the age of six start practicing in the fall at the Langeburg Hall once a week. The indoor practices continue throughout winter until spring. In the warmer months, the club practices at their outdoor range. The outdoor range is open for members starting in the spring, and closes for the winter. Traditionally, the club has a 3D-shoot in the fall as a wrap-up to their outdoor season.
As a club, the group was excited to send their archers to provincials in Prince Albert in mid-April 2020. However, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The club hopes to have the youth compete soon. Sask Archery is still in the process of re-opening competitions; the club is unsure what that will look like this summer/fall.
2021 has been an interesting year for Langenburg’s archery program. “COVID-19 changed the way that we had to facilitate practices,” noted Ingjaldson. Archers were required to wear masks and neck gaiters because of the possibility of the bowstring catching on an archer mask when they were shooting. Sask Archery laid out safety rules that the club was required to adhere to. Members made sure to check in, sanitize and physically distance themselves during practices to maintain safety in the pandemic.
For further information about the Langenburg archery program, the group is on Facebook under the name Langenburg Archery Club. The club is looking forward to things returning to normal in the months to come.