A $1,000 grant the Adaptive Recreation Program received from U.S. Paralympics paid to train two staff members as archery coaches and expand two programs. Recreation Programmer Patty Prather, CTRS, and Recreation staff member Michael Bredfield attended the training and are now certified as Level 1 and Level 2 archery coaches. They can teach beginning archery classes, and teach and certify other staff to become Level 1 archery instructors.
Thanks in part to the book “The Hunger Games,” archery has become very popular nationally, especially among young people. As a recreational activity, archery also plays an important part in helping Veterans who acquired a disability during their term of service to recover and return to civilian life. Studies confirm that becoming accomplished in recreational activities can help disabled vets restore their sense of competency. And, sharing positive activities with vets who have had similar combat experiences can be therapeutic. In addition to archery, Adaptive Recreation also offers river rafting, kayaking, biking, skiing, and other activities for disabled veterans.
Recreation’s Youth and Family Program at Petersen Barn began offering archery several years ago. The program has been so popular that an archery club has formed with members traveling to other Oregon cities to compete against other youth and adults.
The training the two received will help the Recreation Division expand its archery opportunities for youth, individuals with disabilities, and provide inclusive archery in Recreation’s after-school programs.