Archery among highlights at summer camp

Jamey Alder's passion for archery started when she picked up her first bow-and-arrow set four years ago.

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Last week, the 10-year-old had the chance to share her excitement for the sport with others her age at the Augusta Jewish Community Center.

"I love it so much," she said.

Archery was one of the sports-related activities the center offered as part of its summer day camps.

Campers rotated through archery, tennis, swimming, golf and fishing, among others. Taekwondo camp is offered this week.

"It's really nice," said 10-year-old Thomas Gordon, who will be a sixth-grader at Riverside Middle this fall. "You get a whole lot of opportunities here."

Gordon was among a group of campers participating in a game of "Jailbreak" on the tennis court. Camp counselors lobbed tennis balls over the net and participants lined up on the other side had to return the ball within the court's boundaries.

Those who couldn't place the ball within the white lines tossed their racquets to the side of the net and crossed the court to await being broken out of "jail."

Gordon, who was among the last with a tennis racquet during the game, said his favorite aspect of the camps was fishing. "You can catch some really big fish," he said

The archery lessons were held at an outdoor basketball court, between the tennis campers and a field where campers played soccer.

Lindsay Hubbard, a Greenbrier junior, was charged with teaching the campers to properly shoot the arrows, and to not point them at each other.

She said the toughest aspect for the beginners to learn was how to hold the bow, and from there they worked on footwork, drawing the bow and how to place the arrow.

A target was placed about 15 feet away on the court and campers took turns shooting and retrieving arrows while others watched from nearby bleachers.

"You should never point an arrow at somebody and you should always have arm protection on," Alder said.

Alder was joined on the court by 9-year-old Ben Sayers, who said he had been shooting for about six months, and that the camp had taught him the proper way to stand.

Lucas Hasenmyer, sporting a St. Louis Cardinals baseball cap, also fired at the target.

"I like this place a lot," said Hasenmyer, 10. "I've made a bunch of good friends, and it has a lot of fun activities."

Ten-year-old Thomas Gordon, a Riverside Middle School pupil, hits a shot during his game.