Just like any job, organizing an event for archery is about as tedious as one can imagine. From finding the proper venue to spreading the word, you truly must have a love and admiration for the sport to put yourself in this type of situation. My work schedule owning and maintaining a roofing company keeps me pretty busy, especially through the spring and summer months when jobs are coming in left and right. I have to make sure that i take on all the work that i possibly can during the good months of weather and extended daylight in order to ensure that my family and i survive the downtrodden months of winter.
Get it while the getting is good has always been my motto so organizing an archery event really takes it toll on me. Fortunately, I’ve had great help from friends and colleagues from within the sport who have stepped in to take on certain roles that i cannot fulfill on my own.
It helps to have someone helping that has a few connections. One of my partners runs a printing company so they are able to donate a little bit of their time and resources to print event materials, flyers, cups, napkins, t shirts and whatever prize and promotional materials we come up with. Their donation takes a huge burden off of my shoulders when planning the events.
Another gentleman who is big within our archery community is also a City Commissioner. He makes sure we have all the proper permits as well as well the right venue for the event. Liability is always a big concern for any public or private entity so a safety presentation to the Planning Commission is usually necessary in order to get the proper permits. Finding the right place that is accessible to every participant is crucial. A public park with the proper safety protocols is usually the best place to host a live archery event.
In addition to the aforementioned pieces of the overall puzzle, we must also have a large number of volunteer staff. The volunteer staff must be familiar with archery, techniques as well as safety measures. We don’t want things getting out of hand or endangering others because we don’t have enough adult supervision.
with the proper planning and the right helping hands, you can organize an archery event within your community. We’ve even had a few local vendors show up to set up booths and display their goods. Last year we had two food trucks that showed up to provide our patrons with food.
Just the visibility alone in the park drew a crowd of people wanting to know what was going on. I’d say a few people’s interests were peaked who may have never even thought as archery as a sport or pastime.