When Zach Hilgendorf, a senior, compared UW-Eau Claire to other colleges to transfer to as a sophomore he said Eau Claire’s opportunities for outdoor activities set the school above the rest.
After choosing Eau Claire, Hilgendorf got involved with the Environmental Adventure Center and found a place to participate in a sport he had been active in since he was 12. He discovered the archery range in the EAC below Hilltop Center and took a course to be able to share his love for archery with others as a staff member.
The EAC offers the Basic Archery Instruction Workshop not only for students like Hilgendorf who want to become archery staff members but also for those who seek to teach archery in schools, summer camps, or other venues. The workshop will be held on Dec. 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dan Langlois, the assistant director of Recreation and Sport Facilities, said the program does a good job of giving students and community members the basics they need to teach  archery safely  and effectively.
For physical education teaching majors, it can give them a competitive edge in applying for jobs, Langlois said. Many teachers are required to become certified for this activity, so having the certification on a resume can look good to employers.
The course can give students the chance to pursue a passion for archery as well.
“What we’re finding is a lot of the people that go through this training … become archers themselves,” said Dan Schroeder, the state coordinator for National Archery in the Schools.
Schroeder helped coordinate the program at Eau Claire, which has been in place for three years. Langlois said the workshops have had good turnouts in the past, with attendance at or near the capacity of 16 people per session.
The archery range offers more than just workshops for archery instruction. It gives students the chance to shoot during open hours of 4 to 7 p.m. for $10 and a one-time cost of $1 and $15 for the whole academic year.
Students can also sign up for the Archery League during the spring semester, in which they can shoot and compete against other archers for seven weeks during open shooting hours. The league fee is $15, with the yearly cost included.
Langlois said he encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities the EAC provides on and off campus. Whether it’s the archery range, the ropes course, or the climbing wall, there are multiple recreational activities offered through the center. Students can also take trips to locations for outdoor recreation nearly every weekend of the month.
“If people want to get off campus and want to go do something in the woods or outdoors, there’s really nothing that I’ve ever seen that can beat it,” Hilgendorf said.
According to Schroeder, the archery workshops continue to take place each year as a result of the growing interest in the sport. He said as more students sign up for the course, the EAC and NASP play a part in bringing archery to a broader scale of the public.