By Kelly Cannon | [email protected]

Holladay -  Move over Katniss Everdeen. 

The Holladay Lions Recreation Center is offering an archery clinic for youths and adults. The four-week program teaches people the fundamentals of archery in a safe environment. The clinic is taught by Steven McKenna, a USA archery-level four coach with 16 years of experience.  

“I’ve been shooting a bow since I was little,” McKenna said. “When I was 16, I got my hunting license, and I started to practice shooting for the hunting aspect.”

McKenna has been teaching archery classes at the recreation center for the past two years. He became involved after he heard from a friend the center was looking for instructors. Around that same time, the center received a grant to purchase archery equipment. 

McKenna said it was hard to say why he loves archery so much. He finds it challenging because it is something you need to do regularly in order to stay sharp and keep the muscle memory. Teaching the classes, he sees that love of archery develop in others. 

“I enjoy looking for someone who has a passion to do it,” McKenna said. “It’s not just the structure of shooting a bow by how to make the bow work correctly, how to make the bow and arrow work compatibly. You need to make sure the arrow comes out clean. There’s a lot that goes into it.”

McKenna has seen several students over the years who have had the potential to become competitive archers. Some of his past students are the top shooters in the state and internationally. 

“That’s exciting—to find someone and train them from the ground up,” he said.

The classes themselves are limited to 15 archers per class. McKenna said they wanted to have as many people in the class as possible but not too many so those who need help can get help. 

This year, the clinic is doing something different where they are staggering the times the archers come in. This will allow each student to receive one on one instruction from McKenna. During that time, they will be taught the basics of archery.

“I think it’s going to work out well,” McKenna said. 

While archery is a relatively safe sport, there are inherent dangers, and McKenna’s classes stress the safety aspects of the sport. 

People interested in the classes don’t need to have any previous experience in archery to enjoy the classes. 

“Some people take it to have fun,” McKenna said. “Others take it to be social. For others, it becomes really personal. Most come away learning how to do things. They start to build a routine and a foundation. They love to accomplish something that is very difficult.” 

For more information about the archery clinics, visit http://slco.org/recreation/holladayLions.