SPORTS
Target cactus Residents hit bullseye with modern take on ancient sport
BY MONICA D. SPENCER
M
ICHAEL HIGASHI WILL NEVER forget the first time he shot an arrow. “It was terrible,” the Maricopa
resident said. A competitive shooter since 1979, Higashi took up the sport in 2009 in response to a gun ammunition shortage. “I bought a used bow and some equipment, and I took it out to the range. I couldn't pull it back,” he recalled. “It was kind of demoralizing because you just assume as a man, you can just do it. But there’s more to it.” But once he adjusted the bow and took a few lessons? “After that, it was wonderful,” he said. “It became my meditative time.” Fellow Maricopa archer Jennifer Feickert had a more successful start with sport. Introduced to archery amid the pandemic, she found it exhilarating. “It was a little nerve-wracking because I’ve never done anything like that before,” she said. “But when I saw that arrow fly out, it was such a powerful feeling. I was hooked.”
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Above: Matthew Thompson collects used arrows between shooting rounds. Left: Henry Turner aims an arrow with other members of the Maricopa Archery Club at the Paseo Vista Recreation Area. Below: A view of a target packed with arrows during a Maricopa Trailblazers 4-H Club archery practice.
InMaricopa.com | December 2023
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