Decatur Community Archery Park

New Decatur Parks & Recreation venue on target to open in May

The Decatur Community Archery Park currently under construction in Point Mallard Park, will be the eighth park of its kind in Alabama constructed over the last six years with four  currently in operation (Athens, Cullman, Dothan, Demopolis) and four (Ozark, Heflin, Lincoln, and Decatur) currently under construction.  The series of parks are being developed by the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries in partnership with Park and Recreation agencies, and the Archery Trade Association.  The parks are one component of a Community Archery Strategy in which the life skill of archery becomes as recognized as baseball, football, soccer and others as a mainstream activity. Other components of this strategy are programming archery in all levels and genre by park and recreation coordinators, as well as the development of partnerships with local clubs, schools, retailers, manufacturers, civic organizations and others who may benefit directly from the archery industry or the use of the park for participating in the life skill anyone can participate in. The park will be host to competitive tournaments and day use recreation.

Stuart Goldsby, Regional Hunter Education Coordinator for the Division of Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries said, “The park will be open to the public as a day use activity for recreational shooting, preparation for fall hunting seasons or archery tournaments. A fee for use of the parks is free for those under 16 years of age or over 65 years of age not requiring a hunting license. Those who do not hunt and do not purchase a hunting license between those ages may purchase an annual Wildlife Heritage License for $10. Nonresidents must purchase an annual Alabama Wildlife Management Area License.”  He also added, “All school and park and recreation archery activities will enjoy free use of the park. Goldsby predicted a realistic opening date for this park will probably be sometime in May.

Decatur Parks & Recreation recently began a new beginner and intermediate Archery instructional program currently held inside the  TC Almon Recreation Center, also at Point Mallard.  All equipment is provided as they learn the basic skills of archery such as; range set up and rules, eye dominance, anatomy of equipment (recurve, compound and crossbow), alignment and body position, aiming and scoring. Games are incorporated in each class to help achieve accuracy and consistency.

Cost for Decatur Parks & Recreation Archery Classes: $45 for 6 classes and are held Monday evenings.  Participants must be a minimum of 8 years old through to adult and be able to handle the bows responsibly.

With the world premier of the movie “The Hunger Games” and the dominance of archery within the storyline, no doubt enthusiasm to learn more about the Olympic sport will spread quickly. 

Contact Information / photos / site diagram:

Tom Chappell

Assistant Parks & Recreation Director
253-341-4930
tchappell@decatur-al.gov

For more information on Archery Classes contact:

Kerrie Lane
256-341-4952
KLane@decatur-al.gov
www.DecaturParks.com