I knew a guy in high school who had big dreams about what he could do with a bow and arrow.

“Watch this,” he said. “I’m gonna lob this arrow across the gym and hit that target.”

He proceeded to hold the bow at a 45-degree angle at full draw, and promptly stuck his arrow in the ceiling of the gymnasium. The gym teacher was unimpressed.

Bryce Lynne and Cole Frederick, the co-founders of NDSU’s new archery club, probably have higher standards. But they won’t let the odd arrow in the ceiling keep anyone away.

“We want to create a learning environment for people of all skill levels,” Lynne said, a senior majoring in agricultural education.

“And anyone can do archery,” Frederick said, a junior studying civil and environmental engineering. “Some people can still shoot with no arms. We want to be an option for people who want to do something other than the standard intramural sports.”

Significant interest has been expressed in the club, and over 30 students went to the first meeting.

The group has access to the Sandhills Archery Club in West Fargo, which has both indoor and outdoor facilities. The group hopes to work out a deal for membership prices with Sandhills Archery, but in the meantime, students can use the facilities for five dollars if they go with Lynne, Frederick or other members.

Lynne and Frederick hope the club will be able to compete at the collegiate level in the future.

“But in the meantime, a new club at MSUM contacted us about potentially competing,” Lynne said. “It would be kind of casual, but it could be the start of something fun, a friendly rivalry. You have to walk before you run, after all.”

“It could be the battle over the Red,” Lynne said with a laugh.

Students who would like to get involved are encouraged to bring their own equipment.

“We do have some extra bows, and people are definitely encouraged to come and learn, especially if they are thinking about getting into archery or maybe getting some equipment,” Frederick said.

“And that would be one of the future benefits if we can get involved with collegiate archery — we could potentially get grants for equipment,” Lynne said.

The club is young and offers a lot of opportunity. Anyone interested is encouraged to reach out to the NDSU Archery Club page on Facebook or email bryce.k.lynne@ndsu.edu.