High Altitude Archery offers archers diverse opportunities

There is probably only one place in Longmont you can shoot arrows at a dinosaur.

High Altitude Archery.

And though this archery school allows you to choose between many three dimensional targets-deer, leopard, crow, alligator, and jackalope, among others-hunting is a minor emphasis.

According to staff-member "Coach Bob," the school seeks to create "more of an instructional, classroom environment." It prides itself on family-friendly atmosphere with knowledgeable instructors and space to learn.

Some may remember when High Altitude Archery resided on Longmont's Main Street, just north of Ziggi's Coffee. It first opened in 2012 under Tom Adjutant's ownership. Two years later, the school and range relocated to their present location at 455 Weaver Road.

At that time, Paul and Kerstin Williams were clients-their son and daughter both took lessons at the range. When Adjutant gathered his clients and expressed a desire to hand over the reins, they jumped at the opportunity. "We looked at the business, fundamentals, culture, and said, this is an important part of the community, and we want to keep it going," said Paul Williams.

After the Williamses bought the business in 2016, they ramped up the marketing and outreach but held onto the core mission. "Everything still centers around that concept of archery as a sport for improving yourself," Williams said.

So how is archery related to self-improvement? "Archery is an intensely mental sport. It requires a process oriented approach to excel. That helps people of all ages but especially kids to organize a process to execute a shot." Students use the techniques they learn in archery to improve their interpersonal skills and day to day task execution.

Some of the school's junior clients are members of the JOAD-Junior Olympic Archery Development-team. From September through March, roughly 25 members of the JOAD team train weekly at High Altitude Archery and go out to compete. Other junior clients include local schools. In fact, just two weeks ago, 160 eighth-graders visited for a school field trip.

High Altitude Archery employs six staff members, all of whom are USA Archery certified. And some of them have been archers for a very long time. "I started when I was four years old," said Rey Cortez, "when my parents gave me my first bow." Now raising children of his own, Cortez visited High Altitude Archery on a family vacation last summer. He was so impressed with the facility that, a year later, he accepted the job and relocated from Texas to Colorado.

High Altitude Archery offers a range of private and group lessons for youth and adults of varying abilities. But the facility also offers other opportunities. It boasts a lounge for business people, a 24-hour shooting range for members, and plenty of space to host parties and summer camps. "We do a lot of corporate, team building activities," Williams explained. "It's a great opportunity to bring the office together."

One unique offering for large groups is Archery Tag, which is more or less what it sounds like. "It's like dodgeball but with archery," Cortez explained. The key being that players shoot each other with archery tag arrows-which look like arrows with marshmallows stuck on the pointy end.

"If you're not sure whether or not you would enjoy archery, come in and give it a shot," Williams said. It costs only twenty dollars for a first visit-this includes equipment rental, range access, and a few minutes of instruction.

An introductory visit could make a nice holiday gift. High Altitude Archery is also offering reduced membership prices and introductory packages that include bows, arrows, and lessons.

"Our goal is to get everybody to try archery at least once. Hopefully you find a passion for something you didn't think would be on your radar," said Williams.

To learn more about available offerings, visit High Altitude Archery's webpage: https://highaltitudearchery.com