Recently formed archery club moving inside for the winter

Proving a student can follow almost any dream at Purdue University Fort Wayne, Cadd Amsler was sharing details about his hobby with others in his Latin class one day. Amsler, a sophomore who also works as a custodian on campus, has been participating in archery for about 15 years.

As the discussion grew, Mevi McClure, a senior majoring in history, said she had always had a fascination with archery, and Cully O’Meara, another senior studying astrophysics, said he’s always wanted to give it a try. Even their instructor, Damian Fleming, jumped in with his words of encouragement.  

Pretty soon, PFW’s Archery Club was applying to become one of 104 student organizations recognized through Student Life. Amsler is the president, Tien Price is the vice president, O’Meara serves as treasurer, and McClure as secretary.

Then they really started building, figuratively and literally. The first 10 to sign up set as their initial task the construction of a small shooting range. Amsler acquired some targets from an archery center he frequented, built a backdrop, donated use of a few of his bows, and then started teaching.

The club is now looking for a permanent location on campus for their DIY range, with upgraded safety measures, but is currently shooting most Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hook and Arrow Archery, an indoor range at 7536 Winchester Road. That allows them to continue working on their skills throughout the winter.

“He’s taught me everything I know about archery,” McClure said. “He’s a very patient and good teacher.”

During McClure’s first lesson, Amsler gave her a bow to see how she’d do from about 10 feet. After an hour, her arms were sore and her aim was worse than when she started.

“Much to my dismay, he handed me the bow and told me it was mine,” McClure said. “With Cadd, somehow you just kind of fall into the hobby, and there’s no pressure to be great, just to practice and have fun.”

Amsler has a way of making newcomers feel comfortable and then relaxed. None of the now 25 club members are a perfect shot, but he’s seen gradual improvement from everyone.

The history and anthropology major grew up playing paintball and shooting guns with his family in Ligonier, but he got tired of it. After trying archery in high school, he picked up tips from veterans at a local range and started competing in a couple of leagues.

Now Amsler is taking private lessons in horseback archery, renting a horse, and learning to shoot with either hand. He’s also licensed through USA Archery as a coach.

O’Meara is one of his most interesting coaching challenges because he’s legally blind due to retinal cone dystrophy. He enlarges texts and tests in the Disability Access Center, uses accommodations during classes, and maintains an excellent grade point average. He lost his full sight about 15 years ago through a rare genetic quirk, can see enough to walk around without a guiding stick, but deals with significant blind spots, meaning he has trouble with well-lit ranges.

That same dedication translates to archery, O’Meara said, with help from a spotter and green glowing notches on the back of his arrows. When O’Meara shoots on a darkened range, Amsler said his arrows look like lasers because of the glowing notches.

“My success all has to do with good coaching, honing my form, and some muscle memory,” O’Meara said. “Even though my eyes don’t work, there is still some light. It’s like shooting a firearm. You are holding it up, understanding what your sight picture looks like, and having your reflexes and muscle memory trained to put things in the right places.

“I have what you might call navigable vision, meaning I can see stuff like large structures. I can see the human form, but I can’t see details, and I have color perception issues.”

Before losing his sight, O’Meara had briefly shot arrows as a youngster with friends who were in the Boy Scouts. He regularly attends club events, enjoying the camaraderie and the experience of shooting.

“Cadd’s a heck of a guy and obviously has some really good skills to offer,” O’Meara said. “Coaching seems to be his thing.”