Archery in the University of Wisconsin 
By May Alice Brownell 
Instructor of Physical Education, University of Wisconsin 
In the fall of 1913, archery was included in 
the list of activities offered to women students of 
the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wis. 
About one hundred and sixty students elected 
archery. They were arranged in groups of twelve, 
having two half-hour periods a week. Included 
in the one hundred and sixty students were 
twenty-five who were majoring in physical edu¬ 
cation, that is, who took up archery with the view 
of teaching it after they are graduated. A more 
detailed account of this class will be given later. 
Our first difficulty was in getting the equip¬ 
ment. Considering the number of people who 
shoot a bow and arrow in the United States, and 
the fact that the physical education departments 
in many of. the big women’s colleges are offering 
archery, it seems rather strange that archery 
tackle should be so very scarce and difficult to 
obtain. After writing and telegraphing to every 
firm we could think of which might possibly have 
what we wanted, we managed to get together a 
few good bows and arrows. This lack of equip¬ 
ment was quite a handicap, as in many classes 
there were three girls to a bow, and if a girl shot 
six arrows in half an hour she was lucky. 
Another difficulty was finding a range. There 
was plenty of land, but to pick out a range, eighty 
yards long, wide enough for four targets, and 
reasonably level, was rather difficult. We finally 
selected a place and after repeated mowing of 
the grass, the range is quite satisfactory at pres¬ 
ent. Several large oak trees in the background 
make excellent points of aim. A large canvas 
spread in back of the targets much facilitated the 
finding of arrows. 
Considering the fact that a twenty pound bow 
does not carry very low toward a target sixty 
yards away and that many of the girls only shot 
about twenty times during the season, the results 
were very satisfactory. At the end of the fall 
term, which lasts from the middle of September 
to the first of November, several of the girls 
were hitting quite regularly at sixty yards. I 
have come to the conclusion, however, that sixty 
yards is a pretty long distance for a girl who is 
not very strong and who cannot manage a bow 
pulling more than twenty-five pounds; and so, 
although I thoroughly approve of starting begin¬ 
ners at the long range, in order for such a girl 
to get much enjoyment out of the sport, she 
ought to start at fifty or forty yards. Shooting 
at sixty yards with a twenty-five pound bow is 
about like one hundred yard shooting for a man. 
In the fall we had one or two tournaments, 
and the scores were sent in for the Fifth National 
Archery Association mail match. In the spring 
we hope to have one a week if possible. 
In teaching the group of twenty-five normal 
students, we had a different aspect of the case 
from the ordinary university student. These 
girls were strong, quick to learn, and possessed 
far more co-ordination than the average girl. 
The best way of showing the results obtained is 
by the following National Round scores, made 
after about six hours of actual shooting: 
Miss Cronin . 33-155 
Miss Glassow . 26-122 
Miss Jones . 33-86 
Miss Elwell . 20-78 
Miss Cantril . 17-58 
Miss Righter . 17-57 
It was a great pleasure to see how readily 
these girls swung into good form and steady 
shooting. 
Beside five weeks of practice for the normal 
students, I gave several lectures and a final ex¬ 
amination. These lectures dealt with equipment, 
its care and the best places to procure it, the 
value of archery, tournament shooting, and the 
best methods of teaching archery to beginners. 
In the examination the following questions were 
asked: 
I. A friend of yours who is beginning archery 
wants an archery equipment. Give a list of the 
material you would consider necessary with 
prices where possible. 
II. What do you consider is the value of 
archery? 
III. What is a Columbia Round? 
What is a National Round? 
Draw a complete score sheet for either 
one. 
IV. What are some characteristics necessary 
for a teacher of archery? 
V. Name: 
(a) Fifteen faults which a beginner would 
be apt to commit. 
(b) Five reasons for arrows going to 
the left. 
In the spring a practical examination will be 
given to test not only a student’s ability to shoot,, 
but her ability to show another person how tO' 
shoot. When one considers that perhaps every 
one of these twenty-five girls will in her turn 
show many more girls how to shoot, one realizes 
what a large field this normal work opens up for 
archery. 
With the hearty support and co-operation of 
Miss Trilling, director of the Women’s Depart¬ 
ment of Physical Education, I feel confident that 
archery in the University of Wisconsin is going 
to show splendid results and be a big success. 
