Opportunities for Oxford students to participate in a sport have moved beyond bats and balls into bows and arrows.

Oxford Competitive Archery, a club open to students in grades 6-12, is now meeting and shooting at the range inside Beyond The Ears (155 S. Washington St.) every Monday.

Middle school members meet from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m., while high school members gather from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The club offers students a safe and supervised environment to learn about archery, practice the sport and have fun.

“It’s not just come one, come all and just do whatever (you want). It’s actual instruction and coaching,” explained Matt Johnson, who founded the club three years ago.

Johnson is the director of communications and marketing for the school district as well as a teacher and coach of the track and field team.

Oxford’s club utilizes the USA Archery curriculum. Formed in 1879 as the National Archery Association and headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA Archery is the national governing body for the Olympic sport of archery and is recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as the organization that selects and trains teams for the Olympic, Paralympic and Pan American games.

Joining Johnson in instructing the kids are Chris and Ashley Schnur, both of whom are National Field Archery Association professional archers. Chris is a 2004 Oxford High School graduate.

One of Oxford’s goals is to eventually compete against other schools and teams.

“We’re not there yet. We’re going to get there,” Johnson said.

No prior archery knowledge or experience is necessary to join nor are prospective members required to own any equipment.

Bows, arrows and targets are provided.

“If they do have their own equipment, they’re free to bring it,” Johnson noted.

Johnson believes having a competitive archery club in Oxford is just a sign of the times.

“It is the fastest growing sport in the nation right now,” he said.

Johnson has been involved in archery for 38 years and shooting competitively since 2002.

He believes it’s a valuable sport for young people to learn because it teaches “discipline.” They learn how to “slow down” and “focus” on what they’re doing, listen and follow instructions, Johnson said. To him, these lessons and skills help students succeed in school and eventually, excel in their careers and personal lives.

“In some respects, you’re training kids to be better people, better citizens,” Johnson said.

Although Oxford Competitive Archery is now in its third year, Johnson said this is the first year it’s meeting at Beyond The Ears. Its range consists of 11 shooting lanes that allow users to practice with targets at distances up to 25 yards.

He’s grateful to owner Craig Schneider for opening his range to the club, free of charge. Johnson said it “means a ton” to him anytime a person is “willing to invest in the community with action and not just words or dollars.”

“(Beyond The Ears and Schneider are) going way beyond. They’re being super generous in lots of ways,” he said.

To Schneider, it’s about “giving back” to Oxford and showing his appreciation for all of the support he’s received since opening his doors in July 2016. “The community itself has done a lot for us as a business and allowed us to expand,” he said.

Beyond The Ears moved from its original location in downtown Oxford to its current building in December 2018. This move enabled it to open a range and give archers a place to practice, learn and grow.

Schneider likes exposing kids to sports like archery and hunting as a way to combat the decreasing number of people “getting involved in outdoor activities” these days.

It also gives students another option to help pay for a college education. “A lot of people don’t realize there are scholarship dollars available for kids in archery,” Schneider said.