So. Brunswick archery club is right on target

The state's largest club for archers marks its 40th year in South Brunswick this year.

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above: Russ Harvey, president of the WA-XO-BE archery club, demonstrates the proper technique of how to shoot a bow at a Friday night open range in the club's South Brunswick facility March 13. Below: Srinvasa Kanakam, of South Brunswick, pulls his arrows from a target at the archery facility. WA-XO-BE Archers Inc. was formed by a group in Milltown in 1946, and it is one of the oldest archery organizations in the state, according to its website. The club has a record of success, having produced numerous state champions, as well as a number of national champions since it moved to an outdoor range at 53 Major Road in the Monmouth Junction section of town in 1969.

Russ Harvey, the club's president, said that the original club members met at Schwendemann's taxidermy store and as the club's membership grew, it moved to another location in Milltown. The club then moved to East Brunswick before it bought the Major Road site in South Brunswick.

Rutgers University students take classes that the club offers through the school's recreation department, and the club is currently teaching a target archery fundamentals class for adults, as well as high school students at the indoor facility, which was built in the mid-1990s, Harvey said. Participants of all skill levels practice and learn archery from the nonprofit organization at its 22-acre facility, which has both a 5,000- square-foot indoor range, as well as an outdoor range with 28 targets, said Bill Ward, a trustee of the club and the publicity chairman.

The club hosts "Friday Night Introduction to Archery," an open range for members and nonmembers alike who are adults, children and teenagers. The club provides beginners with archery equipment for no additional fee for those classes and Ward said that the facility recently hosted a mid-Atlantic tournament for the National Field Archery Association.

Harvey said the facility hosts a 30-plus-member Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) program on Saturdays at 5 p.m. During that program, young archers learn to shoot long bows in the style of traditional archery, he said, and according to the WA-XO-BE club's website there are 250 JOAD clubs across the country that are affiliated with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Harvey said that WA-XO-BE emphasizes the family-oriented nature of the sport, which beginners and advanced shooters enjoy at the facility. The Cranford resident said that the Friday night open range serves as a fun and educational introduction to archery for beginners of all ages, since qualified instructors supervise participants.

The club's name dates back to 1946, and it refers to an Osage American Indian tribe ritual. The wood of the Osage Orange Tree is ideal for making bows, Harvey said.

One club member who has been with the club for decades is Frank Kozielic. Kozielic, who is in his 80s, shot on a regular basis until he experienced a recent hunting accident that resulted in a broken back, Harvey said. Kozielic is recovering, Harvey said, and he is looking forward to shooting again as soon as possible.

"When we say that archery is a lifetime sport, it's true," Harvey said. "We have guys shooting since they were kids and now they're well into their 70s and 80s, and they shoot on a regular basis."

Another one of the club's many dedicated members is Pierre Berthelon, a Belgium native who was raised in Brooklyn before moving to New Jersey. Berthelon, who started shooting as a young child, is a regular instructor at Friday night classes

and he is known for shooting a double Robin Hood, a term for when an archer strikes the back of an arrow that struck the bull's-eye of the target.

"That man has forgotten more about archery than the collective body of most people I know," Harvey said. "He's the caliber of guy that we have got at the club."

Harvey said that a group of archers with disabilities known as the Spinal Navigators compete nationally and meet at WA-XO-BE on Saturdays. Another group of about 14 traditional archers, who do not use compound bows, sights or stabilizers, meet on Wednesday nights.

Harvey said that while established clubs and competitions are commonly held at the facility, it is becoming a haven for new archers as well. He said that an average of 24 people per week who have never tried the sport before participate in the club's Friday night open range.

Harvey said that the popularity of the sport is growing fast and there is a tremendous physical appeal to it for people wanting to stay in shape. He noted that while the bow can be relatively light in weight, the weight of the draw can weigh as much as 40 pounds depending on how stiff the bow is. A competitive shooter takes over 100 shots in an average contest.

"You have to be in shape in order to compete at the highest level," Harvey said. "We don't stress the competition side of things. Kids have enough stress in their life without having to throw championship-level competition at them. It's when the child says, 'I want to try it,' that we say ok. We really want archery to be fun."

The Friday night open range is held on most Fridays between 7 and 9 p.m., and the cost is $5 per class for nonmembers.

Visit www.waxobe.com or call 732-355-1717 for more information.

Contact Michael Acker at

macker@gmnews.com.