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David Wyatt will say over and over that shooting sports are among the safest for participants — even children.

Wyatt, Missouri Department of Conservation outdoor skills specialist, relayed this message to 20 children who were about to pick up potentially lethal bows and arrows during an archery class.

The class was the first meeting of a session of four archery classes for children hosted by Gladstone Parks and Recreation with the Missouri Department of Conservation at Happy Rock Park.

As the head instructor for the program, Wyatt stressed the safety aspects of the sport to the children and many of their parents for a majority of the first three-hour session.

"The sport that comes close to archery in terms of safety is ping-pong," Wyatt said as the group of 10- to 15-year-olds laughed. "You just don’t hear of a lot of injuries that have to do with ping-pong."

Because safety is the No. 1 concern of archers and teaching the sport begins with heavy emphasis on safety, there are very few accidents, he said.

The participants were taught a list of whistle commands, how to pick up an arrow while always keeping the point in a down-range direction and how to safely release a pulled-back bow, among numerous other safety precautions.

Children participating in the program ranged in skill from never having touched a bow and arrow to five years of experience. The classes will teach the basics and put everyone on the same level regardless of experience, Wyatt said.

Wyatt, who has more than 20 years of shooting experience, said archers who have been shooting for many years with high-tech equipment often forget the basics and are brought to the same level as a beginner when stripped of helpful gear.

The children in the program will learn to shoot with a compound bow that is without sights and fancy additions. In addition to Wyatt, there are three other instructors of various skill levels to assist in teaching.

Gladstone Recreation Supervisor Tina Spallo said archery for children was presented as a possible program after she challenged the department to come up with some new ideas for the summer.

Spallo said she was impressed with the amount of interest in the program early on.

"The more I talk to the parents, the more I find out there is a demand for this," she said. "It took off. We couldn’t believe it."

She said the department plans to continue the program into the future.

Staff writer Meagan O’Donnell can be reached at 389-6606 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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