A local archery club recently held a championship event that saw participants from multiple states and even other countries take part.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Lee County Archers hosted the 2025 North American Field Archery Championships (NAFAC) at its Nalle Grade County Park facility on Dec. 13-14, drawing competitive archers from Texas, California, New York, Canada, and northern and central Florida for a weekend of high-level competition.<\/p>\n
The North American Field Archery Championships are part of the National Field Archery Association\u2019s annual tournament calendar and feature field, animal and hunter rounds executed across varied terrain. The event challenged archers\u2019 accuracy, consistency and focus in a natural outdoor setting.<\/p>\n
\u201cHosting the North American Field Archery Championships was an honor for our club,\u201d said Lee County Archers Vice President Mike Manning. \u201cWe were proud to welcome archers from across the country and Canada and showcase both the sport and our local archery community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee County Archers, a long-established archery club in Southwest Florida, provided the venue and course layout for the championship. The club supports both traditional and modern archery disciplines and regularly hosts competitive, recreational and instructional events for archers of all skill levels.<\/p>\n
The championship weekend combined serious competition with camaraderie, reinforcing strong traditions and growing interest in field archery throughout North America.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur range is a modern, well-kept and manicured facility, and it attracts a lot of attention,\u201d said Lee County Archers spokesperson Richard Erschik. \u201cThe plans have been in place for about five months when they finally picked the site. We just worked with them to get it ready for those couple of days. It\u2019s pretty awesome to host the event, we have some great people here.\u201d<\/p>\n
In total, 48 archers competed in the various disciplines. At the venue, there are different lanes with different targets, and these targets are surrounded by tree lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things about archery is after you shoot that arrow, you have to go get it,\u201d Erschik said. \u201cSo theres safety that\u2019s a consideration out there, the way that course is laid out, so that archers aren\u2019t shooting at each other while they\u2019re walking back and forth in these lanes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club is more than 40 years old and was started by those who are still members today.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur oldest member is 86 years old, and he\u2019s still in an instructor out there,\u201d Erschik said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The club has 250 members, made up of those from old to young, men and women.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have people from 14 to 86 up here,\u201d Erschik said. \u201cWe have so many women, a lot of women are involved in this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
LCA leases a large portion of Nalle Grade County Park from the Lee County Parks Department for its home range consisting of a 28-target Field Range, 40 lanes with earthen berms for 3-D shoots, a lighted 20-yard range, and a lighted 30 to 70-yard sight-in range.<\/p>\n
Known as one of \u201cThe best facilities in the state,\u201d the range is open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On the first Sunday of the month, there is a target shoot (usually an American 900), the second Sunday of the month a \u201cFun Shoot\u201d and on the third Sunday of the month there is a 3-D competition. All are open to the public for a nominal fee.<\/p>\n
New members can sign up in person during public hours on Thursdays and Saturdays.\u00a0During that time visitors can work with instructors, get a tour of the range and be briefed on the safety rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur instructors work with people who have never even shot before, and will spend some time with them and get them interested in the sport and explain it to them,\u201d Erschik said. \u201cWe jokingly say that it\u2019s a camaraderie club that also has archery available.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Membership runs from Aug. 1 to July 31, and the current annual membership fee is $120. Lee County Archers prides itself on being a truly inclusive club made up of active members in all categories of the sport from longbow to compound\/freestyle. Members are provided with the combination to entrance locks and can use the range at any time.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit\u00a0leecountyarchers.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lee County Archers is located at 8350 Nalle Grade Road in North Fort Myers.<\/p>\n