The first aspect of archery that struck Shelby Hammel was the sound an arrow makes when it hits the target.

She joined the archery club in the fall of 2015. But before that, she had never touched a bow.

“I had just shot guns before, so shooting a bow, you have to put more muscle into it,” the senior said. “It made me want to go buy a bow and go bow hunt.”

Hammel heard about the club from a few of her friends and decided it sounded like fun.

While Hammel knows how to hunt, she said, it is not a skill that is necessary to be a member of the club because plenty of the members do not hunt at all.

Club President Ashley Aders said the club has 40 members on Orgsync. More than 10 attend the biweekly meetings on a regular basis.

Aders said the club is purely recreational, but the group hopes to continue to raise funds to make competition possible.

After the club received start-up grants last spring, it was able to purchase all the necessary equipment.

Anyone interested in the club is not required to have their own bow. The club is equipped with bows, arrows, targets and backdrops.

The group is open to anyone at any skill level.

“I just like how involved the other members have gotten, how much they really enjoy it,” she said. “They really look forward to coming and having fun and shooting.”

Aders said a lot of members like the club because it does not have a strenuous time commitment.

Hammel said she enjoys that aspect as well.

“It doesn’t require a lot from you,” Hammel said. “You can kind of just come and go.”

Hammel said anyone can catch on and new members are still joining.

The club would like more attendance at weekly meetings, but overall, it is happy with the amount of people joining.

“It’s a good way to relieve stress,” she said. “Just getting to shoot.”