You can imagine that in the Middle Ages, the cool kids were the ones with the raddest bows and arrows. It's been a few hundred years but archery is cool again. There has been a recent surge of interest, not only from the Olympics but movies like The Hunger Games, Brave, and Snow White and the Huntsman, according to George Wagner, an archery expert and former owner of The Bow Shop in Waterloo, Ont. He says people are coming in and buying bows without ever having tried the sport. But if you do try it, Wagner says you can do it for life and it will help your hand/eye co-ordination. You'll also get exercise walking around an archery range, since some are akin to golf courses.
How much?
The cost starts at about $125 for a kids fiberglass bow, arm guard, glove and quiver. Depending on what archery range you go to, it's usually around $10-$15 an hour.
Where to Start?
You can hit an archery range or some stores, like The Bow Shop, have on site clubs. There are 3D archery ranges, where you shoot at 3D rubber animals (like fake hunting) or straightforward bulls-eye ranges. You could also contact Archery Canada (archerycanada.ca) for suggestions.