The Oneida Indian Nation’s Recreation Department planned several activities for the Nation’s youth program participants for Spring Break week. Kids enjoyed archery at Oneida Heritage, golf practice at the Turning Stone golf dome and a trip to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse among many other fun activities at the Rec Center and Elders Center.
It was the first time the youth visited Warrior Archery at Oneida Heritage for a formal lesson and competition. Archery instructors Ron Patterson (Wolf Clan) and Alex Dickerman (Turtle Clan) split the group of 18 into two teams for a friendly game after an overview of how to properly aim and shoot the arrows. The rules were easy: Several targets lined the wall 10 yards away and each team received 1 point for every target hit. The kids had four shots per round. The group ended up staying for nearly two hours and the improvement each showed from beginning to end was obvious.
The next day, the group visited the golf dome for a refresher course in driving the ball and another friendly putting contest in the new short-game area. Ashley Scott was excited to play again. When asked if she’d been practicing over the winter, she responded with an enthusiastic: “Yeah!” Ashley also said she wants to be as good as her grandpa someday after hitting the back wall of the dome for the first time.
The Rec Center provides activities for the Nation’s youth during the scheduled weeks off during the school year. For more information on all of the Nation’s youth development programs, call 315-829-8484.
