HAVE you seen “Green Arrow” or “The Hunger Games” and just started itching to try out some archery? Well, Cebuanos, have we found a place for you!
Wild Bow might just be that archery venue you’ve been longing for, and here are eight things you need to know about it:
1. Wild Bow is the first archery venue located in a commercial mall in Cebu.
Yes, you read that right. It’s an archery venue located in-a-mall! It’s been sitting right under our noses! The well-lit and spacious place is found on the second floor of SM Seaside City Cebu. This could possibly be the place where all your bow-and- arrow dreams come true.
Wild Bow’s owner Ken Wildbur said that what inspired him to open was his observation of the lack of chances to do archery in Cebu.
“We saw an opportunity to spread the archery word further in Cebu, and we’ve seen this kind of business before overseas. So, I thought we could do a good job of offering a venue because most Cebuanos don’t have a good venue to do archery.”
2. It has short lanes and long lanes for training purposes.
Wild Bow has nine short lanes with a 10-meter distance from the target and three long lanes with an 18-meter distance from the target. This means that you can choose which distance you prefer to train with—of course, taking into account what you’re capable of.
“Short lanes are for the beginners. For children, we move the targets even closer so that they can reach them while adults have the full 10 meters,” said Nilda Wildbur, Ken’s wife and business partner.
“The 18-meter lanes are the standard for indoor training. Usually professionals and serious archers reserve these lanes for their training sessions,” said Ken.
3. Wild Bow uses real bows and arrows.
You don’t get faux for your dough! Wild Bow’s equipment is 100 percent authentic. That is what’s included in the package: real experience with real equipment.
“We let our customers know that we are using real and actual bows and arrows. They aren’t the local nor hand-made ones. Our bows and arrows are ordered from suppliers abroad,” said Nilda.
4. It has customer-friendly and custom equipment. (Special shout-out to lefties and kids!)
Adults and kids have different physical builds thus have different needs when it comes to archery equipment. Luckily enough, Wild Bow is ready for everyone! Adults get a standard-sized bow that comes with a left-handed variation while children have a smaller and lighter version to complement their physique.
“We see to it that we don’t only cater to the right-handed people, but left-handed people as well,” Nilda said as she pointed out that specialized gear would be required. “We’re very short of left-handed bows,” said Ken. “We just got more of those and children’s bows recently. We have constant additions and are getting more gear.”
5. Look forward to a summer program and tournament coming this year.
“We will be having lessons this summer because a lot of parents are already inquiring. Many are interested for their children to have something to do in the summer. Right now we’re preparing the curriculum for the levels of training we will have like safety measures, caring after the equipment and proper positioning for the body,” Nilda said.
“Children need to learn the basics. Our instructors have taught children in schools before so they have a better idea in that area than we do,” mentioned Ken who also said that an age limit for kids is currently in place. “Our age limit is six and above, but we also take into account their physical size and if they are physically fit to properly handle the equipment. We test it out first by having them hold the bow.” The owners also mentioned that they are planning to open a tournament that would culminate the summer program and also include a different competition bracket for the adults.
6. You get to take home a souvenir!
After a long afternoon of shooting arrows, you also get the chance to document how you did and track your progress for the next time you visit. How so? You have the option to bring home the target paper that you shot at.
“You can take the target paper home with you as a record of your shooting for the day,” Ken said. “You can even put a date on them and stick them on the wall of your room as a souvenir.”
7. The owners have been doing archery for years.
“This is has been Ken’s hobby since he was 11, I only started about three to four years ago when he decided to start training again. We were doing archery and trained in Australia,” Nilda explained that she had only taken the hobby because of her husband. “I’ve been involved in archery on and off for 40 years,” said Ken. “It’s the sort of sport you do and always seem to come back to—kind of like golf. There are also different types of archery such as archery fishing—when you shoot fish from a boat and reel them in with the string that is attached to your arrow.”
“That one’s my favorite!” exclaimed Nilda, who said that there were many other forms such as hunting archery and Olympic archery. “There’s also aerial archery where you shoot at targets that are launched in the air. We’re actually thinking of probably including that in the tournament.”
8. The best time to go depends on the atmosphere you want.
The Wildburs explained that those who want to try it out or train with peace and quiet are advised to drop by in the mornings of the weekend and any time during weekdays. Those who enjoy a more competitive and enthusiastic atmosphere would be pleased to know that the influx of people happen on the afternoons of Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Wild Bow was opened to the public last Jan. 19 and is open every day of the week. Now, Cebuanos can finally live out their Katniss Everdeen and “Green Arrow” dreams. Are you up to the challenge?