Training Charli

Training Charli.

Jim moved toward the bar to order another round of drinks. Several of the archers from the club were hanging out there to drown their sorrows. Jim was the only one who won his singles in the state’s archery championships.

Charli sat on a stool at the bar. Sitting somewhat lower than most men; she was 5’ 2” and her feet were bent in with her feet barely touching the stool’s foot bars. She reached up to grab her drink and spilled half of it on the bar.

“Damn!”

“Can I buy you another?” asked Jim.

“No, I think it’s time to go.” Charli was also drowning her sorrows as she had just ended a five-year marriage, it could also be said, she was celebrating her divorce; She paused for a moment. “Your group seems to be having a great time at your table. Did you win the lottery or something?

“No, we needed to wind down after losing the finals in our section today.”

Charli noticed Jim’s shirt had a bow and arrow stitched on it, with the words, ‘Franklin Archery Club.’

“Archery hmm? You’re not planning on shooting yourself or something stupid like that?”

“The other guys might, I won my singles.”

“Look.” Said Jim. “We need new members, it’s a great hobby and socially we have a lot of fun. Both males and females shoot. Target or hunting, and it doesn’t cost much to get into.”

“I don’t know,” she looked again and saw his name printed on his shirt. “Jim?”

“Hi.”

“Charli, nice to meet you.”

“I don’t think that’s something I’d be into. I’m more of a sit at home and pat my cat while reading a murder mystery type of girl.”

“Ok, Charli, nice to have met you. Here’s my card if you change your mind I can show you around and teach you the fundamentals, we have loan gear you can use.”

“I’ll think about it.” Charli took another sip of her near-empty beer.

“Hey! Why don’t you join us?”

“No thanks, I’m about to leave.”

Jim walked back to his table and sat down. He couldn’t help looking back toward Charli. He even caught her looking at him. Charli wasn’t wearing a ring and looked somewhat depressed. Maybe a breakup or something. He would love to help her, in more ways than one.

The next day passed and all he could think about was Charli, he thought he should have gotten her number, ‘Idiot,’ he thought. ‘No wonder I’m single.’

Two days later, his mind elsewhere, Jim felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket, “Hello, Jim speaking.”

“Hi, Jim speaking, it’s Charli from the bar the other night. I have been giving it some thought about the bow and arrow thing. Are you still willing to show me all about it?”

“When are you free, I can meet you at the Archery club or I could pick you up.”

“You can pick me up, as long as you’re not a psycho killer.”

“How many do I have to kill to be classed as a psycho murderer?”

“At least six.”

“You’re safe, I’m well over my quota.”

Charli gave him her address to pick her up. She had a feeling he was a nice guy and wouldn’t do anything stupid. What could go wrong?

Jim and Charli drove to the archery range. Once out of the car, Jim showed Charli around, meeting some of the members and discussing what they liked about archery. No two answers were the same.

Charli wasn’t totally convinced that this was for her. Inside the clubhouse, Charli could see an array of bows, all different shapes, and sizes. “This one is a compound and this one is a recurve. Jim's choice of weapon is called a barebow. Notice this one has sights, weights, and balances. The recurve is similar but in a different shape. Like a rifle with a scope.”

A barebow is just that, nothing but bare. It is harder but in days gone by, this is all they had. Feel this one, it’s a compound bow, it has more strings and a pulley system.”

“A recurve is somewhere in the middle. Which one would you like to try?”

“The little one there.”

“That’s my daughter’s bow, it is around 20 pounds, most adults overtime work up to 60-65 pounds. These arrows will match the bow. We’ll start with 10 meters ok?”

“Ok.” She said.

They walked to the shooting range and Jim went through the basics, lining up, setting the arrow in the nocking point on the string, and how to avoid injury. Charli’s first shot went 3 meters past the target, laughing at her shot she said, “Let me try again.”

This time it hit the side of the target. She jumped up and down and hugged Jim. There was a pause and a look between them that said, I’m interested.

“Another arrow please and maybe a different bow. The funny one with all the strings.”

Charli tried again, this time it was harder to pull back and shoot. She was not one to give up easily. She could feel her right arm was getting tired. After resting for a while and finishing a cuppa. Charli said she wanted to try again.

Jim dropped Charli off at her house and asked if she liked archery. Her feelings were mixed, both for the hobby and Jim. If she wanted to see him again she had to say she liked it. In a way she did, but not as much she liked Jim.

A few days later, Jim rang Charli and asked if she would join him at the archery range for more practice. Still sore, Charlie asked if he would take her to a sports and hobby shop to buy a bow kit. Jim couldn’t be more elated.

Charli found two new loves in her life, Jim and archery, she had a passion for recurve. It was her main strength in shooting. Her first title came 6 months after her introduction. Several titles later and a keen love of the hobby. It soon turned into more than that.

Charli was picked to shoot in the nationals and took out first place in her class. Charli often beat Jim in shooting. He knew she would continue to improve, and he wanted her to go on to the world championships 9 months later.

She didn’t win the title that year but two years later, Charli became the women’s number one Recurve bow champion. It all began as a simple meeting and asked to try a new hobby.