Getting to the point: Store promotes archery for the masses

Bill and Jody Hickey believe that archery is for everyone.

They also believe a little training wouldn’t hurt.

During a hunting trip 30 years ago, the couple saw inexperienced hunters using advanced archery equipment.

“We were hunting up in the hills, and we saw a guy go up the hill with a broadhead arrow,” Jody Hickey said, referencing an extremely powerful, potentially dangerous arrow type. “We thought, ‘Gee whiz, we gotta help educate these people.’ ”

In 1987, they opened The Nock Point, an archery equipment shop in Mountlake Terrace. Today, the range invites novice archers to shoot alongside world champions.

“In the beginning, we were mostly a hunting outfit,” Jody Hickey said. “We had a small eight-lane range where guys tried out our bows. We grew to accommodate target shooters along with hunters.”

The shop started small. Too small, almost.

“It was kind of silly, because we only opened with $5,000 worth of product, when we should have had $50,000,” Jody Hickey said. “It was just little by little that we grew it. We made a name for ourselves pushing service more than price. We offer so much service in training, and in shooting.”

The store caters to every skill level, providing professional-grade gear and the expertise of bow technicians.

“The Nock Point is the pro-shop, or the toy-shop, if you will,” said Jim Farmer, who works at the front desk.

The shelves are lined with wooden bows for sale, dozens of types of arrows, and even cans of faux deer-urine scent to help the hunters attract their targets.

When the store relocated to its current location at 22313 70th Ave. W, Mountlake Terrace, six years ago, the range size more than tripled from eight lanes to 26. The new range is big enough to accommodate archers trying out gear or just shooting for fun.

A bow, six arrows, protective gear and all-day range access costs $25. For those who bring their own gear, range use is $10 for a day pass.

Want to shoot day and night? The center offers a membership that allows 24-hour access to the range with a special key-code.

Colorful targets are available for $1 from the front desk. These are pasted on a wall 20 yards from the shooting line, or closer for a beginner or child. Every few minutes, an employee clears the range for archers to cross the line and collect their arrows.

Visitors receive a safety briefing prior to shooting. After that?

“Shoot until your shoulder falls off,” Farmer said.

Archers stand with one foot on each side of a red line that runs through the range.

Though archery isn’t a team sport, it can be a cozy one. The range can accommodate up to 26 shooters at once, spaced two feet apart.

The range was crafted to regulation standards so that Nock Point can host competitions. It puts in bids for at least two tournaments a year.

Contestants can learn next door, at the Next Step Archery school started in 2005 by Bill and Jody’s son, Bob Hickey. Bob broke his neck in 1990 and became a quadriplegic. He wanted to give back to the community so he became an archery coach.

The school has three shooting ranges, for newbies to experts.

“Next Step archers go from kids who can’t yet spell a bow to folks who are taking a stab at the U.S. Olympic archers team,” Farmer said.

Darrin Barry manages the day-to-day operations at Next Step Archery.

He also facilitates partnerships with organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project to make archery accessible for people with disabilities.

Accommodations range from students shooting with prosthetics to people shooting with their tongues.

Keith Sekora, who was wounded by an explosive device in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan, discovered archery accidentally four years ago during his recovery.

“I got on the wrong bus,” Sekora said. “I thought I was headed to the air rifle course, but I wound up at archery. I started to really like it. At the time, I was still using two arms, but shooting from a wheelchair.”

Because of the injury, he needs a special device to help him shoot his bow.

The tranquility of archery appeals to Sekora, who now coaches others.

“It’s my therapy,” he said.

Both Barry and Sekora have seen archery benefit veterans in their mental and physical recovery.

“Most of the wounded warriors that come in say it helps them with their PTSD,” Barry said.

The Wounded Warrior Project paid for Sekora to advance his training and become a coach. He also shoots for the U.S. Paralympic archery team.

Next Step Archery teaches private lessons and six-week group classes in all skill levels. Students are taught a variety of archery techniques, and encouraged to discover styles and equipment that fit them.

Archers travel to Las Vegas every year for largest indoor archery tournament in the world, “The Vegas Shoot,” where they have won cash prizes and scholarships.

Sekora traveled to the competition with his young daughter, Olivia, last year.

“It was funny, a 7-year-old shooting arrows in Vegas,” Sekora said. “But it’s a great family activity.”