Gossard
By Kimberly Pistone
For the Sidney Daily News
SIDNEY — Michael Gossard is bringing his lifelong love for the sport of archery to Shelby County by opening the Archery Learning Academy, a place where students from the age of nine through senior adults can learn about the sport.
Gossard began shooting a bow in 1985. He started with hunting, but didn’t like the short gun season for deer. It didn’t take him long after his first attempts at bow hunting to realize he needed to learn more about archery in order to be proficient.
Since then, he has participated in competitions across the United States, winning numerous awards, including two-time Shooter of the Year for the Ohio Archery Association and placing in the top 10 several times in the national tournaments of the International Bowhunting Organization.
Gossard opened Archery Learning Academy last fall with a few students and that number has already grown. He took five of his students to a competition earlier this year, and three of the students earned medals — one gold medal and two silver medals.
“They had faith in me to help them get where they wanted to go,” Gossard said.
Lessons are around Shelby County, and there are both indoor and outdoor locations. Gossard focuses on safety as well as teaching the skills.
“Archery is fun, but it is also serious because a bow is a weapon and you can hurt someone if you aren’t following safety protocols. I teach safety first, ” Gossard said.
Classes are four weeks long. Gossard has equipment available for students to use, giving students the opportunity to decide if they want to invest in the equipment and time to pursue archery further.
“You get to college and you realize you can’t be a professional ball player. But there are things you can enjoy the rest of your life. Archery is one,” Gossard said. “And you can do it in your own yard with your family.”
He also said some of his best friends are ones he met while doing archery.
Gossard retired in 2020 from electrical contracting and decided he wanted to help others learn and enjoy the sport he felt passionate about. He earned his USA Archery Level 2 instructor and his Safesport 360 training prior to opening the Academy.
Gossard also has experience teaching archery — in the past, Gossard was an assistant archery coach at Christian Academy.
Gossard said Bill Ernst, owner of the Archery Shop in Minster, has been really helpful as he started the Academy.
Class schedules and pricing information can be found on Facebook at Archery Learning Academy. Gossard can also be reached at [email protected] and 937-710-2942.
