More than 30 Cal State Long Beach alumni and faculty gathered with bows and arrows at the softball field this weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the archery program.
In addition to honoring the archery program on campus, the event also celebrated retired archery coach Mel Leach, who served as the driving force behind the development of the sport on campus since 1968, according to a CSULB press release.
“I’m just stoked … that people are here enjoying themselves and experiencing what is a passion of mine — it’s just marvelous,” Leach said. “I was keeping my fingers crossed but we had many last minute little glitches like, ‘I hope people will go,’ or ‘The wind is blowing too hard,’ but it’s coming out real good.”
Attendees mingled with alumni, current archery students and faculty before the opening ceremony. Trophies, plaques, photo collages of former students and past archery memorabilia, such as team jackets, were all on display at the event.
Kenneth Millar, dean of the College of Health and Human Services, began the opening ceremony by sharing the history of CSULB’s archery program, which is the longest collegiate archery program in the U.S.
Leach then presented Toxophilus awards, a recognition given to archery aficionados, and inducted some alumni to the Wall of Fame. After the awards ceremony, Leach showed Millar how to shoot an arrow to kick off the Olympic Style shooting demonstration.
During the demonstration, current archery members showcased their talents and talked about their equipment.
Later, those who were present were put into teams to try their hand at archery by participating in the Novelty Team Clout shoot, a form of archery where archers shoot arrows into the air and attempt to land as close to a target flag.
Sophomore accounting major Yessica Gaytan, who attended the celebration for class credit, said she was surprised by the amount of alumni present.
“We were expecting to see more students from the [archery] club, but there are a lot of alumni and it’s nice to see them come back and support,” she said.
Nancy Walsh, a 1977 alumna who has won awards with CSULB’s national women’s team, said she was glad to see the program has continued to flourish.
“It’s nice to know something lasted and there is still people very active in the program,” Walsh said. “I just talked to some seniors that are in the [Osher Lifelong Learning Institute] program and they’re coming back to take classes from Mel [Leach]. It’s nice to promote archery as a sport for almost any age.”
Tyson Reyes, director of development at the College of Health and Human Services, said the event’s turnout is a testament to Leach’s time at CSULB.
“Not only has the Long Beach program become as formidable as it has for 50 years, it’s the longest program in the U.S., and I think that says a lot about professor Leach,” Reyes said. “For professor Leach to utilize her resources, and sometimes personal resources, to keep this afloat is a testament to what she does here.”