In most circumstances, hundreds of men and women with weapons in the Portales Recreation Center would be an undesirable situation. Over the weekend, it was a positive situation for archery enthusiasts across the state. The center was the site of a state tournament for both the New Mexico Bowhunters Association and the National Field Archery Association. Awards were given for top finishers in several divisions, with men and women ages 8-75. “We have just about 80 shooters,” said Danny Griffith of the Portales Bowhunters, “anywhere from Farmington to Las Cruces.” The recreation center had hundreds of people in its back area, also used a practice area by Portales Bowhunters, during the two-day tournament. The tournament was the culmination of more than eight months of work by local archers and the city. Jamie Hipp of Portales Bowhunters said the bid to have the tournament was made in July of 2004, and local parties have been preparing since then. The room where the shooters competed was a basic room, approximately 100 feet by 40 feet, with florescent lighting. With the tournament, there were several visitors to Portales like David Teran of Farmington. Teran, who has been shooting for 19 years, said that he’s pleased to see increases in participation at tournaments and in bowhunting organizations. “It’s an individual sport, so you have a lot of self-accomplishment,” Teran said. “Everything you put into it, you take out of it.” Teran and the other shooters had 120 chances to score points over the course of the tournament. Each competitor shot five arrows per round, with practice rounds intermittently. They can shoot at two separate targets, each one about 12 inches by 12 inches. One target comes with a large circle and one has five smaller circles. The larger circle has scores of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and the smaller circles offer scores of either 4 or 5. Hipp said the variety of targets is important, because shooters don’t like to split arrows. Though he admits it’s a flashy thing to do, it’s economic suicide — arrows usually run about $8 to $12 each. “There’s no distinct difference between men and women, especially shooting inside,” Teran said. “You don’t have to pull a lot of weight.” Any neutral observer in the room would be surprised that Portales was one of the only places that had such a facility, but Hipp said that it was actually a matter of availability. “Most cities, they’ll have a site but they have to share,” Hipp said. “We can shoot here 24/7.” Expense isn’t a problem. In order to shoot in the back room, each member must also purchase a membership for the Recreation Center. With about 110 members, that means a $550 annual fee — much lower than rent they’d pay for a similar facility. “If it wasn’t for the city,” Griffith said, “we couldn’t have this.”