By By DAVID RAINER – special to the Standard
The joke going around the Alabama 4-H Center recently - when can you find 125 women with smiles on their faces all at one time? Easy, the first weekends in March and October each year when the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshops are held at the center on Lay Lake.
Actually, it's not a joke at all. It's reality. Newcomers and veterans alike leave the stress of everyday life and are immersed into BOW's three-day workshop, which introduces and instructs women ages 18 years or older in a wide variety of outdoors skills. The workshop offers hands-on instruction in more than 50 courses such as backyard wildlife, rock climbing, camp cooking, map and compass, camping, mountain biking, shooting sports (gun safety, pistol, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader), fishing, hunting, canoeing, nature photography, nature crafts, archery, ATV handling, bird watching, motor boat handling, and more.
“While the goal of the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop is to teach beginners introductory outdoor skills in a non-threatening atmosphere under the direction of patient, enthusiastic instructors,” Sylvia Payne, BOW coordinator said, “it also provides the opportunity for BOW alumni to perfect the skills learned as a beginner and build their self-confidence. That makes them excellent mentors for newcomers, not to mention providing social contact with like-minded individuals.”
Once introduced to the program - no matter how reluctant the start - many of the women become avid BOW devotees.
The next BOW workshop is scheduled March 6-8, 2009. Cost for the weekend adventure is $199, which covers meals, lodging, program materials and instruction. All instructional equipment is provided.
Obviously, the popularity of the program makes early registration a necessity. Visit www.outdooralabama.com/outdooradventures/Events_for_women/bow/ <http://www.outdooralabama.com/outdoor-adventures/Events_for_women/bow/> for more information about the workshop and to find out when registration is scheduled to begin for the next session.
Go to www.outdooralabama.com to find out more about this and other classes.