BARBARA HEINS

JULY 1, 1932

                Barbara’s first experience with archery was a P.E. Class in college, where she decided that archery was just too difficult to learn.  Some years later, in 1980, her husband Bill persuaded her to try a compound bow, then a pin sight, then a peep.  After a few months of frustration she finally figured it out and archery became an all-consuming interest.  Now she tunes and maintains her own equipment and makes her own arrows.

                Barbara joined Valley West Archers in 1980 and became Newsletter Editor in 1983.  In 1984 she responded to a request from CBH-SAA to create a format for a statewide Newsletter.  Her concept of the state News was that it should provide a forum for the members, encourage participation in tournaments and club activities, inform the members of legislation affecting archery, recognize the achievements of bowhunters, and educate archers in the rules of competition.  Her editorials ranged from comments on etiquette on the range to suggestions on how to respond to anti-hunters.  She also believed that clubs in need of help, financial or administrative, should be able to request that help through the CBH-SAA News and provided that opportunity.  In 1985 she published six issues and in 1986 she began publishing monthly when the CBH-SAA News was named official publication for CBH-SAA.  The format she created is still in use today, the club news column, the calendar, the reports on local tournaments and comments from members were all initiated in 1985.  In 1992 she retired from publishing but has continued to support the CBH-SAA News with many articles and editorial comment.

                In 1983 her interest in competition began to grow, and she won many local novelty tournaments in the Southern California area.  When Barbara began publishing the CBH-SAA News she would often be the last to leave because she would still be writing the results of the tournament in her notebook long after the last award had been given.  Until that time the results of the novelty tournaments were rarely published.  But she believed that it was vital to publicize the achievements of archers in order to promote more interest in competition and therefore more attendance at tournaments.  She never hesitated to help a host club when they needed assistance in registration, or posting scores, and in many cases designed and printed flyers to advertise their tournaments.  Hosts of state championship tournaments have learned they can count on Barbara to help out.

                Her belief in the importance of publishing the results of archery tournaments in the CBH-SAA News drew her out of her local area and to tournaments all over California and beyond.  Because of this she achieved 5 CBH-SAA Championships, 2 Southwest Sectional Championships, and 4 NFAA Senior Championships, as well as winning twice at Fresno Safari and twice at Redding’s Western Classic between 1986 and 1995.  In 1991 she was named CBH-SAA Bowhunter of the Year for her editorial work promoting hunting at a time when our sport was in grave danger.

                On the club level she has been Secretary and Newsletter editor for three different clubs, wrote a grant for the Ishi Archery Club lease on BLM land, and is currently Registration Chairman for the biggest archery tournament in the country, the Straight Arrow Bowhunters’ Western Classic Trail Shoot.  Her Region activities include publicity and raffle chairman for the SCAA City of Hope Benefit Tournament, revising the by-laws for Cascade Archers Region, assisting with the Cascade Archers newsletter 1994 & 1995.

                On behalf of CBH-SAA she published the CBH-SAA News for seven years and still writes articles for the current state paper.  She has served on the California Archery Hall of Fame Committee since 1986 and has been secretary of that committee since 1995.  She supplied publicity for the United Fund for Outdoorsmen and the Outdoor Sportsmen’s Coalition.  In 1995 she appeared before the California Fish & Game Commission and succeeded in having Talapia listed as a game fish for archery.  In 2000 she began serving on the California Archery Foundation Committee and assisted with writing the guidelines for it.

                Barbara has taken her interest in archery to the community as well.  She has served on the steering and coordinating committee of the Far North State Senior Games since 1997 and has been co-chair for archery.  Currently she is working with the Senior Games Committee for the State Championship Games in 2004. She filmed a television commercial promoting archery and the Far North State Senior Games in 1998.  Barbara has given archery demonstrations at the Northern California Sportsmen’s Show, the Northern California Antique Guild, and for elementary students in Shasta County.  In 1995 she worked at the IBEP Booth at the Sportsmen’s Show of Northern California recruiting archers for IBEP classes.  During the summer of 2000 she taught archery and bowhunting to eighty youngsters in four different classes at the California Waterfowl Assn. Kid’s Camp.

                Even after more than twenty years of archery, Barbara Heins still lives and breathes archery.  She does not hesitate to help out where ever she sees a need.  Her telephone is always busy with calls from archers asking for advice and information.  She tries to welcome any newcomers and encourage them to join in the sport she loves.  Barbara is a hunter, an archer, an administrator, and a good friend to archery.