LONG BEACH—With the upcoming release of “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay,” tweens, teens, and adults are eagerly waiting to load themselves up with popcorn and treats, and be transported back to Panem. When Lionsgate’s second installment, “Catching Fire” concluded, Katniss Everdeen was being spirited away from her Quarter Quell Hunger Games to become the poster child for the new rebellion. Lionsgate left its viewers in critical suspense as Gale told Katniss that District 12, their home, was no more.

A year later, fans are anxiously counting down the days until Katniss, the Mockingjay, graces the screen once again. However, fans are also finding new ways of dispelling their excitement and love for Jennifer Lawrence’s kick-butt character: archery lessons. Katniss is a master with a bow, and can string an arrow and let it fly without even looking. While her skills are on par with dodging bullets Matrix-style, people of all ages and stages are vying for a chance to be just a little bit more like her.

El Dorado Archers Club in Long Beach, is just one of the clubs that has been feeling the afterglow of movies like “The Hunger Games” and “Brave.” Established on the grounds of the 1984 Olympics, the club’s main goal is to teach archery to children as young as 8, all the way up to adults at 108!  The coaches, all volunteers and experienced archers, wish to teach these kids that archery is not only fun and cool, but also relaxing.

“You can release a lot of tension!” says Level 2 Coach Steve Gibson to Canyon News. “Families come here every week to spend time with their kids and be involved in a fun sport.  We want to use our JOAD program to develop future archers through the program.”

JOAD, which stands for Junior Olympic Archery Development, is taught in El Dorado’s safety class, which must be taken so kids and adults learn how to prevent losing an eye through the Beginning and Advanced levels. The coaches at El Dorado are also well mastered in compound and long bow shooting styles, if you become tired of shooting at a paper target.

Archery is one of the safest sports around, but everyone must pass a safety class so that they can demonstrate an understanding of the basic archery safety rules, such as whistle commands and how to pull their arrows out of the targets. The coaches make each class fun with as much one-on-one attention as possible, and implementing “Fun Shoots” around the holidays.

“We have fun shoots where we shoot at dart board targets, Christmas and Halloween themed items like paper pumpkins and mummies and things for extra points,” explains Gibson. “We encourage our kids to have fun, but to be disciplined and patient as well. It takes time to become like Katniss!

Many of the coaches have been teaching for at least one decade, if not longer. They eagerly give up their time, tools, and knowledge to help set up each Saturday morning, teach quite a few students, and “tune” bows, making them usable for each individual child.  They help avid enthusiasts make their own long bows; they even do private parties upon request.

El Dorado operates solely on donations. They repair their equipment themselves and the lessons are free, they simply ask for a $5 donation to help with the upkeep of the bows, arrows, and other accessories.

“We want people to love this sport as much as we do,” Gibson remarks, repairing arrows in his spare time. When asked about Mockingjay, he added, “The interest in archery definitely goes up every time another Hunger Games movie comes out.”

El Dorado Archers take the field every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The safety class begins at 11:30 a.m., but the coaches warn that if you want to get onto the elusive 15-person list, it’s best to show up at 8:30 a.m. After the safety class, there is no cap on students.

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” arrives onto the big screen on November 21.