Welcome to the 2024 Fall Juniors Program! This is for those members who are 10 to 18 years of age in 2024 and is included with membership at no additional cost (schedule below picture).
If your young archer is less than 10 years old but would like to still be considered, then please contact us at info@sparchery.com. We would like to make arrangements for the archer to come out and participate in one of our classes to see if this is a good fit. We have previously accepted some of these younger archers but will need to make sure your archer is physically able to use our equipment (if they don’t already have their own). We also want to make sure they are able to focus in a busy setting so that everyone has a safe and enjoyable experience during class.
Location:
For directions and a google maps link to our archery range location, go to our “Location Tab”.
About our Juniors Program
The Sherwood Park Archery Club Junior Archery Program offers archers (from 10 to 18 years of age) an opportunity to develop and improve their shooting skills and knowledge. The Program provides instruction and coaching for all levels of young archers and consists of indoor and outdoor classes between September and June. The program also includes archery events to provide Junior Archers with competitive target, 3D experience plus some fun archery events.
Lesson Times
- 9:30 – 10:45 am Early Class (Intermediate to Advanced)
- 11:00 – 12:15 pm Late Class (Beginner to Intermediate)
Please arrive 10 minutes prior to your class start time. At 10:45, things can be a bit chaotic as one class ends and another begins, so please proceed to the back of the range to set up or take down your bow quickly – this will allow everyone the maximum amount of instructional time possible. If at any time you require help setting up or taking down your bow or adjusting any of your equipment, just approach one of the coaches and they will be pleased to assist you.
The first (early) class is dedicated for “intermediate to advanced” level archers (some of whom stay to help coach our second class). The second (late) class is mainly for “beginners to intermediate” level archers. This second class is more focused on developing a solid basic form and technique.
Coaches
Every year we are very fortunate to have dedicated and enthusiastic individuals (including Nationally Certified Coaches) willing to volunteer with our Juniors Program. However, we are always looking for more volunteers to help coach our junior archers. More coaches helping out in each class means our Juniors get even more support and make even greater gains in skills and knowledge over the course of the program each year. If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know so we can talk about the program and process. For the safety of our junior members, we require all volunteers and coaches to have a valid criminal records check. We will cover the course fee for those volunteers that want to take a coaching certification course in return for them agreeing to coach with our program.
Parental Supervision
Parents please don’t just drop your child off and leave, especially if your archer is under the age of 12. Please be prepared to stay for the lessons. If, on a rare occasion, you are unable to stay or need to leave for some reason, please speak to your child’s’ coach.
Equipment
We recognize that parents of new archers may understandably be reluctant to purchase a new bow. Ultimately, it is in the archers’ best interest to acquire their own equipment as soon as possible as each bow is customized to the individual archer. We do have bows that can be shared amongst the young archers, however, there is no guarantee that your child will get the same bow every class. Once you know your young archer is going to be more committed to the sport, we suggest you buy a bow and six arrows that can be used by your child so that they do not need to share equipment during a class and to support their continued development.
Several equipment options are available:
- Borrow a Club Recurve Bow and Arrows (good option for those beginners new to the sport)
The club has a limited number of recurve bows and arrows that we will make available for a limited time. There is no additional charge for the use of this equipment but archers should realize that they may have to share this equipment with another archer.
- Purchase a New or Used Bow complete with Arrows
We recommend going to a local archery store (Jim Bows Archery or Wyld Archery) with staff that will be pleased to help with the purchase of appropriate new equipment. They will help properly determine which hand (left/right), bow length and draw weight. They will also help you choose between a recurve bow or a compound bow for beginners and a set of six arrows to match the bow. As our juniors grow each year, you may also be able to find one of our own members with used equipment for sale that might meet your needs too. If you pursue buying a bow at Canadian Tire or Cabela’s, we only recommend the “Barnett Quicksilver Archery Set” (for the youngest/smallest archers) or a “Takedown Recurve Bow” in the 15-25 lb range. We still recommend going to Jim Bows Archery or Wyld Archery to properly select a set of six arrows designed for the correct draw weight of the bow you chose to buy.
CanBow Program
The Junior Archery Program follows the CanBow Archery Skills Awards Program as set out by the Federation of Canadian Archers (FCA). CanBow offers young archers an opportunity to improve their shooting skills and knowledge.
Within the Junior Program the archers will earn badges as their skills improve. Once the archer has mastered the basic skills we will have the archer begin to shoot scored rounds. Each score will consist of 30 arrows shot in 10 ends of 3 arrows.
For an archer to earn a badge they must demonstrate certain archery proficiencies and knowledge and, in addition, must shoot two scores at or above the level required for each badge. Scores must be shot in the Saturday classes, on club night or at a registered shoot. If an archer attains a score of their next level at a registered FITA (tournament) only one score will be required for them to earn that level of badge.
The Program has four levels:
- Level 1: Basic Form and Safety (4 badge progressions)
- Level 2: Competency and Basic Equipment Knowledge (4 badge progressions)
- Level 3: Increased Skill and Physiology (5 badge progressions)
- Level 4: National Skill Level and Tournament Preparation (11 badge progressions)
The CanBow Program incorporates 3 target sizes (80cm, 60cm, & 40cm) with the archer working their way from the largest to the smallest target.
Once a junior has earned all the badges for a particular size target they move onto the next smaller target. The badges earned by the archers will be handed out on a regular basis during the year.
The Canbow Badge Levels are as follows:
Questions! You can direct your questions to any instructor. We will be pleased to answer them to the best of our abilities or e email us at: info@sparchery.ca
Helpful Web Links
archerycanada.ca Archery Canada is the National Sport Organization dedicated to the promotion and development of all types of archery for all Canadians. AC supports the achievement of high performance excellence in archery and the development of a national archery infrastructure to promote archery participation across Canada in cooperation with our Members, the Provincial/Territorial Archery Associations.
archeryalberta.ca Archery Alberta provides programs and assistance to clubs and its members. Its primary focus is 3D archery (indoor and outdoor), target archery (indoor and outdoor) and field archery.
albertabowhunters.ca The Alberta Bowhunters Association (ABA) is the other provincial body in Alberta, and focuses on hunting and 3D archery.
Archery for Beginners: How to Get Started
www.completeguidetoarchery.com/archery-for-beginners-how-to-get-started/
Ultimate Guide to Backyard Archery
www.homeadvisor.com/r/ultimate-guide-to-backyard-archery/
What is Wheelchair Archery?
www.passionatepeople.invacare.eu.com/what-is-wheelchair-archery/
Reasons Kids Should Practice Archery
www.nfaausa.com/2017/01/reasons-kids-should-practice-archery/