Archery Outreach Program / Public Outreach Program

Charter  

The purpose of the Archery Outreach Program is to provide the public with a safe, fun, and friendly opportunity to try archery without the need for investing in personal archery equipment and finding private instruction. A secondary purpose of the Archery Outreach Program is to identify potential new club members to increase club membership.  

Program Rules  

The following are the rules to be followed by public participants and club members participating in this program.  

Participants  

  • All participants must have a signed liability waiver for the current club year (October 1 through September 30) 

  • All participants must be at least age 10 to be allowed to participate in the program. (existing participants that started before Jan 2025 will be grandfathered into the program)  

  • Participants under 18 years of age must have a parent or legal guardian always present with the participant.  

  • A non-legal guardian can stand in for a parent or guardian of a youth participant if they provide a medical waver form signed by the parent or legal guardian.  

  • Participants must follow all instructions of the instructors, coaches and Director of Shooting at all times. Failure to follow directions will cause the participant to be removed from the facility. This includes shooters and non-shooters alike.  

  • New participants must be trained or evaluated by an instructor or coach before being permitted to shoot. 

  • Personal equipment must be checked for safety by CVA staff before being used on the field. 

Director Of Shooting (DOS) 

DOS maintains the safety and flow of the session 

  • Must be at least a Level 3 Coach or in the process of becoming a Level 3 Coach. 

  • The primary responsibility of the DOS is to maintain safety on the range. 

  • The DOS may temporarily suspend or cancel shooting for the day if safety issues arise from weather, participants, or other factors. 

  • DOS is responsible for handling issues between participants and staff or between staff members 

Disputes about safety, equipment, distracting or unsafe behavior by CVA members or public participants should be brought to the attention of the DOS or head Coach. 

Instructor/Coaches  

Instructors and Coach who will be responsible for the operation of the program 

  • All coaches must be USA Archery certified Instructors or Coach in good standing with USA Archery, with a current SafeSport certification 

  • Background check for level 2 Instructors and all Coaches. 

  • Instructors or Coaches signed up to run the session must be on site 30 minutes before the beginning of the session to prepare for the session.  

  • Safety is the priority one for all instructors and coaches, with having fun as the secondary priority. Any instructor or coach that see’s anything unsafe happening on the shooting line or in the waiting area is required to address the issue immediately   

  • All instructors, coaches, and support staff must assist the DOS in maintaining a safe environment. 

  • Instructors and coaches assisting on the line must monitor and help maintain participant safety. 

  • No shooting if you are signed up to work, unless you are doing demonstrations. This includes DOS and Head Coach 

  • Notify the Director of Shooting when stepping away from the shooting line. 

  • We use eye dominance to determine equipment and safety gear. If the participant is not willing to shoot with their dominant eye we will accommodate their choice.  

  • Instructors and coaches are required to use the USA Archery shortened 5 step training method (Set, Up (Set-Up), Face (Anchor), Brace (Transfer to Hold), and Follow Through). This reduces the time spent with each new student while providing a good experience for inexperienced participants  

  • There is no private coaching allowed during the Archery Outreach Program time. Providing guidance to private students shooting during the is allowable  

  • All instructors and coaches signed up to work the Archery Outreach time are expected to help with all participants, unless the participant requires specialized assistance from one of the instructors or coaches that have specialized training for assisting special needs participants.  

Support staff 

Club members that help support the Instructors and Coaches with the operation of the program 

  • Support Staff directly interacting with children need to have USA Archery SafeSport certification  

  • Based on eye dominance appropriate equipment will be dispersed to participants, except where participant refused to go with eye dominance determination  

  • Give lowest poundage bows out first to participants. The taller the archer the longer the bow should be for the participant  

  • Arm guards and finger tabs to all participants shooting, if they do not wish to use it is up to the participant 

  • If participant has long hair, they should be requested to use a hair tie to keep their hair away from the bow string.  

  • When participants are being sized for arrows, participants should be checked with the arm held out to the side of the body out to the tips of the fingers of the bow arm. This accounts for the distance from the anchor point to the bow shoulder joint which is not accounted for when measuring by arm length alone. If this method is not used at least 5 inches of arrow length needs to be added beyond the tips of the fingers to account for the distance from the anchor point to the bow shoulder joint. Arrows being too long is not a concern. 

 

Head Coach 

The Head Coach sets policy and direction for the Archery Outreach Program.  

  • Keep Program in compliance with the USA Archery programs 

  • Integrating new learnings into the program 

  • Updating equipment standards based on changing needs of the program 

  • Acquire resources to support the program operation. 

  • Organizing and running work parties 

  • Resolve issues with staff and participants or between staff member