By Chris Wifler
How to make the US National Archery Team
So you would like to make the US National Archery Team. Well, first of all it takes a lot of hard work and determination. It takes a commitment from you and your family. The first thing you need to do is to become a member of USA Archery. You can become a member as a family or just for the individual shooter. After your a member there are several qualifying shoots to attend.
Junior Class
If you are JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) age you must attend USA Indoor Nationals and Outdoor Nationals are mandatory shoots. Then you must attend 2 other qualifying shoots. Qualifying shoots consist of Arizona Cup, Gator Cup, So Cal shootout, and Texas shootout.
Senior class
For Senior USAT, Indoor Nationals is not mandatory, Outdoor Nationals is a mandatory shoot. Then you have to attend 4 of the qualifying shoots.
Advantages of being on the USAT team
So now what are the advantages for the USAT Team. If you make the US Archery Team there are discounts with various companies. There are team trips. There is usually a JR. USAT Trip for the top 3 archers. And for the Senior USAT if you make the top 4 on the team. You will get to attend the World Cups. The world cup team travels to Shanghai, Colombia, and Turkey to compete against other countries. Then if you have enough points after the 3rd world cup you will be invited to the finals. It is a great honor to be able to represent your country at the international events.
Some tips for success
Now you’ve decide to go out for the USA Team. Things to be prepared for the outdoor season. Make sure you read all the rules and know them. Know the distance and the age division you shoot. Also some of the things that have helped Alex and I through the years.
Alex and I talked about what we need to make a good shoot. And we came up with what makes a really good shoot is really good food. So we always have a cooler with food and drinks that are easy to eat.(finger food) And drinks besides water. It is super important to stay Hydrated. We like coconut water, Vitamin Water and water. As for food we find that eating small bites throughout the shoot keeps his energy up and he does not have the highs and lows. His energy is even throughout the shoot. Nuts and dried fruit are easy quick energy. Small sandwiches. Getting a really good nights sleep is essential. Please make sure to check USArchery.org for updates on rules and upcoming shoots.