Ready for an Archery Tournament?

Do you think you’re ready for an archery tournament? If so, it’s nice to know some helpful tips for your first time.

Which Tournament?

I’ve covered this here.

Are You Ready?

To know if you’re ready, it really all comes down to if you are hitting the target face (i.e., the paper) most of the time (it doesn’t need to be all of the time). If you are, you’re ready for a tournament.

What If I Finish Last?

Sure, you might finish last in your division, but you have to start somewhere and no one at tournaments knows who finishes last in each division until results are published (typically a day or two or more later). And, no one cares when they see who finished last. You could finish last, for instance, but shoot a great score and only finish last because you happen to be up against really good archers. Also, depending upon the tournament, you may actually win because there may not be anyone else in your division or all the other shooters are not any more advanced than you. This happens more often than you’d think because there are so many divisions/classes that archers compete in, that it’s entirely possible you are in a division by yourself. There are male and female divisions. Then there are traditional shooters, barebow shooters, recurve shooters, and compound shooters. And then there are breakdowns into age groups. I remember my daughter Emma’s first tournament, the Massachusetts Outdoor State Championship Tournament, and she won because no one else was in her division/class (Female Barebow Bowman). Did we tell her that? No! But, she actually did shoot really well—and other than at the highest level this is what archery is all about, competing within yourself. Did she find out she finished first in a one-person division? Yes! But, it was a couple of years later and by then had been in a bunch of different tournaments—though would’ve been in a lot more had Covid not interfered, which always reminds me that there’s no time to waste!

Get Your Own Equipment

To enter a tournament you really must have your own equipment. It can be equipment you regularly shoot with that is borrowed by someone you know and that is not officially yours, but you can’t depend upon class equipment because the class needs its equipment for…well…classes!

What is a Tournament Like?

It’s like doing two pin shoots in a row, pretty much, but also with a lot of people you don’t know. One of the fun things about it is also one of the things some people get nervous about: that you’ll shoot with people you don’t know. But, if you go through with it, you’ll see these same people in other tournaments and you’ll develop friendships. I look forward to attending a tournament because I enjoy seeing the same, nice people again. I haven’t yet met a person at an archery tournament that is anything but really, really nice and helpful. It’s as if everyone is rooting for you.

Generally speaking, you’ll be shooting with people from your club, too, and this gives you a feeling of togetherness. If at all possible, we always advise a first time tournament shooter to shoot with his/her club; the members of a club will help you at every turn.

Why Do a Tournament?

Because it’s fun and it’s an experience worth having. You’ll grow from it. You’ll become a better archer, but more importantly you’ll grow as a person. You’ll get nervous and begin to learn how to deal with those nerves. You’ll learn how to face your fears and compete, possibly at very high levels. You’ll meet new people, generally all very friendly, while competing against them. If you’re with a club, you’ll get to learn about yourself and the others in your club, together. You’ll see that everyone has their own issues they are trying to overcome, just like you, and that we’re all learning how to best deal with them. During the warmer months you’ll get to shoot in outdoor tournaments, and they’re a lot of fun just to get outside and do something in common with a bunch of other people. You’ll laugh and you may even cry, but if you stick with it you’ll move through these phases and look back with fondness on all of it because this is what growing is all about. You’ll be challenged all the time, as you may shoot well for one year and then hit a slump, where you’ll be tasked with learning how to get out of that slump. It’s not all about doing great! It’s about facing all the challenges that come with it, figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and doing the work to get through to another level. Really, it’s about the journey, and traveling along on the journey with a lot of people that have been through it and that want nothing more than to help you through it. I played a lot of team sports growing up, but archery is a different beast in that even if you are part of a club, it’s you and you alone up there shooting. Dealing with some of the thoughts that come into your mind while shooting is a tall task, but you’ll learn about yourself along the way and you’ll get stronger as a result.

I shoot with my wife and daughter, which makes it even more challenging. I may be really happy about where I am at any point, but if any of us suffer a tough tournament, we let our emotions out and then we come up with a plan to get better for the next time—and then try to execute that plan. As we do the corresponding work we learn so many things, mostly that working hard for something is worthwhile and often at least somewhat successful, we learn to persevere, and we learn to push through difficulties even if we feel the entire world is watching us shoot poorly (and trust me, the entire world is not watching us!!!).

How Do I Sign Up?

Usually you sign up for a tournament via the USA archery’s website, after logging in. Click on the ”Tournaments” link on the left, scroll through the list of tournaments offered, and find the right one. You then have to add the archer(s) you want to the tournament, and then fill out some details before paying during the checkout process. The details include:

Selecting the age group to shoot in:
1. Anyone that turns 12 or less years old in the calendar year is a Bowman. This means that if the archer turns 12 on 12/31 of the given year (or earlier in the year), s/he is considered a bowman. If instead s/he turns 13 on any day in the year in which the tournament is held, s/he is the next division up (a Cub).
2. Anyone that turns 13 or 14 in the calendar year is a Cub.
3. Anyone that turns 15 to 17 in the calendar year is a Cadet (called ”Under 18” in the new parlance of USA Archery).
4. Anyone that turns 18 to 20 in the calendar year is a Junior (called “Under 21” in the new parlance of USA Archery).
5. Anyone that is 21 or over can compete in Senior.
6. Anyone that is 50 or older can compete in one of the ”Master” divisions. Sometimes there are master divisions for 50 to 60, then 60 to 70, and then over 70, but sometimes there is just a single ”Masters” division.
7. If you are technically in a Masters division, you can still choose to compete in the Senior division.
If you are a barebow or recurve shooter, you will generally want to choose a single face target. Seasoned compound archers generally shoot at ”three spot” targets, largely because they are so accurate that shooting at a single spot target would cause them to destroy a lot of arrows.
You will choose a ”line” to shoot in. Choosing a line means choosing a day and time to shoot. Tournaments often have ”lines” on Friday (usually only one line on Friday at around 5 PM), Saturday, and Sunday. Often, the times on each of the weekend days are around 8, 9, or 10 AM, 1 PM, and 4 or 5 PM. This is where you generally want to coordinate the time with other members of your club so that you can shoot with them.
Occasionally you will not be able to sign up electronically through the USA Archery site and will instead have to mail in the registration.

What to Do at an Indoor or Outdoor Tournament

When you get to the tournament, pick a spot for getting your equipment ready and then…get it ready!
Have your equipment inspected by a judge. In a tournament, judges have to ensure your bow fulfills the rules of whatever division you shoot in. You will take your fully assembled bow, quiver, arrows, and finger tab to a judge and s/he will examine all of it to ensure you aren’t breaking any rules. For instance, they will ensure your arrows are marked. This is a quick process in which you will hold your bow out to the judge and they will give you a quick inspection.
Pick up your scorecards. Note that ”scorecards” is plural because in a tournament you will double score. This means two people will be recording scores so that they can compare and agree—which guarantees accuracy.
If you are running late, text a coach on the way so that the coach can help get things ready for you at the tournament.
Relax. Look around at the surroundings and the people and enjoy the experience.
Find the lane you are assigned to and find the clipboards (for your scorecards) that are being used for your lane. The clipboards will either be near the target or, if no one has put them there yet, will be in a box by where they hand out scorecards—at which point you will pick up two and place them by the target in your lane. You will place one scorecard on one clipboard and the other on the other clipboard. Often, the scorecards are different colors, and if so you will place all of one colored scorecard on one clipboard (yours and the people you are scoring with) and all the other colored scorecards on the other clipboard. Also, you’ll want to determine which order of archers will be scored, and ensure that the scorecards on each clipboard are in the correct scoring order—to make it easier to score.
Bring a couple of extra arrows, at least, in case something on each arrow breaks. For example, it’s not uncommon for vanes to get destroyed or nocks to break.
Ideally you’ll even bring an extra string, but I think a lot of people break this rule. I make my own strings and even I break this rule.
Bring at least one pen or pencil to score with. Ensure it can be kept in your quiver.
Check your bag the night before so that you travel with confidence that you didn’t forget something you need to shoot with…I hate that feeling!
Relax. Look around at the surroundings and the people and enjoy the experience.
Get to the tournament about an hour before your starting time. Even as an experienced archer, you don’t want to cut it too close—an hour is not too much nor too little. If you get there later, even as much as 20 minutes before your shooting time, you’ll still be able to get ready for your starting time, but you won’t have time to calm your nerves and relax. An hour gives you time to pick up your scorecard and get your equipment judged, settle in, talk to some people, and most of all relax a bit before you start shooting. If you are running 15 minutes late don’t worry about it!!! Just stay calm!
There will likely be two lines shooting. I’ll explain this more in the ”Indoor Tournament” and ”Outdoor Tournament” sections below. Generally, though, it means you will shoot your arrows on your ”line” and you will wait for others to shoot their arrows on their line, and then everyone will approach the targets to score.
Mark your arrows with at least your initials. This is to avoid any possible confusion if someone shoots near or on your target and they happen to have arrows that match yours. You can mark your arrows with just your initials, a piece of your name, or even your whole name. You can also number each arrow so that it is easy to identify an arrow that may not work as well as others. You can get fancy, such as markings like these. Most people use paint pens to do this, but anything works as long as they mark the arrows. My favorite paint pen for this are extra fine and pastel made by Sharpie because they are extra fine and they have colors that work for a lot of different colored vanes. These pens are usually in stock at Joann’s and Michael’s Stores.
Bring a chair for each person going. You may be able to use it, and you may not, but at least you’ll have one if you are allowed. Some tournaments have plenty of chairs, and some have none—not all tournaments have a lot of space for chairs. Outdoor tournaments definitely allow chairs, but some indoor tournaments have limited space. It doesn’t hurt to bring a chair even if you can’t use it.
For spectators it helps to have binoculars so you can see where the arrows land.
Some tournaments, such as the Indoor Nationals, get scored electronically, and this is nice because spectators get to see the scores in near real time if they use their phone to hook into the correct website page.
Relax. Look around at the surroundings and the people and enjoy the experience.
Yes, there are three ”relax” bullets above. 🙂

What to Do at an Indoor Tournament

It will take about three hours to finish shooting. Sometimes it takes a little bit more.
Generally speaking, you will shoot two rounds of 30 arrows each, and there will be a break of 10 to 15 minutes in between each round. Usually you will shoot three arrows per end for a total of 30 arrows per round.
Bring something to drink. You don’t need a lot to drink at an indoor tournament, but you’ll want something.
Perhaps bring a little something to eat. Again, you don’t need much, but some people like to munch on something in between rounds.
If you shoot in the Nationals as a non-JOAD, you’ll be shooting two days—two rounds on one day and two on another. I suppose you could shoot both sets of rounds on the same day, but this is somewhat rare.

What to Do at an Outdoor Tournament

It will take three to four hours to finish shooting.
Generally speaking, you will shoot two rounds of 36 arrows each, and there will be a break of 10 to 15 minutes in between each round. Usually you will shoot six arrows per end for a total of 36 arrows per round.
It can get really hot, especially if there are no trees protecting you from the sun. Shade at an outdoor tournament is something you’ll come to appreciate a lot!
Bring sunscreen.
You will see a lot of canopies at an outdoor tournament. You can certainly bring your own, especially if you have more than a couple of people. For one or two people, you’ll often be able to share someone else’s canopy—people at tournaments are very friendly and you’ll often be told, ”Feel free to use our canopy!” That said, especially if you are new, you may not feel confident enough to engage anyone to use their canopy, but if it’s hot you should find a canopy that has some space and ask. If you are shooting with club members ask around before the tournament to see if anyone is bringing a canopy you can hang out in.
Bring a cooler with plenty to drink and some food. An outdoor tournament is a pretty long day and you’ll definitely need some cold drinks and it doesn’t hurt to bring some food. We usually bring a couple of bottles or water per person, covered over with ice, and a few P&J sandwiches and containers of fruit on top.
If there is any possibility of rain, you’ll want to bring a hat and some rainproof shirt/jacket, as well as waterproof shoes.
You may want to bring two pairs of shoes/sneakers no matter what, because oftentimes there is a lot of dew on the grass in the summer and your feet will get really wet before the grass dries. If you don’t mind wearing waterproof shoes the entire time then you only need the one pair, but it’s nice to walk around in a comfortable pair of sneakers/shoes, too, so having them nearby is a nice to have when you want to switch into them.
The Massachusetts State Championship is two days of shooting—two rounds on one day and two rounds on another.
Sometimes an outdoor tournament will only have one line—often at either 8AM, 9 AM, or 10 AM.