COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - USA Archery is excited to announce that to better engage all of our member groups with more competitive team opportunities, we are expanding our U.S. Archery Team (USAT) from Recurve and Compound Senior, Para, Junior and Cadet to now also include Masters and Barebow. Archery is an incredibly diverse sport that attracts many different archers, shooting different types of bows and is adaptable to all ages. These additions reflect this diversity and better engage the archery community as a whole.
"We have heard from our membership that they want not just an opportunity to compete, but an opportunity to be competitive, " says Denise Parker, CEO of USA Archery. "We think the addition of these two USAT teams provides this opportunity and we are excited to offer the programs to what we feel are growing divisions within our membership."
USA Archery experienced great turnout in the Barebow division at the most recent U.S. and JOAD National Indoor Championships and we have added Barebow in all divisions in both Indoor and Outdoor Nationals over the past year. Additionally, people across all sports are staying active and competitive further into their life. Many sports have introduced competitive master's programs and we have heard the same desires from our own membership. We are excited to offer both of these groups a chance to have a competitive circuit and team with which they can engage.
The 2016 event schedule for Barebow USAT will include the U.S. Outdoor National Target Championships or the Easton JOAD Nationals for Juniors and Cadets, and the U.S. National Field Championships. In 2017, the U.S. National Indoor Championships will be added to the list of qualification events for the Barebow USAT. The top three archers in each division will be named to the Barebow USAT and will receive a USAT shirt with their name on it.
For the Masters USAT, the SoCal Showdown Presented by AAE and the Buckeye Classic USAT Qualifier Series events will be adding Masters divisions in 2016 and will give Masters a chance to earn points toward a USAT ranking along with the mandatory qualification event, U.S. Outdoor National Target Championships. In 2017, the U.S. National Indoor Championships will be added to the list of events for qualification to the Masters USAT. The top five archers in each division will be named to the Masters USAT and will also receive a USAT shirt with their name on it.
Skip Trafford, USA Archery Board Member and passionate supporter commented: "It was a privilege serving on the Masters Initiative Committee whose composition included over 200 years of competition experience in the Barebow, compound and recurve disciplines. We are so excited to see USA Archery expand USAT opportunities to the Barebow and Masters communities."
Click to view the 2017 Selection Criteria for the recurve and compound Masters USAT and the Barebow USAT, which has divisions for Cadet, Junior, Senior and Masters. Click to view the 2018 Selection Criteria.
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