Our feature series “Inside USA Archery” allows readers to get to know USA Archery staff, take a peek inside some of our big projects and catch a glimpse of daily life on our team. USA Archery, headquartered in Colorado Springs, was formed in 1879 to foster and promote the sport of archery. As the National Governing Body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of archery, we are a member-driven organization and our work towards our mission is driven by strategic plans that keep us on track with specific, measurable goals. Get to know our hard-working team and explore some of the larger projects we’re prioritizing throughout the year.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – To Guy Krueger, Education and Training Manager at USA Archery, his career is more than just a job: it’s a lifelong passion. Krueger has been a member of USA Archery since his early childhood and started his career path with USA Archery in 2008.
It all started when Krueger and his brother received toy bows for Christmas when Krueger was just eight years old. They began shooting at their local 4-H club, where his parents, also archery novices at the time, took over as the program leaders. What began as a labor of love for this family blossomed into a lifelong commitment to the sport.
“A couple of years after we started in the 4-H program, we joined USA Archery and started our own Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Club and started competing at state and local events. By the time I was 13, we were traveling around the country competing at USA Archery national events,” shared Krueger of his early experiences in archery.
Both Krueger and his brother attended Texas A&M University (TAMU), where they competed on the TAMU archery team. Krueger earned several individual collegiate national championships and the 2000 World University Archery Champion title. After graduating from TAMU, Krueger moved to Chula Vista, Calif. to train in USA Archery’s Resident Athlete (RA) program from 2002 to 2007.
Krueger began working for USA Archery in 2008 when he was hired on as the RA Program Assistant Coach and Program Manager in Chula Vista. In 2012, Krueger became the Assistant National Head Coach, and about a year after that, he began working as the High Performance Program Manager in addition to his other duties as coach. In 2015, Krueger became the Women’s Head Coach for USA Archery, and in 2016, Krueger settled into his current role as the Education and Training Manager.
“I decided I wanted to go into coaching because as an athlete, I was really frustrated. I couldn’t find the answers I was looking for, and as I started to find those answers, I wanted to help athletes find them too,” said Krueger. “I was inspired to get into coach education when I went through a transformative two-and-a-half-year program with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee through their Coaches Leadership Education program, and it changed my perspective on coaching. I want to help coaches develop so that they could help their athletes in return.”
Krueger added: “I knew that if I could help coaches, the impact could be exponential. We have over 20,000 coaches and instructors. If each one of those coaches works with five people, then that's 100,000 people that they would be able to impact.”
Krueger has played a role in developing many different programs and curriculums during his time with USA Archery, including the Club Excellence Program, Coach Observer Program and Athlete Development Model. He coordinates coaches for the Regional Elite Development Program and International Teams, writes content for the High Performance Newsletters and creates many educational resources and professional development pathways for athletes, coaches and clubs. Krueger is the staff lead for the Officials and Rules Committee and developed the USA Archery Judge Certification Courses.
One of his most recent passion projects is developing coach and judge certification courses for online and blended learning. This is an important project for USA Archery because it not only makes the curriculum more accessible, but it also gives coaches the opportunity to revisit the information after completing the course and ensures consistency of information being taught around the country. Krueger is involved in every step of the process, from writing the material and programming the online courses, to testing and being available to users for troubleshooting.
The USA Archery Virtual Symposium (formerly the Coach Symposium and the National Symposium) is another of Krueger’s important projects. The Symposium offers those interested the opportunity to improve their coaching skills through access to experts and panel discussions.
“I really like to surround myself with people that are better, smarter and more knowledgeable than I am. The Virtual Symposium gives me an opportunity to do that and connect with people that I know have amazing skills or amazing messages that they can share with our coaches to help them grow. I like to occasionally use coaches and subject matter experts outside of archery because it I think it stretches people's idea of what we should be doing or what we should be capable of doing. That's something that I'm really passionate about,” said Krueger.
Learn more about USA Archery and our strategic plans. If you’re interested in becoming a USA Archery certified coach, see our Instructor and Coach Certification Programs and Coaching Opportunities.
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