Junior Olympic Archery Development - A Program of USA Archery
Contact: Diane Watson, JOAD National Coordinator
(727) 389-3264
dwatson@usarchery.org

Event Will Also Select U.S. Archers for Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

Des Moines, IA – The Cownie Soccer Complex in Des Moines will be home to a new group of young athletes this weekend: archers aged 8-20, from across the United States, competing for the title of Junior Olympic Archery Development National Champion, at the Easton JOAD National Championships.

Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) is a program of USA Archery, the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of archery in the United States. JOAD clubs are located across the country, and offer young people the chance to learn the sport of archery in a group setting, and the opportunity to compete in state, local and national tournaments. Registrations for this year’s Easton JOAD National Championships are indicative of strong growth in the national JOAD program, with over 200 archers expected to compete this weekend.

The competition, in addition to determining the JOAD National Champion, also serves as a primary qualifying tournament for those hoping to be part of the Junior United States Archery Team, and, new in 2010, also serves as the selection event to determine the one girl and one boy who will represent the United States at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore this August.

“It’s wonderful to see young archers from all over the United States coming together to compete,” states Denise Parker, USA Archery CEO. “With the first-ever Youth Olympic Games Trials as part of this event, it promises to be an exciting weekend.”

This weekend’s tournament will open with a practice day on Thursday, June 24, for all competitors, followed that afternoon by the Youth Olympic Games Qualification Round, which will rank archers according to their score. The top four boys and top four girls attempting to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games will then shoot head to head matches later in the weekend.

On Friday, June 25, archers of all ages will shoot 72 arrows for score, the first half of their qualification round for the weekend. That afternoon, archers will take to the field once again for Team Rounds, during which shooters will work as part of a team in a fun and fast-paced competition to determine the top team for each age and gender group.

On Saturday, all archers will shoot their final 72 arrows, the overall score of which will determine their seeding for elimination rounds. On Saturday afternoon, those participating in the Youth Olympic Games selection event will also participate in exciting match play, which will narrow the field to the single girl and boy who will represent the United States at the Youth Olympic Games. Sunday is the final day of JOAD National Championships, during which all archers will participate in elimination matches, using the same format used in the Olympic games, to determine the JOAD National Champions in each age group.

USA Archery and the JOAD Program extend thanks to the city of Des Moines and its Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as to the Des Moines Sports Commission, for their assistance with this event. For more information on USA Archery and on Junior Olympic Archery Development, visit usarchery.org.