Getting Started
Indroduction
Following discussions with a local school in 2011, Deben Archery Club (DAC) decided to expand its activities for children interested in archery. This decision is both in response to the number of requests we have been getting for younger children to join our regular beginners courses, and is due to the information we have been receiving from local schools on the lack of opportunities for children to continue archery after their initial introduction via schools-run programmes.Who is JDAC for?
This is aimed at children aged 7 – 14 from the wider Ipswich area. Juniors over 10 are able to join the main Deben Archery Club, and shoot more often (subject to Club Coach approval), but then must operate under the rules of the main club, which means they must be supervised at all times by their parents. Juniors joining the main club will be required to pay our normal membership fees (see below). The Deben membership structure looks like this:| Age | “I’m a junior archer: where should I join?” |
|---|---|
| 7 to 14 | JDAC – Saturday mornings from 9.30am to 11.00am, as a “JDAC Member” |
| 7 to 18 | Deben Archery Club (DAC), as a “full Junior Member” (graduating from JDAC) |
| 12+ to 18 | Deben Archery Club (DAC), as a “full Junior Member” (graduating from the normal DAC Beginner’s Course) |
When does JDAC meet?
JDAC will meets every Saturday morning between 9.30am and 11.00am* under the instruction of club coaches. Parents / guardians will be able to leave their children for the duration of the session if they wish. Alternatively they are also welcome to stay and watch. Any changes to planned shooting are circulated in advance by email and should be posted on the JDAC page of the Deben Archery Club website.
Because young archers must be closely supervised, we have strict coach-to-child ratios that must be adhered to. Currently we have ample capacity within the club, but should we find ourselves ‘stretched’, junior archers will be admitted to the sessions on a first-come, first-served basis.
*Please note winter club meets (Oct - April) will be 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Where does JDAC meet?
JDAC will use two venues: The outdoor / summer venue, which is the Deben Archery Club Field (also known as Bob’s Meadow) and the indoor / winter facility which is Kesgrave War Memorial Sports Hall, the intention is to use the field during the summer season (May - September) and Kesgrave during the winter season (October – April).
The shooting venues
Outdoors (April to September) Bob's Meadow, Bucklesham Road, Ipswich
Indoors (October to March) Kesgrave War Memorial Sports Hall, Kesgrave
Map will appear here shortly
What does it cost?
JDAC charges on per session basis. The fee per session will be £3.50 that will cover all the equipment required, the hire of the venue and the insurance cover from Archery GB (formerly known as The Grand National Archery Society, or GNAS - the UK’s governing body).
For Junior Archers with family members already shooting regularly at Deben Archery Club (who are able to supervise JDAC members at normal DAC sessions), following a period of coaching and assessment at JDAC, they will be eligible to join Deben Archery Club as a junior member (from the age of 10). As per the above, this membership will entitle them to shoot with the main club. The fees for a junior membership of DAC are presently £6.00 per month for the 2012/13 year. Further information on joining the main club is given below.
What do I need to bring? What facilities are there?
Archers should always wear a close-fitting top, ideally long-sleeved (to avoid entanglement in the string), as well as closed-in shoes (no sandals). Warmer clothing and waterproofs, as well as sturdy footwear are advisable when shooting outdoors. Archers should also bring a drink and a snack with them. Please note that when shooting outdoors at Bob’s Meadow, there are no toilet facilities. There are toilet facilities at Tunstall Village Hall.Aims of JDAC
The club’s aim will be to promote interest in the sport of archery amongst children in the wider Ipswich area, by running a regular curriculum based around:
- Safety and responsibility
- Technique
- Coaching and Development
- Basic competitive engagement
- Having fun!
All five aspects will be taught by qualified archers, who have been appropriately accredited by Archery GB / The Grand National Archery Society (the UK’s governing body) to teach archery to younger children. Additionally other club members will be on hand to assist as required. All equipment will be provided.
JDAC (and DAC) offer the Club’s own progressive badge award scheme to encourage archers to progress. All JDAC members are welcome to progress in this scheme should they wish. Other badge schemes (offered by Archery GB and World Archery amongst others) are also available to JDAC members, and the Club will assist members in achieving those if they wish. From 2013 JDAC will also begin to offer structured coaching in line with a development plan, which we would encourage all junior archers to begin to complete.
Some further information about Deben Archery Club
Children who have attended JDAC and who have been assessed by the club coaches as having reached a suitable level of competence and safety awareness, will (from the age of 7 currently on a trial basis, but ordinarily from the age of 10) be welcome to join the main Deben Archery Club as a full junior member should they wish to do so. As long as they are able to demonstrate good safety awareness, consistent technique and good progress / completion of their JDAC Coaching Log, they will not be required to take the normal beginner’s course before doing so (the beginner’s course is normally open to children over the age of 12). Fees as a full Junior member of DAC are £6.00 per month. Monthly membership of DAC (paid by most club members on a standing order basis) entitles Junior members to shoot with the main club at normal club sessions. The only criteria are that full Junior members (under the age of 18) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times, and there must always be another adult club member / shooting archer present while shooting. For this reason, DAC recommends that Junior members attend DAC only during the normal club sessions, which are given below.
Juniors who join DAC will still be eligible to attend JDAC sessions at no additional cost over the normal monthly DAC Junior membership.
The aim of DAC is to get as many people enjoying the sport of archery as possible. If you are a parent or guardian and you would like to start shooting as well, DAC offers several beginners’ courses through the year which are aimed at ages 12 and up. The club already has several parent / child combinations who shoot together at the club. Please contact us at enquiries@deben-archery.org.uk for further information.
Outdoors (March to September)
Location: Bob’s Meadow, Bucklesham Road, Ipswich (per map No. 1, above)
Times: From 6pm to dusk on Tuesday evenings (outdoors), and from 10am on Sunday mornings.
Indoors (October to March)
Location: While Bob’s Meadow is still available to those who wish to brave the invariably inclement weather, most of the club will move to our indoor shooting venue, which is Tunstall Village Hall (per map No. 2 above).
Times: From 7pm – 10pm on Tuesday evenings, and from 10am – 1pm on Sundays.
Buying your own equipment
At some point every archer will outgrow the capabilities of the club’s equipment. Whether you choose to buy your own bow or not is a big decision. If you want to continue to use the club’s equipment this is absolutely fine. If you want to buy your own, we can offer practical advice as to what and where to buy and how much you can expect to spend. In the meantime the club offers some deals on a few items of basic kit. There is a dedicated sestion on purchasing and maintaining equipment that can be found in JDAC’s Junior Archer’s Manual here.Outside JDAC – Archery GB
The Archery Community in the UK is thriving more now than ever before. Benefitting from it’s profile as an Olympic sport in London 2012, and from appearance high-profile films such as The Hunger Games, Brave and Avengers Assemble, Archery is growing as a sport all the time. Accessing information on other clubs and contacting other archers and clubs in the UK (and the rest of the world) via the internet has never been easier. However you want to play a part in that community, the Archery GB website is a great place to start.
Contact the Club
The best way is to pop down to see us one Saturday morning. Alternatively if you can’t make it, please feel free to email us. The JDAC email address is given here. We try to answer all enquiries within 48 hours juniors@deben-archery.org.uk).
If you would like to contact the Child Protection Officer for the Club you can find their details here.
What to do now…..
The best place to find current information on Deben Archery Club is always the Club’s website, at www.deben-archery.org.uk.
If your child would like to start archery, please email juniors@deben-archery.org.uk, or simply come along to one of the regular weekly sessions. We aim to make these both instructive and fun! If you have any queries, please email us at juniors@deben-archery.org.uk and we will do our best to answer as helpfully as we can.
Please complete and sign the membership form and bring this with you to the session you plan to attend.
Membership Form
We look forward to seeing you soon!