Global Youth Conference Archery

Traditional Instinctive

This class is restricted to recurve, long bows, and self-made bows. Bows must meet all general guidelines for equipment. No sights, stabilizers, or wings allowed in this class. An arrow rest and nock are the only items allowed on a bow. The bow may be shot off the shelf.

Equipment

All bows must be in good condition with no frayed strings or cracks in the riser or limbs. No bow will be used that is considered unsafe. No overdraws or bows with a built-in overdraw will be allowed. The maximum draw weight for any bow will be sixty (60) pounds. All compound bows will be checked for proper draw weight at equipment check. No shooter will be allowed to compete with a bow set over sixty (60) pounds. The minimum draw weight will be twenty (20) pounds. Crossbows are not allowed.

Arrows

Arrows must be selected that match the draw weight of the bow. Arrows should be used that will spine correctly and weigh at least five (5) grains for each pound of draw weight. (Example: a 50-pound bow should use at least a 250-grain arrow.) Your local archery shop will be glad to help with arrow selection and setup. Arrows will be equipped with target or field tips only. No hunting tips or broadheads of any kind are permitted. A contestant should take at least eight (8) arrows to the shooting line. Seven (7) arrows will be shot at each target. The Chief Judge will mark one of the seven arrows with a “P” indicating a practice arrow. The score for the practice arrow will not be counted. The eighth arrow will be used as a spare should an arrow be lost or damaged. All arrows shall be of identical length and weight. Arrows can be made of aluminum, carbon, or aluminum/carbon composite. Good wood arrows can be used in the traditional class. Wood arrows will not be allowed with compound bows.

Arrow Nocks

Bow strings must be fitted with no more than two (2) standard metal nocks. If two (2) are used, they may be no more than one-half inch apart.

Strings

Bow strings in the Unlimited Free Style classes may contain any type of sighting mechanism, except those that are electrically powered or use any type of magnifying lens. String walking is not allowed in any class.

Targets

All targets will be round 48″ ten-ring targets. The distance will be as follows: 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards.

Safety

The utmost care will be given to safety. A bow is a deadly weapon, not a playroom toy. Any student who does not follow all safety rules will be removed from the firing line.

1. Never point your bow in a direction other than downrange.
2. No horseplay!
3. Never run with an arrow in your hand.
4. Don’t nock an arrow until instructed to do so.

Any student who cannot safely pull his/her bow will be asked to lower the poundage. The person should be able to pull the bow to full draw without having to reach to the sky or ground. A good way to check this is to have the student sit on a bucket and pull the bow. If he cannot pull it without reaching up or down, lower the poundage.

G.Y.C. recommends that your equipment be inspected for safety by a professional before competition.

Rules of Competition

1. Each student will comply with all orders given by the judges.
2. No coaching from the sidelines.
3. Once on the line, shooters may talk only to the judge.
4. Shooters may not distract other archers.
5. The decision of the judges is final.

Order of Competition

1. Each archer will shoot seven (7) arrows at each target. (One is practice.)
2. When advancing to the firing line, each archer will place bow on the ground or place it in a bow holder (archers provide own holder).
3. On the order, “The line is clear. You may pick up your bow,” archer picks up bow. Next, “The firing line is no longer clear. Commence firing.” At this command, archers shoot arrows. When each archer finishes shooting arrows, the bow is placed on the ground or in a bow holder. When all bows are on the ground or time has run out, the Line Judge will say, “Cease firing.” At this point, anyone not finished will place his bow on the ground. The Line Judge will then say, “Is the firing line clear?” Each judge will respond by raising his or her hand. When the Line Judge is satisfied that the line is clear he will say, “The firing line is clear. Advance to your target score and remove your arrows.” When all archers and judges have returned to the line, the Line Judge will say, “Advance to the next target.” These steps will be repeated until each archer has completed the course.

Scoring

Scoring will be from ten to zero with bull’s-eye being “10.” Any arrow that touches the next higher score will be scored at the higher score. The highest possible score will be 240 points.

Time

There will be a time limit of five (5) minutes on each target for the archer to shoot all seven (7) (one practice) of his/her arrows. Two (2) minutes will be allowed to score the archer’s arrows. If lost arrows are not retrieved in this time limit, the student may come back after competition is over and search for lost arrows.