Junior Olympic Archery Development
Junior Olympic Archery Development or JOAD for short (pronounced 'joe-add) is part of a national program designed to encourage children's
participation in archery. It offers kids a chance to train for competition and get to know other local archers while improving fundamental skills, learning advanced techniques, and perfecting an individual and consistent shooting style. The program is ongoing and runs throughout the year--new archers can join at any time.
No experience is needed to join. However, Stanford Archery requires that all archers, regardless of experience level, first take a mandatory private safety lesson to get acquainted with the rules and basic style of shooting at our range.
We tailor JOAD for both the competitive archer and the recreational archer. Our goal is to provide a fun atmosphere focused on critical skill development that foster the development of lifetime shooting skills and a love of archery.
Pricing + dates
All equipment is provided without any additional costs. The
practices are taught by Stanford Archery Team members who are all at least NAA Level I Certified coaches, and many are Level II certified. Meet some of them here. Student to coach ratio is is maintained at 3:1, but is often 2:1.
When & Where JOAD schedule is posted below. We will be holding them on SUNDAYS from 9-11 am. JOAD is held on our range located on campus.
Dates for 2009-10 School Year (subject to change)
Practice Session | Sunday, October 4
Scoring Session | Sunday, October 11
Practice Session | Sunday, October 18
Scoring Session | Sunday, October 25
Practice Session | Sunday, November 1
Scoring Session | Sunday, November 8
Practice Session | Sunday, November 15
Please note that these are held on SUNDAY from 9-11am. 
Pricing
$30 for two-hour session, includes equipment
$5 discount if you bring your own equipment
Acceptable forms of payment are cash or check (payable to "Stanford Archery Program").
To sign up
Before signing up, you must have first taken a safety private lesson. Please email us if you have not and would like to.
The Stanford Junior Team
Archers who demonstrate superior skill, commitment, and sportsmanship and are dedicated to reaching higher levels of competition may earn a spot on the elite Stanford Junior Team. While all members of the JOAD program will have opportunities to compete in local, state, and national archery competitions, members of the Junior Team will train specifically for these competitions and travel together as a team to tournaments.
Specific scoring requirements needed to qualify for the Junior Team vary with age and can be explained at JOAD sessions, or email us for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions for JOAD
Should I buy my own equipment? While a $5 discount is provided to those who bring their own equipment, high quality equipment is provided as part of the regular JOAD price. However, for those wishing to pursue competition, we recommend purchasing equipment that can be customized and used for practice outside of JOAD and Private Lessons. If you plan to purchase a set up, please wait at least a few JOAD sessions before doing so. Feel free to contact us with any questions about equipment purchases.
Is JOAD appropriate for complete beginners? Absolutely. JOAD accomodates junior archery champions as well as those who have never before touched a bow. For safety reasons, we require those with no prior experience to take a private lesson from any of our coaches before attending their first JOAD.
What if I'm not sure I want to get into competitive archery? Is JOAD still right for me? Yes, definitely. Though all members of JOAD have the opportunity to compete, none are required to. For those looking for purely recreational archery, JOAD is a chance to hang out with friends and pursue the sport for fun.
Will JOAD sessions be similar to the Summer Camp? All students get to shoot for both types of sessions. During the practice session, however, students shoot an end of 6 arrows. For scoring sessions, they shoot 10 ends of 3 arrows and score after each end. Practice sessions are geared for working on form with the coaches. In contrast, scoring sessions are geared to help gauge your progress as we will be shooting arrows for points in a relaxed setting. This way, you can keep track of your progress through a quantifiable number, especially if you have an idea of what you've scored in past. THe schedule merely indicates what most of the students that day will be doing; we are flexible with archers' preferences.
What's the difference between JOAD and Summer Camp? JOAD is similar to the Summer Camp in that no experience is required and kids will have a chance to meet and bond with other archers in the area. However, since JOAD is designed as a true archery training program it maintains a more serious, skill-development-oriented atmosphere.
What's the difference between a scoring session and a practice?
All students get to shoot for both types of sessions. During the practice session, however, students shoot an end of 6 arrows. For scoring sessions, they shoot 10 ends of 3 arrows and score after each end learning how to score their arrows as well as record their progress.
Practice sessions are geared for working on form. In contrast, scoring sessions are geared to help gauge your progress as we will be shooting arrows for points. This way, the student can keep track of his or her progress through a quantifiable number, especially if the students knows past scores. In both sessions are students coached. These sessions are flexible as well. For example, we have had students in the past who have refused to score out of principle, and so we have allowed them to treat scoring sessions as regular practice sessions.