What is the Junior Olympian Program?
The Junior Olympian Program (JOP) is designed to recognize young archers for their achievements and give encouragement for improvements. As awards are earned, each youth develops archery skills together with greater confidence and ability to perform in competition. Goals include recognizing fair play, courtesy and good sportsmanship with the emphasis placed on safety and individual performance. Archers are encouraged to participate in the Provincial JOP Championships.
The program is open to youth aged 6 to 20 (as of December 31 of current year). Youth should have their own bow and arrows, arm guard and finger protection. Sights and/or releases are optional. Individual clubs may choose to provide equipment until it is determined what set-up would work best for each athlete.
Shooters will learn about safety rules and learn the visual and audible signals used to for timing/safety controls.
Indoor JOP rounds follow the protocols of a Canadian 300 round, with modifications for skill level: new archers would start on an 80cm target progressing through to a 60cm target and eventually 40cm when they master their skills. Depending on equipment category, Outdoor JOP rounds are shot on a 122cm or 80cm face at distances starting at 15m progressing through to 70m as skills are honed. Outdoor shooting introduces the challenge of shooting longer distances and facing the elements of Mother Nature: wind, rain, cold, sun and heat.
Provincial JOP Championships
BC Archery holds several opportunities for JOP competition, with an Indoor Championships in April, Outdoor in June, and Indoor Regionals and Mailmatch in the winter. Regionals and Mailmatch are held in each club and the scores are compiled with all the scores in the Province to determine placings. Indoor and Outdoor Championships are held in 4 or 5 locations around the Province to bring the kids together in a tournament environment, getting them outside their comfort zone, and exposing them to the challenge of a real tournament environment. Scores from all venues are compiled to determine overall placings. Youth compete according to the next classification they are working for, regardless of age or equipment. For example if the archer has achieved the Master Archer badge they will compete against all other archers who have achieved this badge and are working towards the Expert Bowman badge. The JOP Championship events loosely follow the protocols of the Canadian-300 and 720-rounds with modifications for skill level and equipment types. For this reason, the events are not registered with Archery Canada, however, the athletes are eligible for BC JOP records.
Local Club Requirements
1. A club JOP coordinator who will:
- submit a list of all JOP participants in the program including their birth date, club, gender and BC Archery number
- If youth is a new archery participant, ensure they have purchased a membership with BC Archery.
- maintain records of scores shot on JOP nights.
- submit scores to the BC Archery JOP coordinator when a participant has achieved their next level, including participant’s full name, score(s) and level achieved.
- distribute certificates and/or plates/stickers as they are earned
2. Indoor Range suitable for 18m shooting. Clubs supply butts, targets and scorecards.
3. Coaches to instruct and supervise youth; must have at least one certified coach overseeing the program (the Coach must have successfully completed Making Ethical Decisions).
4. For participation in Outdoor JOP, a range suitable for shooting up to 70m. Clubs supply butts, targets and scorecards.
JOP Resources
*NEW* 2022 Outdoor program
JOP Manual (pdf) (under revision)
JOP Scorecard - indoors (pdf)
JOP Scorecard-indoors (Word)
JOP Scorecard - outdoors (pdf)
JOP Mail Match submission form (Word)
Club Record Form (pdf)
Club Record Form (docx)
FVA Legacy Prize (for JOP Championships)
JOP Pages
KidSport BC
KidSport BC provides nominal funds to assist youth to participate in sport. Archery is one of those recognized sports. Details of the program, qualifying criteria, local chapters, etc can be found on their website. Your club must be affiliated with BC Archery in order for your application to be approved.
JOP Plaque Program
The sublimated plate is used for Indoor as well as Outdoor. A sticker reading either Indoor or Outdoor will go in the center on the bottom row with one of the spaces for the 10 10 10 sticker and the other can be used for name or other. The targets will hold a sticker for the Yeoman through Olympian levels or 20 metres through Olympian for Outdoor. The small rectangles will hold the 250 and up stickers.
*NOTE* The Outdoor program is being tested with a new format in 2022 and will only offer certificates. Plaques/plates will continue to be used for Indoors at this time.
Are you a parent of an archery participant?
Athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers have the right to participate in a safe and inclusive training and competitive environment that is free of abuse, harassment or discrimination. BC Archery has been implementing processes, procedures and policies to help create and maintain a safe environment for all athletes at every level of participation.
Parents play an important role in the success of their kids and can help to create a more rewarding, safe and respectful environment for everyone involved. The Respect in Sport Parent Program can help to define a standard of behaviour for all parents, and provide tools to create and maintain safe sport environments. This program is available on a user-pay basis through the co-branded Archery Canada - Respect in Sport platform.
The cost of the 1-hour Parent/Family course is $12 per household. Access the course through this link. Watch this video for more information on the program and its benefits.