Judging & Officials

Provincial Judge certification is the minimum level of certification allowed to officiate a tournament registered with Archery Canada. See rule 4.8.3.4 in Book 2 of the Rule Book.

In order for certification to be recognized, the Judge must be a current member of BC Archery. This is important so that the scores of the athletes are not jeopardized by an administration error.

A Provincial Judge may mentor a Judge Candidate. Information about the Candidate's abilities and recommendations for improvements should be sent to the Judge Chair at the end of any supervisory session. The mentoring Judge must remain alongside the Candidate throughout the tournament; the Judge may not compete at the same time he/she is mentoring. 

A Judge officiating a tournament may not also compete, unless there is opportunity for a second session (ie. 2 separate events held on the same day where the Judge officiates one session and another Judge officiates the other session).  

Once certified, a BC Provincial Judge will receive the following:

• BC Judge shirt
• bow measuring ring (122mm diameter ring for measuring barebows)
• arrow gauge (for measuring maximum arrow diameter)
• bow scale (spring-type)

To become a Provincial Judge Candidate, attend the weekend clinic which will be held in conjunction with the BC Indoors. This will provide the foundation for the candidate to work towards full certification as a Provincial Judge.

The process of becoming certified requires experience in the various disciplines, mentoring under a certified judge . There is opportunity to be certified as a Provincial Judge in a specific discipline of Field, Indoor and Outdoor target, and/or 3D. Case studies must be completed within 6 months of starting the process, otherwise, you will need to start over and pay for the course again.

The course fee is $150. Candidate status will be granted upon completion of several case studies and achieving a mark of at least 70% on the final exam.

In order to become certified, the Candidate must: 

• Complete practical experience hours at registered tournaments (can be local) working alongside a qualified Provincial Judge. The practical hours are reported by the Provincial Judge to the Judge Chair. The candidate will be required to obtain practical hours at BC Provincial Championships. During these practical hours the Candidate should obtain experience performing equipment inspections, making arrow calls, running the timer, and applying the rules.
• Target certification requires experience in Indoor and/or Outdoor Target competitions (ie BC Championships). Field certification requires experience at an AC registered Field event. 3D certification requires experience at a Provincial Outdoor 3D Championship. Obtaining any/all certifications requires working with a fully certified Provincial Judge at the events. The Provincial Judge shall report to the Judge Chair their satisfaction level of your performance at the event along with a recommendation whether further experience is required.
•  A Candidate is not allowed to officiate a registered tournament by themselves: the mentoring Provincial Judge must be present alongside the Candidate (may not be also competing; see Provincial Judge tab)
• A Candidate may officiate club-level or social events (unregistered) and be a valuable resource for the athletes with regard to safety, rules and equipment.

A Range Safety Officer (RSO) is the minimum required status for a club to meet membership requirements. Range Safety Officers ensure the safe set-up and operation of an archery range.

The training manual and exam can be found on the Archery Canada website.

The exam is offered for free, however your membership must be in good standing for the current year in order for your exam to be marked. Confirmation of successful completion will be sent to you by Archery Canada.

Range Safety Officers are not qualified to officiate any tournaments; they are qualified to ensure the safe set-up and operation of the range.

National Judges are qualified to officiate at National events.

Certification is completed through Archery Canada.

In order to be considered for the National Judge Candidate program, you must have at least 2 years experience as a certified Provincial Judge. The next step is for the Judge Chair to complete a recommendation form, with your help and input, and submit it to the Archery Canada Chair for Judge Certification for approval. Once approved you will be required to complete the criteria as set out by Archery Canada, which may include attending National Judge clinics normally coinciding with the annual outdoor Championships and mentoring at several National events.

After becoming a National Judge, you may wish to become certified as a Continental Judge (Americas) or an International Judge (World Archery).