OUR (SHORT) HISTORY
The idea of a structured archery program was first proposed to the Fish & Game Executive at the Club AGM in Spring 2015. At the time, the indoor facilities were in need of an upgrade (bathrooms, roof, and insulation) in order to offer a program in the Fall and Winter on site. With a supportive Executive, these upgrades were made in Fall 2015 and Summer 2016 using Casino Funds to enable an (indoor) archery
program to emerge.
The Smoky River Archers Program was established at the Grande Cache Fish & Game Association in Fall of 2016. The first classes occurred on October 4th & 6th and consisted of 16 archers ranging in age from 6 to 17 years of age.
PRESENT DAY
SRA offers two styles of structured archery programming, designed to develop archers in both skill and knowledge. The program is based on Archery Canada’s CanBow Program and the Long Term Athlete Development Model. Archers attend classes and earn Skill Awards based upon the knowledge they learn/display and the scores they shoot.
The program runs during the Fall & Winter in two sessions. The Fall Session occurs from October to December and the Winter Session occurs from January to March. In order for an archer to attend theWinter Session, they need to have attended the Fall Session.
Classes are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are 1.5hrs long.
GENERAL PROGRAM
The General Program is geared for youth 6 to 17 years of age. It is a balance of fun events, technical knowledge and scoring. Rental Equipment is available for those that do not have their own equipment, or are not sure of their commitment levels. Due to indoor range size and archer safety, a limit of 5-7 archers per time slot is implemented depending on the age focus and the available parent supervision.
COMPETITIVE PROGRAM
The Competitive Program has 3 Pre-Requisites that must be confirmed by the Coach in advance of enrollment:
- Archer must have own equipment.
- Archer must be able to shoot and group arrows at a distance of 18m.
- Archer/Family must agree to travel to 2 (registered) shoots at other clubs in the discipline of the archer’s choosing.
The Competitive Program is designed for archers that are interested in competing in archery and have some previous experience. It has less fun events and is more individual development focused than the General Program. There is sometimes a homework portion to the knowledge components and the class size is FIRMLY limited to 6 archers.
HANK CHEVERIE AWARD
Hank was a supporting member of the Fish & Game Executive at the time of SRA proposal and donated archery equipment to the program that is still utilized by the youth today. In his memory, SRA created the Hank Cheverie award to recognize an archer that demonstrates principles of fair play, a quest for knowledge and a drive for sport excellence. This selection is done from amongst all the program archers utilizing archer votes, individual skill/score development, and finally a coach vote. This individual receives a plaque in commemoration of their accomplishment and a monetary award to support their archery endeavors.
The following individuals have received the award:
2022/2023 – Tristen Meyers
2021/2022 – Not Awarded due to Covid-19 Restrictions
2020/2021 – Not Awarded due to Covid-19 Restrictions
2019/2020 – Seth Bock
2018/2019 – Anika Reynolds
2017/2018 – Travis Strocher
2016/2017 – Tayah Wall
COACHES
Our Archery Coaches are trained or certified with the Coaching Association of Canada. Parents/Public can view their Public Transcript by using their NCCP # and their last name via the link.
(https://thelocker.coach.ca/access/account/public)
Lead Coach
Cassie Corbin, NCCP 1237578
Instructor Beginner, Instructor Intermediate, Competition Development
Previous Assistant Coaches
Greg Nolan, NCCP 5750084
NASP, Instructor Beginner
John Hammer, NCCP 1155595
NASP, Instructor Beginner
Mark Wood, NCCP 6291819
Instructor Beginner
Caprice Andersen, NCCP 6189952
Instructor Beginner
