Our planning application for our own ground is making progress and a key funding application to boost our fantastic fundraising efforts has been submitted so the next couple of months will be a crucial time for the future of the club but we are not just sitting back and hoping for the best!
Our education and coaching programmes are in full swing, as are the school clubs and community activities and our Disability Projects are starting to yield some fantastic achievements! We should also not forget that our archers are also continuing to make great steps in improving performances! All this and our attendance levels at practice sessions and competitions continue to grow!
Coaching Courses going well!
The Tutors are certainly doing a great job with the 2 Level 1 courses we are currently running, part funded by the Inclusion grants we received and in addition to the 12 from Deer Park we also have trainees from Black & Gold, Tyndale, Tockington, Cheltenham & Bristol Bowman. The remainder of participants are from the Cheltenham & Gloucester Recreation Centers, Ruskin Mill (Specialist Further Education College) and the Friendship Café. (Work with young people, children & families mainly from the Barton & Tredworth areas of Gloucester City).
Members of one of our coaching courses reflecting our encouragement of developing young coaches.
Focus on working with a range of disabilities is an important part of the course!
Over the past few weeks the course members have been busy gaining coaching hours at club and after-school club sessions, Inclusion and Community sessions.
Competition
Two noteworthy achievements from last weekend at the St Kingsmark Fita18 where 10 year old Anna Langdon broke the County & Regional Record for U12 and John Craigie recorded a Personal Best by over 30 points in the Gents Longbow!
Anna just 10 and beating County & Regional U12 Records!
GWAS Outdoor Championships 11th July 2014
Many of our juniors have already entered this competition, it will get full very quickly so get those entries in. We are again running a team coach, further details from Steph.
Archery GB Junior Compound Squad
6 of our juniors, yes 6 of them, will be spending this weekend at Lilleshall as members of the National Squad!
Education Programmes
An ‘Arrows’ Training Course will run on the 25th January for 12 of our members to be able to support our newly formed Bambies Section (5-7 year olds). This course will be delivered by Steph & Dan and attendees will get an Archery GB Certificate and they could then also deliver Arrows sessions to primary schools and youth groups. Last week members delivered Arrows training to Gloucestershire Girlguiding to allow use of the Arrows equipment across the county in Rainbow and Brownie Units. Girl Guiding have purchased 6 sets of their own equipment to support this county wide programme. The Recreation Centres are also purchasing equipment! Archery is taking off right across Gloucestershire across all groups and sectors of the community!
An Arrows Session. Young Leaders and even younger participants!
Archery GB ‘Pass it on’ course at Lilleshall. Four members, Phoebe, Simon, Dave & Roger will be attending that programme next weekend. It is aimed at improving the way coaches work with a range of disabilities. In addition to the experiences from the course we will be using the material to design a course which we will deliver to local clubs in Gloucestershire to promote Inclusion further.
Sports Psychology Workshop. The 4th in the series for members of our Club Academy will take place this weekend at Balcarras following an open meeting of the Inclusion Club.
Archery GB Field Captains Course
We have registered 4 members Mel, David, Mary & Kevin to do the new course, this will allow those members to assist judges at competitions and also ensure our inhouse volunteers are operating to the highest standards.
Visit of Archery GB to Deer Park
Following our renewal submission for ClubMark we will be getting a visit from Archery GB Representatives to talk about that, our Inclusion Project and a number of other activities on the 28th January.
Arran Coggan taking an initial look at our ClubMark submission.
Hexathlon Success
Last weeks fantastic event at the University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls Campus where 80 children with a range of disabilities attended was a great success for many reasons not least for the way the event was organized and the contribution the University Students made to the proceedings. The archery was definitely a hit and hopefully it has inspired some of the participants to try archery again!
Dave Sandles gaining valuable coaching experience at the event.
Lots of volunteers from the club!
Lots of new faces.
The beginners courses that started last September were immediately followed up by improvers programmes finishing over Christmas/early January. Deer Park only, evening sessions at Wales Archery are currently happening so members will be seeing lots of new faces boosting our attendance numbers even further.
4 more beginners courses start at the end of January and following the completion of the improvers programme the output from those will be after we go outdoors.
Archery GB January Challenge & GWAS Postal Leagues
Lots of good scores being recorded, it is hoped that we can achieve record numbers of entries to support the January Challenge. Score sheets are available at the Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday sessions where Portsmouth Rounds can be shot.
