Competition Team
The Limerick Youth Archery Association Team is an invite-only team that competes in S3DA indoor, 3D and outdoor competitions.
We are a competitive archery team that competes in S3DA competitions. S3DA is a safe and inclusive family oriented archery program currently active in 40+ states and allows all kinds of equipment.
We practice every Thursday and most Tuesdays at Limerick Bowmen. The team started competing in January 2023 and has already created a name for itself through individual and team awards.
Our coaches ensure that archers are supplied with tools they need to learn and grow. Head Coach Gary Gerhart teaches the team patience and perserverence. Our team prides itself in good sportsmanship at all times.
S3DA Competition Types
We start the season with Indoor, where archers shoot from either 10 or 20 yards depending on their age. At Limerick, we shoot NFAA 40cm target faces, and archers have a choice of either a five-spot target or a single spot.
NFAA 5-Spot Target
On a five-spot target, you shoot one arrow at each target face, the middle circle is a five and the outer blue ones are fours.
NFAA Single Spot Target
On a single spot target, the middle ones are fives and the blue ones go four, three, two, one and if you miss the target it's a zero.
Indoor's main focus is good form and keeping composure while going at a steady pace.
3D can be much more complicated. Kids as young as seven learn how to shoot various distances, choose where to aim, and shoot strategically throughout the course. Many of our archers love this discipline the most, even though it can be frustrating and confusing at first. 3D archery proves one of the points we like to emphasize at Limerick Youth Archery: every shot counts. Each archer has only one arrow to shoot at each of 20-30 targets in the course.
The team also competes in outdoor archery which involves shooting at a targets at greater distances that indoor or 3D. It focuses on form, strength and resilience. Because it uses six rounds of six arrows each, the archers need to save their energy to shoot all 36 arrows. They learn how to manage their time and take breaks to rest between shots. In outdoor, Barebow and Olympic Recurve archers shoot at a 122 cm target face, with 10 rings, while those with compound bows shoot an 80 cm target face with six rings.