DNAA announce the adoption of an indoor classification system for Longbows. For too many years now there has been a vacuum when it comes to classifications indoors for longbows. The DNAA longbow community have designed a classification system which has been approved by the DNAA Committee and will be known as the Blaze Classifications. This scheme is available for use from 1st October 2016 although the Archery GB indoor year (1st July to 30th June) will be used as the classification year. The grades will shortly be supported by the availability of badges which may be purchased from the Classification administrators.
The Blaze classifications are available to both seniors AND juniors shooting longbow and this is a first for ANY discipline because the existing indoor classifications apply only to Recurve and Compound Seniors.
The system will run along similar lines to the outdoor system whereby qualifying scores will need to be achieved three times for a classification to be claimed.
Apart from occasions when juniors become seniors or change age groups (see below), the qualification, as a minimum, holds for one year immediately following that in which it is gained. If it is not maintained during that second year, reclassification shall be on the scores made during the second year, or if none are shot in that year then the archer will become unclassified.
When a junior reaches the age of the next higher age group or becomes a senior, the classifications gained will stand for the following year but the scores needed to retain the classification will be those appropriate to the new age group.
All but the top two grades can be claimed for and ratified at club level from scores shot at competitions, club shoots or on club target days. The County would ask those responsible for administering the scheme within their clubs for details of successes to be forwarded on to the scheme adminstrators in order to understand the take up of the scheme. Forms for reporting achievement will be made available to clubs. If clubs do not want to administer the scheme but DNAA archers within the clubs want to use the scheme then arrangements can be made with the scheme administrators to allow those archers to claim direct from the scheme.
Claims for the top two grades (Gold and Purple) will be only available by ratification with the County (through the administrator) and such ratification can only be gained by evidence of achievement of the relevant scores at recognised competitions within the County or elsewhere in the Archery GB regions. There is no requirement for recognised competitions to be record status. Claim forms for Gold and Purple classification will be made available on the County website or direct from the scheme administrator.
Claims can be sent to the scheme administrator (David McCullogh at Norton Archers – blaze@nortonarchers.co.uk). This document will be updated with more details of costs and arrangements when the badge scheme becomes operational which we expect will be before the end of 2016.