The Academy is dedicated to:

• Promoting the Image and Spirit of Archery in Caid;

• Encouraging Competition;

• Supporting Caid’s Territorial Archery Groups and Guilds;

• Providing a forum for discussion; and

• Education and Training.

 

The rules for Archery in Caid (The Archers’ Handbook) are available on this website under the Tab entitled “Rules”. Authorization as an Archer in Caid requires familiarity with these rules. Any Captain/Lieutenant of Archers, Senior Marshal or Range Marshal can authorize you to become an Archer.The Captains of Archers and the location of archery practices is provided under the Tab entitled “Practices”. We have many local archery practices, regional and society-wide competitions each year. A listing of some of these events is located under the Tab entitled “Events”.

    

Archery is a different type of Art. It can be practiced individually or in groups. It can be a social activity or a solitary one. It is accessible to Lords and Ladies of all ages. It can be shot in competition or as a method of mediation. Whether you shoot a recurve, a longbow, a Yumi, a horse bow, a stick bow, or a crossbow, there is a singular desire in the heart of most archers. Archers want to become consistent shooters and to improve daily while having fun.. In many respects, Archery within Caid is a community of ever-larger circles circles (like the rings in a pond) that starts in your town/city and encompasses the entire Known World. Ask questions at your local practices. Explore the world of Archery. Most importantly, be safe and have fun.

 

New archers may often be able to use loaner equipment at local practices to become familiar with Archery without having to make a substantial investment in equipment.  Check with your local area for practice locations and times, as well as the availability of loaner gear.  You do not have to be authorized to attend or participate in practices.  The type of equipment, as well as potential vendors, can be found under the tab entitled “Resources”.  

 

The Academy sponsors a track of archery classes at our Kingdom’s College, the Collegium Caidis.  For those who would like to teach at the Collegium, please contact the Regent for details and provide a class proposal.  Students are always welcome.   Several of the Baronies also hold periodic archery classes.  Please check your local Baronial websites and formal/informal Facebook pages for additional information about the upcoming courses available to you within your area.  Under the “Library” tab, you will find one of the single largest collections of SCA and SCA related videos concerning archery and thrown weapons anywhere within the SCA.   You will also find links to SCA websites (formal and informal), handbooks, and manuals to assist you.  Please feel free to view and use this information.

We encourage individual growth.  We also promote healthy competition among our members as well as between Kingdoms. To that end, there are archery ranks utilized by this Kingdom. The adult ranks range from Novice to Royal Bowmaster. These ranks allow us to track our individual growth as archers reliably as well as to compare our skillset with other archers. How does one gain rank? The average of three Royal Rounds determines our level. Junior Division Royal Rounds are also used to track the ranking of archers under the age of 14 years, using the Junior ranking system, but these are not the same as adult ranks. Local Captains and Range Marshals in charge of practices and events record these scores and submit them to the SCA scores site. The SCA score site contains the current rankings of all archers within Caid as well as the other Kingdoms in the Society.  An archer never loses their rank in this Kingdom.  For additional information about our ranking system, please look under the Tab entitled “Ranking.” The SCA score site also contains the results of ongoing competitions such as the Grand Archery Tourney (GAT), the Inter-Kingdom Archery Competition (IKAC), and the Seasonal Society Archery Competitions (the SSACs).  All of these competitions are all open to you as an individual archer in Caid.  

 

Archery is often distant from sight at our events because of safety concerns or requirements, and what is unseen is sometimes forgotten.  Archers need to be visible even when we are not on the Range.  Many of the Baronies give awards for individual achievement within Archery.  There are also Kingdom level awards for those who excel in archery, or do archery related Arts and Sciences or to those who give service to our community.  For additional information, please look under the Tab entitled “Awards”.  Many Baronies have rank identification (tassels, belt favors, and pendants, et. al.) that are specific to their Barony.  I am extremely pleased to inform you that Caid now has rank medallions in supplementation to these Baronial efforts to raise the visibility of Archery, acknowledge individual achievement, and to promote archery within this Kingdom.  For additional information concerning he rank medallions, please look under the Tab entitled “Ranks/Ranking”.  

Finally, the Academy Badge is for all members of the Academy to use as they will, in garb, adornment, and other forms of heraldic display.

 

 

 

Finally, the information contained in this website is not intended to change, modify or alter the existing rules governing Archery within this Kingdom. Those rules can be found in the Caid Archery Handbook. 

I look forward to seeing you on the Range.

 

In Service,

THL Paul Stoddard, Regent, Caid Academy of Archers