If you or your coach believe you are ready to be considered for the GB Junior Squad, you should apply initially for the "Talent Identified" scheme by completing the form (see the link below). This is a fairly hefty form, and will need a lot of effort and thought to complete. The idea behind it is for GNAS to gather information about you – how well you shoot, what potential you have, how you relate to other archers, etc. – so that we can select the right archers for the Squad.

How do you know you are ready? First, ask your coach (if you have one), compare your scores with other archers, talk with County, Regional, or National officials. You can check your scores against the “Qualifying Scores” that are published in Archery UK for entry into international competitions. But do remember that we are looking not only for those who could walk into the team today, but those who, with our help, could do next year or so.

Apart from recording all your competitive scores for a season (and some other shooting material), there are two other major sections to the form. The first asks you to think about yourself: what are your ambitions, your strengths and weaknesses. Sometimes this section is the most difficult, and needs a lot of thought to complete. There is also a section for reports on you from your Club and Coach. We realise that not all of you have coaches, or have been a part of your County or Regional set-up. What we want is to get as full a picture of you as we can.

This takes time and thought, so we really recommend that you start thinking of the form at the start of the outdoor season! Your form should then be sent to John Willson at the Performance Unit. There will be assessment days for all applicants who fit the bill. We will invite as many of you as we can to this, and will put you through shooting, fitness, and equipment tests, and fill you in more detail as to what is required from a Squad member. After this “taster” day, you may even feel that Squad is not for you. But, once you have got through this, for the lucky ones, you have taken your first steps towards the GB squad…

The 2007/8 application form can now be downloaded via the following link