The answer is to keep on shooting and having fun.

Wear your Jr USAT shirts with pride, you’ve earned it and it promotes the program.
Take advantage of the USAT sponsor benefits when offered.

And most importantly, look ahead.
Jr USAT 2008-Jr World Team Trials 2008-College Archery Program, are all great goals and journeys to take.
To get there you will need; tuned equipment, quality coaching, practice/training and family support.
JOADs moving up can take part in Sr USAT and the USA College Archery Program (CAP) www.uscollegiatearchery.org

Allow me to consolidate some competitive JOAD thoughts:
Check for Jr USAT criteria and Jr World Team information often. Criteria can change.

The Jr USAT program has offered four events in the past which allows a participant to miss an optional tourney or better their standing by taking part in all events. Many miss the indoor qualifier and must take part in all three outdoor events.

Jr USAT program also includes qualifying score for Juniors.
It only takes three American Archers members, a small registration fee and a judge to schedule a sanctioned qualifier. Note that an archer or family can become a judge for a small fee which makes conducting a qualifier that much easier. Note that judge applicants need to be American Archers members of for a year before applying. Do not delay joining American Archers membership.

Many Jr USAT program competitors will be contenders at the 2008 Jr World Team Trials. The correlation between Jr USAT contenders and members and Jr World Team members is high. The 2008 Jr World Team Championships are scheduled to take place in New Delhi, India.
Don’t forget fund raising.

Hint:
To Jr USATs, those that gave it a try and families;
A lot can happen between today and the 2008 Jr World Team Trials.
Apply for passports now, and that goes for the family member too. http://travel.state.gov/
If you have passports, check them to make sure you have at least two years before they expire.

Another Hint:
Find out about traveling overseas in general and about India.
The USA State Departments Travel webpages are helpful. http://travel.state.gov/
It includes a link to the CDC for vaccinations.
This will be a trip of a lifetime.

One more Hint:
Start fund raising planning now, example:
http://www.azjoad.com/2004azjoad/2004_clints_well.htm

FAQ:
Question: Wait a minute Bob, are you saying a JOAD that did well in the Jr USAT program or is just a “good shooter” has a chance to make a Jr World Team and represent the USA?
Bob: Absolutely yes, I have seen it happen. Once upon a time Arizona conducted a series of 8 monthly training sessions for anyone that wanted to give making a Jr World Team a try. Thanks to many volunteers, the JOADs and there families learned to: prepare for tournaments, be success at tournaments, shoot round robins and team round, tune equipment, travel by air to tournaments, and gained the experienced needed to have confidence. When it was over, six members Jr World Team had taken part in the prep program. Some repeated as Jr World Team members two years later.

Question: What does a Jr World Team leadership team do?
Bob: Coaches, Team leaders and volunteers help make Jr World Team successful. Jr World Teams are large. Coaches manage equipment repairs, team round coaching, as well as basic shooting support including form and the mental game. Team leader(s) oversee travel, lodging, food, transportation and tournament official business. Finally sometimes volunteers, are enlisted to help cover the 24 hour day, since most can only work a 12 hour tournament day. Overseas, 24 hour stores, fast food and Walmarts may not be just around the corner.

Question: Who leads Jr World Teams?
Bob: Good Question. Active certified coaches are the primary source of team leadership. It takes dedication, time and effort to be an active coach. Non coaches can be team managers too. The key is experience. The best way to gain experience is to volunteer to help at your own expense. Typically Coaches and team leaders use their personal time and receive no compensation for their time. They typically only have their travel, room and board and actual expense paid for.

Question: Are Jr World Teams funded?
Bob: Sometimes, usually only partially. It is best to assume a JOAD will be self funded and work to raise money for the entire team.

Question: How much does it cost to fund a Jr World Team member.
Bob: It varies but here is an example of just the Jr World team trip costs:
Airfare : $1000-$1500
Ground Transportation: 0-$250
Hotel: Double Occupancy, $300-$500
Food: $250-$350
Tournament Fee: $300
Contribution for Coaches and Team leadership travel $350-$500
Total: $2200-$3400
Sometimes the cost dips below $2000 with a generous help from others.

Question: As a parent, what would you have done differently if you had to do it over again?
Bob: I would have gotten involved earlier. The leadership are just folks like you and me trying to do the best we can. I would have also spent more time overseas after the tournament as a tourist. I am glad I listened to those that were kind enough to share their experiences and suggestions.

Question: What is the most common misconception for JOAD parents?
Bob: Many parents just cannot imagine that their “baby” has what it takes to make a Jr World Team. Once they make it, they then must get over the idea that their JOAD must have their parents with them at all times. If a parent knows that their child cannot act responsibly then the parent should act responsibly and withhold their child from the effort. If the JOAD has been raised to be responsible and can be responsible, let them go, compete, learn and enjoy. Parents and family travel separately and serve as volunteer as needed.

The final misconception is that family members do not need to join USAA. There are many essential tasks for American Archers members besides shooting arrows including Judging, Instructing, running a JOAD club, hosting tournaments and the always popular “setting up and taking down”.

Question: What is sometimes overlooked by those that take part in the Jr World Team Trials?
Bob: A couple things. First, Round Robins match requires that the archers stay focused regardless of each match result. For those that make the team, its easy to assume that once you make the Jr World Team you can kick back and relax. Within minutes, the team members realize that they will be representing the USA and need to train harder than they did for the Trials.

Question: Is it worthwhile?
Bob: You bet! I marvel at what our kids can do. I have watched many of our JOADs grow, make mistakes, learn from them, do some amazing things and become JOAD volunteers. The experience, confidence and exposure to world out there is priceless.

and he posts more:

Passports:
Checking the expiration date and stamp space is as important as having a passport.
Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip and/or have two to four blank visa/stamp pages.
Some airlines will not allow you to board if these requirements are not met.
“Rumor” has it that some passports are taking 16 weeks to process.

Advice:
Apply now if you don’t have a passport.
Check your passports expiration date and renew if there is less than 24 months before the passport expires.

2008 Jr World Championship, India, October
2009 Indoor World Championship, Poland, March
There is not much time between the Jr World Outdoors in late 2008 and the Indoor World Championships in early 2009.

Passports issued to those age 15 and younger expire after 5 years
Passports issued to those age 16 and older expire after 10 years.
But don’t take my word for it, always check the for the latest information, http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Don’t underestimate the mental consequence of not having a passport before the trials begin.
Per Nike, “just do it”

as well as:

Team Leaders
To clarify, Team Leaders are not necessarily coaches but often are.
Team Leaders are typically experienced world team members who, as archers, coaches or volunteers, have proven to have what it takes to organize, have a sound understanding of FITA processes and make good decisions when challenges arise.

Team experience opportunities are few and far between.
Team Leaders are often hard to find as most team leaders have “regular jobs” too.
Don’t wait to be asked, volunteer your time to learn and gain world team experience.

and:
I am only sharing information other JOAD families were kind enough to share with me.
Each had a “I am not going to tell you how you should do things, but I will be happy to share our experiences, thoughts and lessons learned”
My advice is the same, just ask, but sometimes you don’t know what or whom to ask.
The answer is to “ask til tired”.
In addition to AT, there are a host of resource contacts listed on www.usarchery.org, www.usaarcheryjoad.org, www.achivalarchery.org and www.azarchery.com

Thank you, Bob!