Archery

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AIHEC Archery Competition Objectives:

Reinforce a refined cultural activity with rich American Indian history.
Strengthen existing archery programs at TCUs and stimulate new interest in the sport.
Showcase talent and skills.

Archery Rules

AIHEC Archery Competition Rules:

The only permitted bows are traditional bows (re-curve, long bow, etc.); no compound bows, mechanical releases, or sights will be allowed. In order to maintain traditional principles and keep the playing field level, only bows with wood or wood laminate risers and limbs are allowed.
Bows and arrows will not be provided onsite.
Each team shall have at least one (1) coach that will attest to knowledge of the rules.
There will be three team competitions this year; Men’s Fours, Women’s Fours, and Mixed Doubles. Competitors cannot be on more than one team during this competition, but must shoot in only one of the three aforementioned team competitions if choosing to compete on a team. A competitor may choose to shoot individually and not on a team.
For Men’s and Women’s Fours, teams shall have four (4) shooters to qualify for Men’s and Women’s team awards. There will also be Men and Women Individual high score awards. If a college does not have four (4) men or four (4) women to complete, there can be an option for a team with a mixture of men and women to be a four (4) person team and compete in the Men’s category.
For Mixed Doubles, teams shall have two competitors of one male shooter and one female shooter whose scores will be combined for the Mixed Doubles Team award. There will also be Men and Women Individual high score awards.
A college that has less than a four (4) person team shall have three (3) or less archers, and is not in the Mixed Doubles competition, will compete only in the individual Men’s or Women’s bracket.
Registration forms shall be submitted online meeting the deadline date for student competitions.
Line Infractions: In each round, first timeline violations will get a warning and the second time, a disqualification.
There will be a practice time fifteen (15) minutes prior to the start of shooting. Once the competition starts archers begin to shoot.

Each archer will shoot two arrows per target. Shooters can only place the number of arrows in their quiver that are needed for each shot. Each shooter needs to bring their own traditional bow and five to ten (5-10) arrows. All arrows should be marked by individual archers with initials. The maximum diameter of an arrow shaft will not exceed 9.3mm.
Scoring: Three-dimensional targets will be used with a scoring system based on higher points for hitting the circle that demarks the “vitals zone”, lower points for hitting the target outside the “vitals zone”, and no points for a missed shot. When an arrow is on the borderline, a judge should be consulted, and the higher score will be awarded.
Each shooter will be paired with another shooter from a different team, and they will be responsible for filling out each other’s score card. There will be judges available to answer any questions/settle disputes.
Scores from each shooter will be combined with teammates’ scores for an Overall Team Score. The combining of scores will be for the Men’s and Women’s Fours competition, and the Mixed Doubles competition.
All scorecards shall have the shooter’s name and school affiliation printed neatly and shall be signed by the shooter.
Competitors will shoot according to the schedule. Please arrive at least fifteen (15) minutes prior to your scheduled practice session. Competitors do not have to arrive with their entire team, and will shoot individually according to their scheduled time.
There will be only one round of shooting, and it will take place on Monday, March 16, 2026.
There will be a coach’s meeting the evening prior to the start of the competition; every coach shall be present at the meeting to check in their teams.