Yes. However, if you need to take advantage of this service, you need to let us know by phone, by email or through a message left on our site (see "contact us"). You will also need to pay the incremental shipping fees. In cases like this, we charge our standard shipping and handling fee PLUS the express service fee without any markup by us.

Be advised that express services are expensive. A recent order for only 20 pins and cards shipped for delivery the next morning to one of the western states cost $47. Clearly, you will want to avoid such charges and order early. We generally ship within 24 hours via USPS Priority Mail, which will generally get your package to you in three days or less.

What can we do about replacing lost or damaged awards?

Each year we get a small number of requests from award recipients who have lost their pins or patches and would like to replace their awards.

Since we do not keep records of individual award holders, we have no way of knowing which awards the person has earned. We tell them to contact the camp that issued their award and ask them if they can provide a replacement. In our experience, most members will do this if they can.

If the holder of an award cannot reach the camp that originally granted the award or if that member cannot respond to the request, we will make an exception to our "no retail sales" policy and provide a current version* of whatever award was lost.

We direct the individual to our Replacement Award Catalog. The catalog lists current versions of our awards. We ask that they adhere to the honor system and only request awards for which they qualified. Payment can be made by credit card, by PayPal, or by check.

* Note: We have no inventory of earlier versions of our awards. If a member or individual wants to find an older version of an award we suggest they try an online auction site such as eBay.com and search for "camp archery association award". They may find what they want there.

Who can join the Camp Archery Association?

Any organization offering a recreational archery program and/or archery instruction is welcome to join the association. Besides camps, this includes schools, municipal recreation programs, YMCAs and the like. It also includes organizations outside of the United States. That said, our awards all carry the Camp Archery Association of the United States brand. At the present time we have no plans to remove the words "Camp" or "United States" from our name.

What kinds of camps are members of the Camp Archery Association?

We have all kinds. Some are residential camps, some are day camps, some are extensions of municipalities' parks and recreation departments. Some of our camps are religiously affiliated. Some are tied to scouting or to the YMCA. Some are for people with special needs. We encourage each organization to use and adapt our program to meet their needs.

We are already a member of another archery association. May we also join the Camp Archery Association and use your awards program?

Yes to both.

Can anyone buy the recognition products of the Camp Archery Association?

No. Our products are only available to our members. However, we will, when necessary, sell a replacement award to an individual if the camp that originally granted the award cannot do so. This is done for a fee. We accept the buyer's assertion (honor system) that the award holder had actually earned the award(s) they are buying.

Do you maintain records of people who have received awards from the CAA program?

No. We do not receive any information about individuals who receive our awards. This is done to protect the privacy and safety of the young archers.

A former head of archery at our camp bought too many awards. Can I return them for cash or credit?

We will not take them back for cash. If they are the current models of our awards in new condition, and if you would like to exchange them for other awards, we can probably work something out. But in general, with the exception of damaged goods or good purchased in the last 30 days, all sales are final.

Does it matter what types of equipment we use in our archery program? Must everyone use equipment that meets your standards?

We do not set standards for equipment. Camps may use whatever bows, arrows, targets and other equipment that they want.

The camp across the lake is using compound bows and we are using recurved bows. Their kids have an advantage over ours in terms of earning the higher level awards. What shall we do about that?

Our program is not about competition between camps or between kids at one camp versus another. It is about the campers having fun and having their achievements recognized. Our program measures results ... how many points an archer get with thirty arrows shot at specified distance given the situation (type of bow, types of arrows, indoor vs outdoor, etc) at their particular camp. As long as everyone in an archer's group, whether that be defined as the whole camp or as an age group or in some other way, is given a fair chance to show proficiency, we are satisfied.

Our camp doesn't have enough space (e.g. 50 yards) to enable our archers to get higher level awards. What shall we do?

Some camps with this problem will use smaller targets at lesser distances to simulate the difficulty of scoring points at 50 yards. Basically, if you halve the distance to the target, you would need to halve the diameter of the target.

Do you supply archery equipment?

No. For many years the Camp Archery Association did sell targets, target faces, and arrows. But with the development of the Internet and the vast array of archery products available for sale from various vendors, this was no longer practical. We discontinued this part of our activity a number of years ago.

Do you have recommendations for equipment by type, brand or vendor?

No. We leave that up to the people running your archery program.

Will you send someone to our camp to train us on the Camp Archery Association program?

No. This is neither necessary nor practical. All you need to know can be found on our website starting with the "Getting Started with CAA" tab under the MEMBERSHIP menu item at the top of this page or by calling or emailing us. We will try to answer your questions in a timely fashion.

Is there such a thing as a Camp Archery Association licensed or certified instructor? Do you provide training for archery instructors?

Taking the second part of this first, we do not provide training. An online search should help you find archery instructors in your area. As to being certified or licensed by us, we don't believe this is necessary. By joining our program you agree to run it, insofar as possible, in accordance with our guidlelines. We trust that you will do this. Our program is easy to administer. It requires neither skill nor knowledge of archery. Basically it is a matter of administration: following a few simple guidelines, keeping score, writing down results, ordering and presenting awards.

Can someone earn a high level award if they haven't gotten lower level awards previously?

Yes. All that matters is demonstrated performance at the moment.

We have campers who have won awards one year, and fail to quality for the same or higher level the next year. What should we do?

You can give an award based on the current level of demonstrated performance or, at your option, give no new award. You may not automatically confer the next higher level of award not should you take away the previously earned award.

How many levels of achievement does your program recognize?

There are 16 levels. For details, check out the awards guidelines under the AWARDS tab at the top of the page.

Are all types of awards i.e. pins/medals, patches and award cards, available for all levels of demonstrated proficiency?

Yes.

Why are you now charging for award cards when, for years, there was no charge?

We changed our policy beginning with the summer of 2018 based on the suggestion of some of our members. When a camp orders award products, we supply a free award card to go with each corresponding pin or patch at no charge. If a member camp is only ordering cards, we have instituted a charge to help us recover the costs.

Do you take orders all year or just in the spring and summer?

We take and fill orders all year. Typically during "the season" which we define as spring and summer, we ship orders within one day, and often within hours, of receipt. In the off-season, it may take a few days longer. Please plan appropriately when you order.

Since you ship so promptly, is there really any advantage to ordering at the beginning of the season rather than waiting until I know exactly what my requirements will be?

Yes. Ordering early is a good idea. We try to accurately forecast the need for awards for each season and base our inventories on that forecast, but sometimes we are wrong. If we run out of inventory it can take up to 5 weeks to replace it. Your best defense against the possibility of us running out is for you to order early and have enough awards on hand to cover your anticipated demand. Of course, you can always place a second or third order if you need to and we will do our best to fill it.

I run an archery program at a US military base overseas. Can we become members of the CAA? Will you ship awards internationally?

Yes and yes. However, shipping costs will be different depending on where you are located and how quickly you need the materials. Please contact us for shipping rates and allow a few extra days for delivery.

Why do you recommend that archers under the age of 13 receive patches instead of pins and medals as awards?

The issue is safety. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (2012) and the State of California (2011), in looking at the safety of jewelry for children, deemed that children under the age of 13 might do themselves harm putting jewelry into their mouths. The fear was that it might contain certain metals and various other materials, such as pigments used in paints and enamels which could prove dangerous. Metal or plastic objects with sharp corners and/or pins would also represent a danger. As a result, we recommend that our members exercise due caution in determining to whom CAA pins and medals are distributed.

What are "Olympic archery" standards?

In Olympic competition, archers

- use a recurve bow. Compound bows are not allowed.

- shoot 72 arrows divided into 12 sets called "ends". They shoot six arrows per end.

- shoot at a circular target 122cm in diameter (just over 48")

- shoot at a distance of 70 meters (76.55 yards)

Would the Camp Archery Association consider introducing awards for performance at 70 yards?

Yes. If we were to be convinced that this was desired by our membership, we would extend the program to include targets at 70 yards. However, our members have shown a very low demand for awards recognizing achievement at even 50 yards. If you want this, please contact us directly. We may be able to make it a standard part of the program in the future and/or may be able to do something special for you for the current year.

Would the Camp Archery Association consider sponsoring regional camp archery tournaments with special awards and, perhaps, funding?

No.

Have you recently changed your web address?

Our address is still the same, but we have added a second way of reaching us. You may use either www.camparcheryassoc.com or www.camparcheryassociation.com.

Express Shipping

Replacing Awards

Who can join

Types of member camps

Annual Minimum Order?

Who can buy awards?

Do we keep record of campers' names

Returning unused awards

Why should younger archers get patches instead of pins and medals?

Equipment standards?

Competition between camps

Not enough space?

Equipment sales?

Equipment Recommendations?

Send trainer to camp?

Archery instruction and licensing

Olympic standards

Can US military programs be members?

When can I oder?

Why order early?

Why charge for cards?

Which awards can be used at which levels?

How many levels of achievement?

Must awards be given out in order?

What happens if archer's skills decrease?

introduce awards for greater distances?

multiple memberships

Regional tournament possibility?

Web address change?