Although archery had been included in the 1908 and 1920 Olympic Games, it was not until 1958 that it was again included as an optional sport. In 1965, it was announced that the International Olympic Committee had accepted archery on the program of the 1972 Olympics. With this recognition the N.A.A. had to make new rulings regarding the amateur standing of competitors. Up to the 1960’s, the N.A.A. had made no differential between the amateur archer and the professional. If the United States hoped to field a team in the Olympics, more stringent rules had to be made.
The Professional Archers Organization (P.A.A.) was organized in 1961 for archers who wished to engage in phases of the sport that would disqualify them as amateur archers. The P.A.A. has an annual championship competition with cash prizes for the winners.
One of the modern contributions to archery is the establishment of indoor ranges. The use of these ranges, fully automated, is growing in popularity all over the country.
Many classes of competition (rounds) have been developed in American Archery. The York Round, used in men’s contests from 1879 through 1910 to determine the national champion of the N.A.A., requires the shooting of 72 arrows at a 100-yard range, 48 at 80 yards and 24 at 60. In 1911, the American Round calling for 30 shots at 60 yards, 30 at 50 and 30 at 40 was introduced and from then until 1914 champions were decided in both categories. Since 1915 the United States champion has been the one with the highest aggregate score of both rounds.
The International Round (FITA Round) which which is shot in World Championship competition is now included in the N.A.A. Championship
Tournament. In this round 36 arrows are shot at 90 meters, 36 at 70 meters, 36 at 50 meters and 36 at 30 meters.
There also are several rounds for women. From 1879 through 1909, the National Round, 48 shots at 60 yards and 24 at 50, determined the United States champion. The Columbia, 24 shots at 50 yards, 24 at 40 and 24 at 30, was introduced in 1910 and through 1914 had a separate champion. In 1915 both rounds were combined to decide the titleholder on the basis of aggregate score. In addition, women now shoot an American Round as well as a FITA Round in N.A.A. championship competition. The women’s FITA Round is similar to the men’s except the distances are 70, 60, 50 and 30 meters.
With the development of automated archery ranges, indoor shooting, particularly in the winter time, had become very popular. One of the oldest indoor rounds is the Chicago Round consisting of 96 arrows shot at 20 yards on a 16 inch target face. The indoor P.A.A. Round and the 300 Round consist of 60 arrows at 20 yards.
The professional archers have designed an Outdoor Round called the P.A.A. Round which is ideal for their purpose. They use short shooting distances and a large high-scoring area on the target face.
The National Field Archery Association (N.F. AAA) has three main tournament rounds; the Field Round, the Hunter’s Round, and the Animal Round. In the Field Round the target distances vary from 15 to 80 yards, and in the Hunter’s Round the distances average roughly one-third less. The Animal Round distances are even shorter and the target faces are drawings or cutouts of animals.
The N.A.A. has been trying for years to get field archery accepted by FITA for international competition. FITA has now specified regulations for an International Field Round. These standards vary only slightly from the N.F.A.A. Field Round. One of the greatest difficulties in getting Field Archery accepted in International Competition has been the great amount of space required for the rounds. Some countries already shoot field and are quite enthusiastic about it. However, many of the smaller European and Asiatic countries have such a large population that they do not have 20 acres or more of land free for a field archery course.