Membership - Frequently Asked Questions

I've never seen a bow in my life! Will I be okay?

Most likely yes, almost none of our new members have shot a bow before coming to Oxford.

You will teach me, right?

We run taster sessions in first week of Michaelmas each year. The week after our beginners' course will run for 7 weeks until the end of Michaelmas. More information about the course and the session times can be found here.

Do I need to know/own/bring/buy anything?

During the beginners' course (and for the rest of your novice year) the club provides everything you need, i.e., bows, arrows, arm guards are all there for you to use. Obviously you are free to buy your own bow at any time, but please talk to a committee member before doing that as the number of choices can be quite overwhelming.

How much does it cost?

Annual membership is £60. If you are a beginner you will also have to pay £40 to offset some of the costs of the (highly subsidized) beginners' course.

How can I stay informed about things?

The first and foremost source of information is our fresher's mailing list. To subscribe just send an empty e-mail to oucofa-freshers-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk and you will be added to the list automatically. Besides the mailing list we have a public Facebook Page and a members-only Facebook Group that you can join once you have paid your membership fee.

Can I be Legolas/Katniss Everdeen/Robin Hood?

You can be whoever you want to be. That said, the club neither provides nor encourages explosive arrows and doesn't condone stealing from the rich (or poor).

What tournaments do you compete in?

In short: Varsity, BUCS (outdoors and indoors), BUTC and the TOUCAN league, as well as a number of open competitions throughout the year. If those are too many acronyms for you head over to the Competitions section for more information.

Can I get a Blue?

Yes, archery is a discretionary full blue sport. Half blues are awarded to the varsity team, which are the top four scorers at the varsity match. In order to get a full blue you have to be (a) on the varsity team and (b) be in the individual top-10 at BUCS outdoors or BUCS indoors and (c) beat a pre-defined score at either Varsity or BUCS outdoors.

What bowstyles can I shoot?

The club is open to all bowstyles (with the exception of crossbows, my apologies to that guy from The Walking Dead), although our focus is on recurves as most university-level competitions are restricted to recurve. Consequently we can't provide any instruction or equipment for other styles but you are welcome to bring your compound/longbow/... if you know how to use it.

What if I'm not a student?

The club is generally open to the public so you're still more than welcome to join. There are two restrictions: as we are registered as a student club, you will have to become a direct member of ArcheryGB (unless you are a full member of another club). This will cost you an additional £58 (or £16 if you are under 25) on top of the normal club membership fee. In addition, most competitions we take part in are restricted to matriculated students so you wouldn't be able to take part in those. Nevertheless, you're still welcome to come to any open competitions (there are many of those, particularly over the summer).