We talked about this topic earlier in the year, but before I get into my reports from ATA, I want to revisit this topic.
How many folks have walked into a pro shop or box store that sales archery equipment to have work done on their bow and watched with zero confidence as someone worked on their bow that knew less than them? And then there are the times where you get home to find that the work done on your bow was done very poorly, and that doesn’t put you in a very good mood. But there is the flip side. How many people have found a great pro shop in their area where the employees are very friendly, passionate and extremely knowledgeable? Those are a great find, and it is enjoyable to go to the archery shop and hang out and get educated and know the guy is pouring his heart into your setup.
Working on bows and servicing archery equipment is a very customized field, but extremely important. A bow must be precision fit and tuned to a person for it to be at its full potential.
I have said all that to get to this: I have a vision. Scary, but give me a chance. When you get your car worked on you have the choice to take it to a CERTIFIED mechanic. The same for heating and air tecs; they go to school and get CERTIFIED. Heck, just about any type of repairmen in our normal lives are schooled, trained or licensed. And it is a nice feeling to go to the doctor and see 12 diplomas on the wall.
Here’s the point. I think the archery industry should start and offer (or demand) that if retail outlets want to service and sale archery equipment, their staff must attend this school that would be funded by manufactures, the ATA (Archery Trade Association), and those. The result is a great product for the public. With a lot of public awareness this would make it very desirable for retail shops to attain this certification.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you can walk into shops nationwide and see the credentials on the door or wall and know that the guy working on your bow is qualified and you are in good hands?
So this blog is a invitation to you… I have read so many e-mails over the years of folks complaining about not having a good pro shop in the area. I have also worked behind plenty of bows that were not set up right to start with. Please let us hear your thoughts and comments here on what you think about starting an archery certification class. And by all means, e-mail the ATA and all the archery manufactures to let them know how you feel about this. Besides, the happier people are with their archery setups, the more they shoot, the more they hunt and the more they will tell friends and teach children the joys of hunting and archery. Spreading the word helps our sport grow.
Yours in archery,
T-Bone
P. S. Don’t be shy. Let us hear from you.
How many folks have walked into a pro shop or box store that sales archery equipment to have work done on their bow and watched with zero confidence as someone worked on their bow that knew less than them? And then there are the times where you get home to find that the work done on your bow was done very poorly, and that doesn’t put you in a very good mood. But there is the flip side. How many people have found a great pro shop in their area where the employees are very friendly, passionate and extremely knowledgeable? Those are a great find, and it is enjoyable to go to the archery shop and hang out and get educated and know the guy is pouring his heart into your setup.
Working on bows and servicing archery equipment is a very customized field, but extremely important. A bow must be precision fit and tuned to a person for it to be at its full potential.
I have said all that to get to this: I have a vision. Scary, but give me a chance. When you get your car worked on you have the choice to take it to a CERTIFIED mechanic. The same for heating and air tecs; they go to school and get CERTIFIED. Heck, just about any type of repairmen in our normal lives are schooled, trained or licensed. And it is a nice feeling to go to the doctor and see 12 diplomas on the wall.
Here’s the point. I think the archery industry should start and offer (or demand) that if retail outlets want to service and sale archery equipment, their staff must attend this school that would be funded by manufactures, the ATA (Archery Trade Association), and those. The result is a great product for the public. With a lot of public awareness this would make it very desirable for retail shops to attain this certification.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know that you can walk into shops nationwide and see the credentials on the door or wall and know that the guy working on your bow is qualified and you are in good hands?
So this blog is a invitation to you… I have read so many e-mails over the years of folks complaining about not having a good pro shop in the area. I have also worked behind plenty of bows that were not set up right to start with. Please let us hear your thoughts and comments here on what you think about starting an archery certification class. And by all means, e-mail the ATA and all the archery manufactures to let them know how you feel about this. Besides, the happier people are with their archery setups, the more they shoot, the more they hunt and the more they will tell friends and teach children the joys of hunting and archery. Spreading the word helps our sport grow.
Yours in archery,
T-Bone
P. S. Don’t be shy. Let us hear from you.
Hey Travis,
You are 100 percent right. I know that I don't want nobody to work on my bow if they don't know what they are doing. I'll tell you the truth I don't know much about bows myself but I want to learn, so if I go to pro shops I don't know if they are doing the right thing or not. I am already going to have to get a new bow b/c my bow can't go any more(pounds)and I have only had it for a few years. Talk to ya later.
God Bless & Good Huntin'
Kristle Oberlander
P.S. How was the ATA show?
Preach on Brother Bone!! I am going to be starting an Archery Shop and we have talked about this before. I have written the ATA and did not get that warm and fuzzy from there response. They told me to ask a couple of manufacturers about any schools they might have. Since I am not a dealer, the manufacturers did not have anything in response to my questions. The ATA also told me to go to the trade show in Indy ,, well you gotta be a business owner or work in the trade to attend. So that didn't work out. I feel I know a lot, I do good work on my buddies equipment, I have got their wives shooting and shooting good! They all tell me I am crazy for not opening my own shop. But I feel I need that certification, just for the same reasons you mentioned in your blog. I want people to come in and know that I am certified before they even meet me. I have a strong passion for archery, and the outdoors. I love hunting, fishing, trapping, and land management. I can't think of anything else in life I would love to do more. The area I live is starving for a good Archery Shop. It seems like the whole equation is there for the solv'n but we are missing the "certification" variable. Man, I am in the trenches with ya brother Bone! Just give the order and we will take this hill!! Anything else I can do to help, you just say the word!
Yours in Archery,
Todd - Indiana
travis, I agree 100%, I too worked on bows and have seen some bad ones. I think this is a serious issue that people dont think about nearly enough. But this is something that with a strong backing we could actually get it mandatory to be CERTIFIED. Power in numbers brother thats all it is.P.S it was nice meeting you at the ATA and ill see ya at the next show.
Travis, I think your on to something here definetly, it is really a no brainer, and I am surprised that no one else has really pushed this topic. I myself used to work on bows and have seen some disasters of bow set ups. It was real nice to meet you at the ATA show and if you ever want to try out some Wilderness Athlete products let me know.
Sounds like a great idea to me. My bow is pretty much the only one I work on and I would love to attend a class to get certified. Bowhunting is a teadious sport. The more educated and prepared we are the better!
I think that is a great idea, I go to Gables in Douglasville and Clay Ledbetter seems to know what he is doing. But I think he shoots tournaments?
Sounds like something Fred Bear would have pushed if he was still around. Good idea.
I think that this is a great idea! This last summer i went to gander mountain to get a new bow. After i purchase my Bear Instinct the kid behind the archery counter offered to set up my bow. Not only did he do a poor job of sizing everything up for me but he was younger that i am, and im 18! My peep sight was too low, my serving was loose, i wasnt very confident that the bow was serviced correctly. From now on i wont go back there to let someone i dont know work on my bow because of that. I think that certification should be that standard from now on and should be a requirement to work in the archery sections at outdoor retail stores. If i was wanting to become certified myself, how would I do that?
I know what you mean Bone! I service my own bow because I don't trust anyone else to work on it. If the ATA offered a school/class, then I would attend and open my own shop. I've thought about doing that anyway, but the certs on the wall would definitely make customers feel warm and fuzzy inside!!!
I beleive it is a great idea. It does not need to be mandatory to be able to work in a bow shop but like you said it would be nice to know that the people working on your bow actually know what an allen wrench is. I worked in a Pro Shop for 2 years and I hated when people would bring their bows in they got worked on somewhere else and the person that worked on it did not even know how to tie a D-Loop. If there ever came a certification course I would be the first to sign up because I have been working on bows my whole life and I know that there are soe things I don't know about tuning some of the diffrent manufacturers bows.
You are right.Anyone working on a bow should be certified.Where do I sign up for this school.
Travis,
I think you have a great idea there. The only problem I see is the amount of money it would cost for someone to become certified and the follow up classes they would have to take. How many new products come out in a year? They aren't familiar with all of them and would have to have updates. Locally most shops are losing money and many times going out of business. I have given up on a few of the local places and invested in my own equipment to work on my bow. I have a bow bench setup in my garage with everything necessary needed to work and maintain my own equipment as well as my wife's and a few friends. Overall I think the idea is a good one but it may cost many small shops with great knowledge in the long run.
That would be a great idea! Infact i would go to the school myself even though i dont work for any archery shop but i would like to get into that business if there was a class to teach it! I cant lie i havnt had any bad pro staffers work on my bow but then again all i have them do is put on the stuff then i fine tune my sites and what not!
MI, there are big bucks in MICHIGAN!! Just look at my 9 point bruiser on STATE LAND! point being get some hunting show's from michigan plzzz
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