One of the many benefits of practicing archery is that you can personalize your equipment and make it unique to you. You can let your equipment reflect your personality simply by choosing your favorite colors or placing stickers that are meaningful to you on your quiver and bow case. Another important way to personalize your gear is to write your name on it. We want to make sure your prized equipment leaves with you the same way it came in.

What Can You Do to Prevent Loss?

It’s possible for any archer to misplace their bow, but the issue of another archer picking up your bow, thinking it’s theirs, is pretty unique to National Archery in the Schools Program tournaments. In NASP®, all archers use Genesis bows. So, what can archers do to prevent another archer from accidentally picking up their bow? Lisa Frye, Kentucky NASP state coordinator, recommends personalizing the bow on the upper limbs with a paint pen.

“Sharpie makes an oil paint pen, as do others,” Frye said. “Acrylic paint pens work as well. When I was a teacher/coach in Frankfort, I wrote ‘Frankfort Independent Schools’ right down the limb. Even if it walked away or was left, it was easy for someone to notify the school that it had been found.”

When you write your name on the bow, make sure it’s on an obvious, visible part. “If all archers would simply place their first and last name in a visible area like the limb, getting a lost bow back to its owner would be simple,” Frye said.

What Do You Do When You Lose Your Bow?

The first thing you should do if you lose your bow is contact the event administrator. “The great thing about NASP archers, parents and coaches is that they will all do everything they can to be sure a bow is with its owner,” Frye said.

If event coordinators aren’t able to locate the bow, contact your state coordinator. “Unfortunately, there are times that unmarked bows get sent to the state coordinator and stay in a ‘lost and found’ box unclaimed,” Frye said. “Our last hope of finding the owner is contacting Genesis with the serial number and seeing who purchased the bow.”

What About Arrows?

It’s a good idea for archers to place their name or initials on the vanes of their arrows, too. This helps the school keep track of its own equipment. “Many schools place their school initials on a vane to keep them from getting lost or confused with students’ personal arrows,” Frye said.

Identifying your bows and arrows with your name will help your equipment find its way back to you if you ever lose or misplace it. At NASP tournaments, it will also help differentiate your bow from the sea of other Genesis bows. We want you to leave the tournament with the right equipment so that you can continue competing in as many tournaments as you want.

Visit your local archery range to practice with your newly personalized bow and inquire about local tournaments.