Am I shooting for the wrong team??

[bimble]

I was reading the 'Who Can You Shoot For' thread and I suddenly wondered if I'm shooting for the wrong club/county.

Thing is, I'm not sure who my first claim club is. I've been a member of my Uni club (Swansea) for ten years and when I shoot in Wales I put my Uni club down as the one I'm representing. As a Uni club the GNAS membership is paid as a block by the Uni.

I am also a full member of my home club (for the last two years), which includes GNAS membership* and when I shoot locally/in England I put this club down. I have also just been accepted onto the county squad (Surrey).

As I was a member of the Uni club first does this mean that Swansea Uni/Glamorgan have first dibs on me or does this not matter?? Intercounties is coming up and all of a sudden I don't know if I'm eligable anymore.

* - yes, GNAS get two bites out of me, shows how much I love them... sorry, Archery GB.

Originally Posted by Murray

I found the para in GNAS Memorandum, Article and Laws... apparently it extends to county and regional shoots too!

"Within the United Kingdom an archer may belong to, and shoot
for, more than one club in any one given discipline in any one
subscription year; but the club through which the archer's Society
annual subscription fee is paid shall be the first claim club. Only
with the consent of the first claim club may an archer represent
another club at any club or inter-club event. The disciplines are
Outdoor Target, Indoor Target, Field, Flight, Clout and Popinjay
Archery. At County, Regional or National events, the archer may
only represent the first claim club"

So there you have it

[dell]

Which Club / County is on your GNAS sticker?
I would have said that that is your first claim club.

[Trunkles]

If you're not a student should you still be a member of the Uni club, I thought it was supposed to be a scheme for hard up young people.

[bimble]

If I had it I suppose that would help (waiting for replacement after losing wallet in January) though the GNAS number is that which I got in Swansea and it was my Uni secretary I turned to for a replacement (I was on a Uni field shoot when I lost it). Certainly the letter from my captain to say that I am a member is from my Uni Captain.

Originally Posted by dell

Which Club / County is on your GNAS sticker?
I would have said that that is your first claim club.

Who says I'm not a student just because I've been a member for ten years?? Admittedly I have only just graduated last month but having been involved for so long and knowing so many people I am planning on paying my membership and turning up occasionally to help out and compete in Open tournaments in Wales for them. GNAS gets money from me from my home club so it's not like I'm taking money out of the mouths of those at GNAS towers.

Originally Posted by Trunkles

If you're not a student should you still be a member of the Uni club, I thought it was supposed to be a scheme for hard up young people.

[moo-mop]

It always surprises me the number of clubs who quote their price including the GNAS fee, I get presently surprised when becoming an associate member. You have of course being paying too much for years as what most would do is pay the home clubs fee without the GNAS bit and become an associate member.

Chances are you should only be representing your home club apart for uni organised shoots, unless you've let the other club know not to register you. When at uni I also affiliated to GNAS through a home club for a while, sure it cost me more, but that's what I had to do to shoot for my home club. I made sure the paperwork wasn't going through the uni as well. I also couldn't therefore have club records at my uni despite being captain.

It'll sort itself out now anyhow as you won't be allowed GNAS through uni next Oct. If you don't want to represent your home club and feel more an affinity with the uni club but have graduated you could form an alumni club for swansea and pay GNAS membership through that. But you then you can't shoot for Surrey, but can shoot for Wales.

You could of course have two membership numbers and two claim clubs atm if the paperwork's not right, and this wouldn't surprise me. If you're competing at say the SCAS intercounties in this GNAS year it might be best to sort it out sooner rather than later.