Why Are Archers Obsessed With Archery Badges? (And Where I Keep Mine!)

Apparently archers really like badges.

I didn't realise quite how much until I read an article called “Badge Psychology” in the Summer issue of Archery UK, Archery GB's magazine.

It turns out there might actually be a reason why archers love collecting archery badges and covering their quivers, hats, cases and pretty much anything else they can find with little shiny bits of metal.

The article talks about badges being more than just things to collect. They can remind you how far you've come, the things you've achieved and some of the experiences you've had along the way. It even talks about how looking back at the progress you've already made can help when things aren't going quite so well.

I really liked that idea.

There is only one slight problem with wearing badges everywhere.

I kept losing mine. 😬

Where I keep my archery badges

When I first started collecting badges, I sometimes wore them at competitions.

This seemed like a good idea.

Until I discovered that competition fields are apparently very good at eating badges.

After losing a few, my Dad and I decided that perhaps my badges needed somewhere slightly safer.

So now they live on my sight case.

And, as you can probably see, there are quite a few of them.

Some are from competitions. Some are classifications. Some represent places I've shot or teams I've represented. Others just remind me of particular moments from my archery journey.

So although technically it's a case for my sight, the outside has gradually become a sort of archery scrapbook.

And there's now a new badge to add to it.

One I've been waiting for

This one only arrived yesterday.

It's my Junior Master Bowman badge.

I actually achieved Junior Master Bowman back in July, so I've been waiting a little while to finally get my hands on the badge.

It felt brilliant when I achieved the classification, but there's something strangely exciting about the actual badge arriving a few months later.

It's almost like getting to celebrate it again.

And after reading Badge Psychology, I think I understand that a little more.

The badge isn't the achievement itself. That came from the scores, competitions, practice and quite a lot of arrows.

But it is a little reminder of all of that.

And it also reminds me that the archer I am now isn't the same archer I was when I started.

This one is definitely NOT being worn on a competition field. 😂

Some badges mean something different

Not every badge on my case is about a classification.

Some remind me of the people and places that have become part of my archery journey.

My West Midlands badge, for example, reminds me of getting the opportunity to represent the region. Other badges remind me of competitions I've shot and different stages I've gone through.

That's probably my favourite thing about the collection.

If you just looked at them individually, they're little pieces of metal.

But I know the story behind each one.

The Archery UK article describes badges as reminders of the progress you've already made, especially at those times when improvement feels difficult. I think that's probably why looking at a collection like this feels different from simply looking at a list of results.

Although there is another slight problem.

I'm running out of space.

But what's actually inside the case?

Of course, the badges aren't technically the important part of my sight case.

Apparently the sight is.

Who knew? 😁

My Dad and I have cut Shadow Foam so that everything has its own space, including my Avalon sight.

My sight, stabiliser weights, pressure button and some of the other bits I need fit into their own cut-outs, which means things don't move around inside the case and it is really easy to see where everything belongs.

We have done something similar in my main archery case too, with cut-outs for things like my riser and limbs.

I really like having everything organised like this.

It also means that if there's a suspiciously empty hole in the foam, we've probably forgotten something!

That's much better than discovering it when we're miles away from home.

But only half of the sight case is quite this organised.

The other half is... different.

The important stuff 😁

Arrow toppers!

I love collecting them.

Mine come from Scalded Cat, and somehow the collection keeps getting bigger.

There are also sensible things in this half of the case, like spare arrow rests, arrow release fluid and other useful bits and pieces I might need.

But let's be honest.

The arrow toppers are more interesting.

I like changing them around and collecting different ones, and they're one of those little things that make my archery equipment feel like mine.

So one half of the case is carefully cut Shadow Foam containing an important piece of precision archery equipment.

The other contains tiny ducks, Christmas trees, animals and assorted strange objects.

I think that's quite a good balance.

More than just shiny things

Reading the Archery UK article made me look at my badge collection slightly differently.

The feature explains how badges can provide a visible reminder of progress.

When you're working towards the next goal, it's easy to concentrate on what you haven't achieved yet rather than everything you've already done. That's particularly true in archery.

Sometimes scores go up.

Sometimes they don't.

Sometimes you have a brilliant competition.

Sometimes you spend an afternoon wondering why your arrows have apparently developed minds of their own.

Having little reminders of the journey you've already made isn't such a bad thing.

The magazine describes badges as memories connected to breakthroughs and progress, and I think that sums mine up really nicely.

My case isn't full yet.

Well... My Dad might disagree with that.

But hopefully there are still lots more experiences, competitions and achievements to come.

I don't know what the next badge will be.

And I think that's probably part of the fun.

Although at the rate I'm going, I might eventually need a bigger sight case.

One arrow at a time.

Hope 🏹