Joella and Coach PanAm Field Championships

Joella Bates, a 62-year-old archery coach and competitive archer from Cumberland City, TN, has a passion for sharing her love of the sport with others. Alongside her Coach, Karin Bock, she seeks support for her participation in the Pan American Field Championships in Iguazu, Argentina, as a member of the USA Archery team from November 6-14, 2023.

Joella's archery journey has been remarkable, winning an impressive 12 3D Archery World Championships in various classes and representing the USA in three World Archery 3D Championships. However, her path took a challenging turn during the pandemic in 2020. She developed compression syndrome, causing her to lose her grip strength and preventing her from shooting a bow. Determined to recover, Joella made drastic changes in her diet and sought help from a chiropractor and holistic nutrition specialist. Slowly, she made progress and successfully made the 2022 USA Archery 3D team. She went on to win her 13th world championship before excelling as the top American female longbow shooter in Italy.

In the fall of 2022, a trip to the Archery School of the Rockies(ASR) in Colorado Springs proved transformative. There, Coach Karin Bock offered invaluable coaching and support. Karin's coaching expertise extends beyond archery, she has coached various sports more than 45 years. She started coaching archery after witnessing her granddaughter's dream being discouraged by her previous coach. Karin started ASR with a group of 6 kids 10 years ago and has grown it to the largest permanent archery shooting facility in the US and services thousands of archers from young kids to senior adults, able-bodied to physically challenged individuals and many active military, veterans and first responders. Karin has worked with many archery ventures including, but limited to, JOAD, Adult USA Archery, 4-H, Scouts, Homeschool, S3DA, ASA, Para Olympics for youth and adults and Wounded Warriors. Karin is currently the national archery lead for Move United Sports. Her dedication to coaching and fostering athletes' growth earned her recognition, including the 2022 USA Archery Volunteer Coach of the Year and being the only archery coach in the US to receive the Positive Coaching Award from the Positive Coaching Alliance in 2023.

Inspired by Karin's coaching and teaching approach, Joella accepted an offer to coach at ASR and became the Outreach Coordinator, directing their archery summer camp programs. For years, Joella has taught archery to others and her JoCamps Archery Boot Camps have opened doors for many successful archers to attend college with archery scholarships. Her contributions, along with those of Karin and the ASR staff, were acknowledged with the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. Since joining ASR, Joella has had the privilege of teaching hundreds of kids and adults to shoot, continuously improving her coaching and shooting skills under Karin's guidance.

Now, Joella is thrilled to represent the USA with her longbow and wooden arrows at the Pan American Field Championships in Iguazu, Argentina, from November 6th-14th, 2023. Joella is being joined on the US Archery Team by three other ASR archers and Coach Karin. To support the participation of Coach Karin and her own participation. They are seeking donations to cover expenses such as entry fees, travel, accommodations, dining, and mandatory uniforms. Any excess funds will be used to acquire equipment, allowing them to teach archery to individuals who lack their own equipment.

With unwavering dedication to archery and their commitment to coaching and inspiring others, Joella and Coach Karin embody the spirit of true champions. By supporting their journey to the Pan American Field Championships, you are helping them continue their legacy in the sport and empowering others to discover the joy of archery. Your contribution will make a significant impact in shaping the future of archery enthusiasts around the world.