Serving Venice, Florida

Youth Archery for Venice, Florida Athletes — Competitive Training 20 Minutes Away

Venice Raises Competitive Athletes. We Train Them.

Venice, Florida has one of the strongest athletic cultures of any community its size in the state. Sarasota Archery Academy — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit 20 miles north in Sarasota — is the competitive archery team serving Venice families who want that same standard applied to archery.

Quick Answer
Where can my Venice or Nokomis youth athlete take competitive archery?

Sarasota Archery Academy—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit competitive team at 7524 Castle Dr, Sarasota, FL 34240—is the closest tryout-based, state-level competitive archery program for Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, and Englewood families. Drive time from Venice is ~20 minutes via I‑75 north or US‑41. SAA fields athletes in both USA Archery (X‑Ring Program, $200/mo) and ASA 3D (Upper 12’s, $300/mo), coached by USA Archery Level 3 NTS-certified instructors.

Why Venice Families Find Us

Venice, Florida Raises Champions — Archery Included

Venice is not a town that settles for average athletics. Venice High School is ranked the #1 high school for athletes in all of Sarasota County — with 28 varsity sports programs and a state championship record that includes football titles in 2000, 2017, and 2021; baseball championships in 2007, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019; and volleyball state titles in 1998, 2005, 2012, 2014, and 2018. That’s not a fluke — that’s a community culture that takes competitive athletics seriously, invests in its athletes, and expects results.

The youth sports infrastructure in Venice reflects that same standard. The Wellfield — Venice’s primary youth athletics complex — hosts organized youth programs across football, soccer, baseball, softball, and tennis year-round. Sarasota County operates 89 athletic fields county-wide, and Venice families have access to some of the most competitive youth programming in southwest Florida. The culture here is: if you’re going to play, play to win.

What Venice doesn’t have is competitive archery. There are recreational ranges and casual programs in the broader area, but no competitive, tryout-based archery team operating at the Florida state level. That gap is what Sarasota Archery Academy fills — and the 20-mile drive up US-41 or I-75 to our Sarasota facility is the bridge between Venice’s athletic culture and state-level archery competition.

Venice has grown 19% in population over the last five years. New families are arriving constantly, many of them drawn by the community’s reputation for quality schools and strong youth programs. Those families are looking for programs that match their expectations — serious coaching, structured training, and real competitive outcomes. That’s exactly what we provide.

About Sarasota Archery Academy

The Competitive Archery Program for South Sarasota County

Sarasota Archery Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit competitive archery team based in Sarasota, Florida, serving athletes from Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, Englewood, North Port, and throughout South Sarasota County. We field athletes in two competitive programs: the X-Ring Program (USA Archery indoor and outdoor target competition) and the Upper 12’s Program (ASA 3D field archery). Both programs compete at the Florida state level.

Our coaching staff is entirely volunteer — four USA Archery certified coaches, including Head Coach Rob Gilbert who holds a Level 3 NTS (National Training System) certification, the highest coaching credential in USA Archery. NTS is the same biomechanics-based coaching framework used to develop USA Archery’s national and Olympic competitors. You will not find this level of technical coaching at any recreational archery program in the Venice or South Sarasota County area.

Because we are a nonprofit with an all-volunteer staff, every dollar from membership goes into the program — equipment, facility, tournament travel — not salaries. For Venice families who are used to investing in quality youth athletics, the combination of elite coaching and nonprofit pricing is unusual. We exist to develop athletes, not to turn a profit. Practice runs Mondays and Thursdays, 5:00–8:00 PM. The drive from Venice takes 20–25 minutes depending on where in Venice you’re coming from.

Our Programs

Two Competitive Programs. Open to Venice Athletes.

Both programs compete at the Florida state level. Both are coached by certified USA Archery coaches. Both are priced as nonprofit programs.

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X-Ring Program — USA Archery

USA Archery indoor and outdoor target competition using the National Training System (NTS) — the same coaching framework used at the Olympic development level. The indoor season runs November through February at 18 meters, 3-spot target format; the outdoor season is the 720-round at distances up to 70 meters. Venice-area athletes in the X-Ring program train year-round and compete in the Florida state indoor and outdoor championships. $200/month.

Learn About USA Archery Training in Florida →

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Upper 12’s Program — ASA 3D

ASA 3D archery on outdoor courses — foam animal targets, unmarked distances, field judgment under pressure. The Florida ASA circuit runs January through spring with multiple qualifier events around the state, culminating in the Florida ASA State Championship in Palatka. Athletes pursue Shooter of the Year rankings throughout the circuit. For Venice-area athletes who want field archery at the competitive level, this is the program in southwest Florida. $300/month.

Learn About ASA 3D Archery in Florida →

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Four Certified Coaches. All Volunteers.

Head Coach Rob Gilbert (USA Archery Level 3 NTS) is joined by assistant coaches Chad Henderson, Scott Reed, and Tristan Towers — all USA Archery Level 2 certified. Every one of them donates their time. As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 41-3616783), there are no salaries to fund. The result is a coaching-to-athlete ratio and technical depth that simply doesn’t exist at for-profit programs in South Sarasota County.

Meet the Coaching Staff →

Quick Facts

Archery Training for Venice, FL Athletes — At a Glance

Distance from Venice
~20 Miles North
Sarasota facility is a straightforward drive on US-41 or I-75 — 20 to 25 minutes from most Venice neighborhoods, with no toll roads.

Practice Schedule
Mon & Thu, 5–8 PM
Year-round. After-school hours. Consistent weekly schedule that works around Sarasota County Schools athletics and academic commitments.

Ages
8 & Up
Youth through adult divisions in both programs. Tryout-based entry. Competitive team — not a drop-in class or recreational league.

Disciplines
USA Archery & ASA 3D
X-Ring (USA Archery target, $200/mo) and Upper 12’s (ASA 3D field archery, $300/mo). Both compete at the Florida state level.

Head Coach Credential
Level 3 NTS
USA Archery’s highest coaching certification. The National Training System is the same framework used to develop USA’s Olympic archery competitors.

Organization Type
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
EIN: 41-3616783. Tax-deductible donations accepted. All-volunteer coaching staff means fees go directly into the program, not overhead.

South Sarasota County

Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, Englewood & North Port

Venice proper sits on the Gulf Coast at the southern end of Sarasota County — a community famous for its beaches, its shark tooth fossils, and an athletic culture built around Venice High School, consistently one of the most decorated athletic programs in the entire state of Florida. But the South Sarasota County corridor includes more than just Venice city limits: Nokomis and Osprey sit directly between Venice and Sarasota, Englewood covers the southern coastal communities, and the city of North Port — one of Florida’s fastest-growing cities — sits just to the south and east of Venice proper.

Sarasota Archery Academy actively draws athletes from all of these communities. The drive distances vary: Nokomis and Osprey are closer than Venice itself, North Port athletes are typically 25–35 minutes away depending on location, and Englewood families make the longer drive when the right competitive program doesn’t exist closer to home. We are the competitive archery destination for this entire corridor — and we have been building the program to serve it.

If you are a family in any of these communities with an athlete who has the drive, the discipline, and the competitive instinct — and archery is the sport — this is your team. Contact us about the next tryout, or visit the Join page to start the application process.

Venice Families Ask

Competitive Archery Near Venice, Florida — Common Questions

For a family serious about competitive archery, yes — unambiguously. The drive from Venice to our Sarasota facility is approximately 20–25 minutes on US-41 or I-75. That’s a shorter commute than many Venice families already make to access specialty youth sports programs that don’t exist within Venice city limits. What makes it worth it: a Level 3 NTS-certified head coach (USA Archery’s highest credential), four certified coaches who are all volunteers, two state-level competitive programs, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit pricing. This combination doesn’t exist closer. For families accustomed to Venice High School’s standard of athletic excellence — 28 varsity sports, multiple state championships — Sarasota Archery Academy offers the same competitive seriousness in archery.

No — there is no competitive, tryout-based archery team operating within Venice city limits or in South Sarasota County. There are recreational archery ranges and some casual club shooting opportunities in the broader area, but nothing that competes at the Florida state level with certified coaches and a structured development program. Sarasota Archery Academy in Sarasota is the closest competitive program of this caliber to Venice, and it is the program serving South Sarasota County athletes who want to compete seriously.

Many of our athletes are multi-sport athletes who play school sports in addition to archery. Our Monday and Thursday 5–8 PM schedule is designed specifically to accommodate school-sport commitments during their respective seasons. Archery is also an excellent complementary discipline — the focus training, breath control, and mental process work that archery demands translates directly to performance in virtually every other sport. Venice High’s 28-sport program produces well-rounded athletes, and many families find that archery’s mental discipline reinforces everything else their athlete is doing competitively.

The tryout process is the same for all athletes regardless of where they live. We hold open tryout sessions periodically throughout the year. Our coaching staff evaluates fundamental form potential, coachability, attitude, and competitive drive — prior archery experience is helpful but not required. Athletes selected for the team commit to attending Monday and Thursday practice sessions (5:00–8:00 PM) at our Sarasota facility. Contact us at sarasotaarcheryinc@gmail.com or visit the Join page to find out when the next tryout session is scheduled.

We accept athletes starting at age 8 in both the X-Ring (USA Archery) and Upper 12’s (ASA 3D) programs. There is no upper age limit — adult competitors train and compete alongside youth athletes in both programs. The deciding factor is not age but readiness: a competitive mindset, the physical capability to safely draw and hold a bow, and the willingness to commit to a structured twice-weekly training environment. For Venice-area athletes with that combination, we encourage you to apply.

Yes. We actively recruit and train athletes from North Port — one of Florida’s fastest-growing cities — along with Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, Englewood, and the broader South Sarasota County area. North Port sits approximately 25–35 minutes from our Sarasota facility depending on the specific location within North Port, which is comparable to commutes many competitive youth sport families in the area already make. If you’re in North Port and looking for competitive archery training, reach out — we want to hear from you.

South Sarasota County Service Area

Serving Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, Englewood & North Port

Sarasota Archery Academy is the competitive archery team for Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, Englewood, North Port, and the entire South Sarasota County corridor. Venice’s athletic culture — anchored by Venice High School’s status as the #1 school for athletes in Sarasota County — produces exactly the kind of competitive, driven athletes our program is built for. If your athlete is in that mold and archery is the sport, this is the team. Contact us to find out when the next tryout is scheduled, or visit the Join page to apply now.


OUR SERVICE AREA

Competitive Archery Across Southwest Florida

Venice and south Sarasota County athletes train with us, but the team serves families across the region. Pick your city to see local details.

Sarasota → Lakewood Ranch → Bradenton → North Port → Siesta Key & Islands →

Venice, Florida

Venice Produces State Champions. So Do We.

Sarasota Archery Academy is the competitive archery team for South Sarasota County — Level 3 NTS coaching, USA Archery and ASA 3D programs, 501(c)(3) nonprofit pricing, and a standard built to match the athletic culture Venice families already expect.