COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Archery honors the life and legacy of Julia H Bowers-Body, a trailblazer whose lifelong dedication to archery shaped generations of athletes, coaches, and instructors across the United States and around the world, and who passed away last month aged 96.
Julia’s love affair with archery began at the age of 10, when she shot her first arrow. That passion never faded. She remained an active competitor well into her 80s, but it was through coaching, teaching, and mentoring that Julia made her most lasting impact on the sport.
A visionary educator, Julia played a central role in developing the instructional foundation of modern American archery. She helped create the curriculum and coordinated the startup of National Archery Association (NAA) – today known as USA Archery – certification schools, laying the groundwork for structured coach education nationwide.
As a co-author of the NAA Instructor Manual - printed in eight languages - her influence extended far beyond U.S. borders. Julia taught instructor certification courses throughout the country and internationally, including South Africa and the former Yugoslavia, sharing both technical expertise and a deep love for the sport.
Her service to archery reached the highest levels. From 1974 to 1976, Julia served on the NAA U.S. Olympic Archery Sport Commission. She volunteered at three Olympic Games: as a scorer at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, a media coordinator at the Atlanta Games in 1996, and a marshal at the Sydney Games in 2000. She also coached the U.S. para team at the Pan American Games in Puerto Rico in 1979.
Julia’s leadership extended into governance and international development. She served on the NAA Board of Governors from 1994 to 1997 and represented the United States at the FITA World Coaching Seminar in Busan, Korea, in 2005. Over the course of her career, her startup work and continued involvement led to 75 Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 instructor courses, impacting more than 1,000 coaches nationwide.
Despite her global influence, Julia found particular joy later in life coaching and mentoring junior archers at the Reading Archery Club, where her passion, patience, and encouragement left a lasting impression on young athletes and families alike.
Julia’s achievements as a competitor were equally remarkable. She was an 11-time Pennsylvania State Archery Champion, an eight-time Eastern Archery Association Champion, and a six-time National Archery Champion, in addition to holding numerous other victories and records.
Her excellence earned her induction into the Pennsylvania Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1985, College Division Coach of the Year honors in 1988, and induction into the National Archery Hall of Fame in 2009.
One of Julia’s earliest mentors was Clayton B. Shenk, a Hall of Fame inductee from the Class of 1973. What began as a student-mentor relationship evolved into a lifelong partnership, with Shenk later relying on Julia’s exceptional instructional skills to help educate others. In 1988, she was also named College Coach of the Year while coaching archery at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.
Julia H Bowers-Body’s legacy lives on in the thousands of coaches she educated, the athletes she guided, and the countless individuals who found confidence, community, and purpose through archery because of her work. She will be remembered not only for her accomplishments, but for her unwavering belief in the power of teaching, mentorship, and service to grow the sport she loved so deeply.
