2nd class recurve - here I come :)

[Corax67]

Following on from recently attaining my 3rd class I had a thoroughly entertaining time in my first comp last week but today it was time to knuckle down.

I started this afternoons session with a massive change of kit - I have been semi-permanently loaned a top end recurve set by a friend's uncle: W&W Inno CXT riser, W&W 32lb carbon limbs, Shibuya double click sight , Shibuya gold tip button & full set of Kaya Ace stabs together with a dozen XX75 platinum plus arrows!

It is light years away from the club bow & arrows I have so far been using & feels much easier to shoot.


Anyhow in near perfect sunny conditions a dozen of us set about shooting, 3 of us on a National and I shot a 440 which I was delighted with - needed 436 for 2nd class

Another chance tomorrow to hopefully get in my second qualifying score - with more good weather forecast we should have a busy shooting line with luck.

It's good fun this archery lark


Karl

 

[Easytigers]

Awesome work Karl! Keep at it!

 

[geoffretired]

Nice work, Karl. Archery, as you say, is good fun.
I have read a lot of your posts; it seems to me you should be enjoying your shooting for many years to come.

 

[Corax67]

Well it was one of those mornings where outdoor sports prove to be their most challenging - sharply gusting wind unable to decide where it was coming from or when !

Managed to shoot a 429 on a National (7 short) which I was delighted with considering that at our end of the field - 60yds and over - our longbow & barebow guys admitted defeat after 3 dozen arrows and no one got anything like their best scores.

Mercifully the beginners, juniors & archers under coaching had a less torrid time at the other end of our field (more shelter) with some really good scores being put up.

Roll on next Fiday ��


Karl

 

[geoffretired]

It is good to know that you can shoot in less than ideal conditions; in fact it is good to know that you will shoot in the wind and stay shooting till the end of the round. When you are enjoying your shooting, why would you stop because of the wind? Well, if you weren't enjoying it, perhaps. Clearly you were enjoying it and that has to be good.

 

[Corax67]

To give the wooden arrow guys their due Geoff I think the decision to quit was as much down to not getting anything on the target as it was to do with arrow damage.

Quite a few fletchings were getting battered & mangled as they tangled in the grass and oddly two or three were written off having been hit on the ground by other arrows riding over them & taking out chunks of shaft.

As for me I shot outdoor rifle in wind, rain, hail & snow over the years - the joys of shooting in Wales in the summer - so a bit of warm Kentish wind wasn't going to put me off & it's not like there is a time limit for me achieve classification, I've got at least a couple of decades left in me yet with luck.


Karl

 

[geoffretired]

Hi Karl, just to clarify my last post, I wasn't having a go at anyone who decided to quit because of the weather. I was only looking at what you had done and posted in reference to your shooting. If some want to stop because of the weather that is their decision and who am I to criticise.... I wouldn't have gone out to shoot in the first place. In my early days I would have shot till the end and felt that was sort of normal. Recently, I decided only to shoot if I could enjoy the shooting. That means having calm weather and not too much rain. In conditions worse than that, I struggle and there is no enjoyment in that now. It's rather like kids splashing in muddy puddles; they love it... I used to, but not anymore. I do enjoy watching the kids though, heehee.

 

[Corax67]

Didn't for a moment think you were criticising the ones who finished early Geoff, just illustrating that even the hardy sometimes know when it's time to wait until another day

You have to enjoy what you are doing or it becomes a chore - children whose parents 'encourage' their children to practice a sport, hobby, instrument, etc, constantly with little heed to whether the child is enjoying the experience or not invariably sees them come to drift away or on occasion come to hate whatever they have been pushed to do.

We will all have bad days but overall I hope it's all about having a bit of fun with friends, it certainly is for me.


Karl

 

[geoffretired]

Cheers, Karl. I thought I'd better clarify, just in case.
Pushy parents... yes indeed, I sometimes think it is natural to want our children to do well at things we liked etc etc.
I think you are right about the fun with friends. I have recently had to do my shooting when I can and that hasn't always been when the rest of the club were shooting. I enjoyed shooting alone in a way, but never shot for very long in any one session. I think the pleasure is more than doubled when it is shared with good company.

 

[Corax67]

This sport is proving to be blinking frustrating - having been going along at a decent pace thinking my 2nd class was pretty much in the bag a few weeks ago the weather seems determined to thwart me

If it's not throwing it down with hail & sleet then we have crosswinds capable of blowing arrows off their rests leaving any hope of getting a qualifying score in the realms of a lottery win fantasy.

Please Lord look kindly upon us poor archers next weekend, please



Karl

 

[OtherGeoff]

Try not to get too stressed out about it, you have the full calendar year to get your scores shot.

I hope the weather smiles on you soon, again, try not to put too much pressure on yourself when it does.

 

[Corax67]

Tanks Geoff - wombled over to the field for an odd hour after work today with perfect conditions but everyone having nightmares

Managed to shoot 3 dozen arrows - scoring 166 @ 50yds of my last 2 dozen felt darned good I have to admit and its left me feeling really positive for tomorrow's session as well as our Mid Kent League fixture on Sunday that I am shooting in too.

Slowly learning to savour the good conditions & have fun in the iffy ones



Karl

 

[Bertybobby]

Cheers, Karl. I thought I'd better clarify, just in case.
Pushy parents... yes indeed, I sometimes think it is natural to want our children to do well at things we liked etc etc.
I think you are right about the fun with friends. I have recently had to do my shooting when I can and that hasn't always been when the rest of the club were shooting. I enjoyed shooting alone in a way, but never shot for very long in any one session. I think the pleasure is more than doubled when it is shared with good company.

I like to shoot with company, but sometimes at the club you also get those that want to have a natter whilst actually shooting on the line. Which is not conducive to putting a score together!!

 

[geoffretired]

I like to shoot with company, but sometimes at the club you also get those that want to have a natter whilst actually shooting on the line. Which is not conducive to putting a score together!!

In my example I was really thinking about chatting after the end had been shot and we were collecting arrows; or even chatting after the shooting has finished.
Talking on the line is something different, I'm not sure if it is allowed in the rules or not, but at clubs, I guess it is either accepted or frowned upon and dealt with. What I notice is that those who are chatting, usually upset themselves and those who are talking with them. The disturbance might spread to those on nearby bosses, too; but I can't say for certain.

 

[Bertybobby]

In my example I was really thinking about chatting after the end had been shot and we were collecting arrows; or even chatting after the shooting has finished.
Talking on the line is something different, I'm not sure if it is allowed in the rules or not, but at clubs, I guess it is either accepted or frowned upon and dealt with. What I notice is that those who are chatting, usually upset themselves and those who are talking with them. The disturbance might spread to those on nearby bosses, too; but I can't say for certain.

It's nice to have a chat between ends and collecting. We just have several members who like to talk on the line, or continue their conversation immediately behind the line whilst others are shooting.

 

[geoffretired]

Yes, I can imagine that happens in may clubs.
The alternative is to make a club rule banning talking while anyone is shooting, then what happens if some persist?

 

[Bertybobby]

It's defined as poor etiquette in the Rules of Shooting... We are very informal as a club so won't ban it. I just try to ignore it as best I can....

 

[Corax67]

It's been a while since I updated this thread so here goes :

I have had a 2 month long case of the archery doldrums - I managed my first 2nd class score the week after qualifying for 3rd class but since then have had trouble hitting a barn door with any level of consistency.

I have asked a fair few questions on here and of other archers and it became obvious that, having changed many bits of kit in a very short space of time, I had created a mismatched setup rendering grouping & consistency pretty much impossible.

Back to to the drawing board - ditched the fibre-optic sight pin for a plain original, kept the new 36lb SF carbon/wood limbs & reset the weights & angles on my stabilisers. Next came arrows - I had enough for a set of A/C/C's and on being measured I found I was massively underspined on my XX75's which had also contributed to my woes.

Turned up at club last Saturday in a less than perfect 20mph sidewind with my revised setup and shot my round (a National, 4doz @ 60yds & 2doz @ 50yds) and scored a 416 - 2nd class is 437 - but it was the first 400+ in eight weeks !!

Yesterday saw a packed out club session with perfect weather conditions we went for it - 6 dozen arrows later, even with a wobble in the middle session, I posted a 451


Very happy archer again but I have learned a huge lesson about making setup changes.



Karl

 

[Corax67]

What a day ! ! ! !

Last saturday day was a great day wih my second 2nd class score so I was well up for today in absolutely perfect conditions - club was packed out wih a new beginners course, 4 tagets on the short line & 10 out on the long line with archers everywhere, it was going to be a massive session.

Banter was plentiful & with a lot guys on 60yd targets I got baited into having a session at 80yds (first time for everything) on the basis a second class score is a lot lower out there - 330 compared to 436 for 6 dozen - why the heck not.

Shot my sighters from a guesswork sight mark and managed to get 4 on then it was into the round - at 80yds my round was very much one of draw, aim, relase, listen hopefully for the thud of impact, go up to collect & work out my score as I had no hope of seeing where stuff was landing. As it happens a lot of hits were landing rather neatly inside the red & gold! One shaky end but mostly 35-40 half dozens saw me well on track.

Moved the target to 60yds & next dozen was 90 - 345 saw me all over my 2nd class with a dozen in hand so I had to go for it. The end result was a 433 and I only needed 418 for my first 1st class score ! ! ! !

WOO HOO ! ! Ecstatic archer, loads of other PB's shot too and it looks amazing for tomorrow's Kent League match


Karl

 

[geoffretired]

Nice results. Sometimes, the "downs" are there to keep us on track and let us realise what really matters.