[English Longbow] Attention All Longbow Archers!!!

steve58

New member
I don't know anything about the politics of all this. But ... one thing that does strike me is that if we as lonbowers want to get notice we have to turn up at shoots and raise our profile. And given the target archery leanings of GNAS we are talking those shoots, I guess.
So, how many of us are shooting the national indoor champs in February?
I did the shoot a couple of years ago and found the atmosphere so lacking from a longbow point of view that it's taken me this long to wind up to having another go. Let's get a big entry in!
 

AntiqueArcher

New member
Hi Steve,

That is exactly the point. If we don't take things more seriously, why should or would GNAS?

As far as the National Indoor Champs are concerned, I'll be there, a mate called Jim Dodd will, Peter G (an early poster here) will be, with several others apparently. I should think we'll get a good turnout for a change.

A major concern for me is the UK Masters turnout. As stated before, GNAS refuse to give us our own Head 2 Head because there has only ever been, at most, one longbow there. This year will be different! For a start the classifications have changed and this means more will have qualified. Also, I know several longbow archers, male and female, who are attending. Silver Arrow Archery are encouraging participaion in H2H rounds and have offered our own trophy to the winner of our own Head 2 Head round. This can be shot alongside the "serious" recurve archers on the same timed shooting line.

I can't wait to ask if we now have enough archers to warrant our own official H2H.

Good shooting stickies- have a Happy New Year!
 

long doc

Member
AIUK Saviour
Most competitions in Yorkshire seem to have longbow trophies and medals and many have longbow teams as well. And we are even allowed our own county longbow tournament in addition to the county championships!

Why not come to the St.George Longbow Tournament on 19th April 2009 at Morley? See St.George Longbow Tournament
 

Peter G

New member
I notice that the UK Masters is by invitation only. Can anyone clarify if the invitation is based on previous years scores or whether we have to get a required number of scores in and by when? I am presuming that invitation would be based on the previous years rankings and as there aren't any for longbows (at the moment) how would we get to get an invitation!!!

Peter G
 

Artemis

Member
This may sound a strange question, but, .....
Who actualy owns the name Grand National Archery Society.
Not strange at all, just that no-one else has asked it...I really have no idea, but I would hazard a guess that when they became a Company Limited by guarantee that name would have been registered..so sorry - you can't have it.....:D

I think there is a website for companies which has all their details so you can look up any company and find out all about them....might be interesting..
 

steve58

New member
I notice that the UK Masters is by invitation only. Can anyone clarify if the invitation is based on previous years scores or whether we have to get a required number of scores in and by when? I am presuming that invitation would be based on the previous years rankings and as there aren't any for longbows (at the moment) how would we get to get an invitation!!!

Peter G
My question too! Off to have a quick look on the GNAS site to see if the answer is easy to find ... and here it is:
Archers who gained senior target GMB/MB in 2008 will receive invitations and those archers are reminded to submit claims for this classification to the GNAS Office by 31st December 2008.
Can see that with the new classifications this will be more accessible, I was certainly close enough on the only FITA I shot to start dreaming...
 
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Peter G

New member
Guess we will all have to get our fingures out next year and have a go in 2010

At least that will give GNAS 18 months to prepare
 

AntiqueArcher

New member
I notice that the UK Masters is by invitation only. Can anyone clarify if the invitation is based on previous years scores or whether we have to get a required number of scores in and by when? I am presuming that invitation would be based on the previous years rankings and as there aren't any for longbows (at the moment) how would we get to get an invitation!!!

Peter G
Happy New Year one and all.

Peter,

The answer as stated, to qualify for the Masters you need to have obtained MB or GMB status the previous year. for Gents this means 3 scores of 362 or more at Yorks, or 3 of 567 or more (I think) at Gents FITA, or any combination of these. They must be shot at different venues, and claimed correctly before the end of the year.

Good Luck Reter.
 

Flying Whale

New member
Happy New Year one and all.

Peter,

The answer as stated, to qualify for the Masters you need to have obtained MB or GMB status the previous year. for Gents this means 3 scores of 362 or more at Yorks, or 3 of 567 or more (I think) at Gents FITA, or any combination of these. They must be shot at different venues, and claimed correctly before the end of the year.

Good Luck Reter.
I may be wrong, but I believe (at least for recurve and compound, so I assume for longbow too) that there is an opportunity to still get an invite if you can make the 3 MB/GMB scores early in the year. I am not sure when the deadline is (maybe sometime in May), but it would mean getting the scores at 3 record status shoots, and getting the MB claim in to GNAS pronto.
 

AntiqueArcher

New member
Hi Rich

This is really interesting and just shows that there must be many Longbow archers who feel the same.

I am fortunate to be shooting with a band of Longbow archers who feel exactly the same and two of our band have also emailed GNAS on the topic. A few of us are also going to the National Champs in February.

Have you noticed that Junior Longbows are ranked! Interesting.

You may like to contact Sue Matthews at Silver Arrow Archery who is on a mission to increase the profile and recognition for the Longbow and will surely lend her support. Sue is also sponsoring a number of longbow archers, there's a first, who will be shooting in the Silver Arrow Archers colours at events across the country. Visit the Silver Arrow Archers web site for details.

There is a growing return to the longbow and even many newcomers are deciding that this is the way to go. Now that the debate has started let's all rally round and drive GNAS to the only correct decision.

Peter G
Longbow archer - getting it back together all be it rather slowly
Hi Peter,
I've a bit of good news from GNAS! Apparently, due to several more emails and the number of LB's entered in the National Indoor Champs, we may well get our own H2H round this year. Those Longbow archers entered just recieved an email from Tim Jackson, the tournament organiser, asking their opinion of this.

Maybe the ranking and Indoor classifications are next.

AA
 

teddybear

New member
i have not been happy for a long time, as when i have done compes and used the proper paper work when shooting i have never been given a ranking or any think ells like others get when they score serton scores,
like with fita having to shoot as small target for bar bows, i asked them and they would not give me an answer saying we fita
 

steve58

New member
Hi Peter,
I've a bit of good news from GNAS! Apparently, due to several more emails and the number of LB's entered in the National Indoor Champs, we may well get our own H2H round this year. Those Longbow archers entered just recieved an email from Tim Jackson, the tournament organiser, asking their opinion of this.

Maybe the ranking and Indoor classifications are next.

AA
Got a phone call rather than an email. Tim was clear that the result will still be based on the FITA 18 round as per the entry form. Am on second session anyway so said I'd give it a go. How does a head to head work then?
 

steve58

New member
i have not been happy for a long time, as when i have done compes and used the proper paper work when shooting i have never been given a ranking or any think ells like others get when they score serton scores,
like with fita having to shoot as small target for bar bows, i asked them and they would not give me an answer saying we fita
If you're talking about handicap/classification you need to talk to the club records officer, they deal with classification awards up to and including Bowman. Any claims for higher classifications have to be based on scores in record status York/FITAs and submitted to GNAS as far as I know.

I think other bowstyles also have a national ranking table based on scores in certain shoots? Details will be on the GNAS site somewhere, but I don't think this applies to longbow for now?
 

AntiqueArcher

New member
Got a phone call rather than an email. Tim was clear that the result will still be based on the FITA 18 round as per the entry form. Am on second session anyway so said I'd give it a go. How does a head to head work then?
Hi Steve,

I'm not any more experienced than you at this, obviously. The details as I understand are this....

After the Fita 18 comp we all have a score which gives us a "seeding". I think the highest plays the lowest etc. etc. We get the same 2 ends of 3 sighters before it starts and then no more. If lucky enough to beat our opposition we move on to the next round, until the final where the winner is exactly that! As you say, this year the winner will still be based on the highest score at the Fita 18 round anyway, because that is what was advertised. This i believe is only fair and right. But it will give us the chance to try our hand at H2H. I can't wait.

Bear in mind though, I shoot with a ground marker and that means I get sighters to adjust my ground marker before the first round but after that I will have to move targets without the chance to "sight" my marker before shooting te next round. Don't get me wrong, I'm chuffed that we are getting the chance to shoot just as the other bowstyles do. If that means I personally cannot compete equally because of using a ground marker-yeah sure I'm gutted, especially after all my efforts to get equal recognition, but I have to look at the bigger picture for ALL Longbow archers and be pleased for everyone who can now start to enjoy shooting at the most competative edge.

Does all that make sense? Dont forget, we should all be grateful to Sue Matthews from Silver Arrow Archery for sponsoring LBers to shoot at these tournaments. It's only because of the number of archers present at the National Indoor Champs that we are being offered this opportunity.

We simply MUST make sure we do ourselves and our comrades justice by competing as best we can, and any problems must be flagged up but not to the point of spoilling the competition.

BTW, you're lucky Steve, I'm shooting in the morning. I usually score around 10% more in my second shoot. If thats the same for all of us, those shooting in the second detail will have a slight advantage. Whats more your bow will be well in the groove, mine will have to be restrung and takes time to relax.

Please note how I'm immediately able to make excuses, I haven't even shot badly yet!

Look forward to meeting you Steve. Just give it your best on the day, and most of all, enjoy what you're doing.

AA
 

AntiqueArcher

New member
If you're talking about handicap/classification you need to talk to the club records officer, they deal with classification awards up to and including Bowman. Any claims for higher classifications have to be based on scores in record status York/FITAs and submitted to GNAS as far as I know.

I think other bowstyles also have a national ranking table based on scores in certain shoots? Details will be on the GNAS site somewhere, but I don't think this applies to longbow for now?
Steve,

Sorry for any misunderstanding. I'm talkin about indoor classifications and handicaps. Whether you talk to your club records officer or not is irrelevent. Go to the Saints & Sinners Archery Club website and try this for yourself.

My best with a Longbow shooting a Portsmouth is 497, giving me a handicap something like 52 and an "E" classification. I "had a go" with a Recurve for a week and a half and shot 543 and 545, these scores mean I have a 36 handicap and a "C" classification. We should have a seperate handicap and classification table from Recurve.

Anyway, thats for another day. Don't forget to look out for details of our own ranking table being organised by Gerry Wilsmore, they should be published in Bow magazine and AUK in the next editions.

AA
 

steve58

New member
Antique archer I like the style, get the excuses in before even setting out for the competition! I can see I shall have to come up with some really good ones on the day ...

H2H, how many arrows then? Shot in your own tempo or archer A then archer B?

Could you put a groundmarker down for all the targets we'll be using? (I'm assuming the distance would be the same?) What would the judges say to a nice little row of them?

How do you cope with switching from top face to bottom and left to right? (I shot with one chap at the BLBS indoor, a two way triple Worcester that involved switching from top to bottom half way through each round) who had quite a lot of bits of tape on the floor in case his markers got nudged!)

Maybe something to be said for rubber bands after all?
 

AntiqueArcher

New member
Steve,

A 2 way triple Worcester!!! That's my idea of hell on earth. I bet there was more tape than at a murder scene.

H2H is (i think) 12 arrows shot in threes but alternate archers shoot one each. Did that make sence?

I know there's a rule that we can only have one sight so unfortunately a nice row would be out of the question.

I'll just have to hope for patience from my competitor (assuming I get through the first round of course). I would need a minute or two so I can measure the distance from the shooting line, and then need to tape my foot marks and check the left/right of the marker. Mine has to be in line with the right hand side of the inner white ring on a Fita18 face.

Confusing and frustrating.

BTW, you shoot near me for any length of time and you'll never be short of an excuse!!!

AA
 
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