Right, I've been thinking about this, pretty seriously, since I took up archery.
It's just a simple little thing, on first glance, but looking deeper into it & thinking more about it, I'm beginning to think that this one little thing has huge implications. Possibly.
Do you think that there is far, far too much emphasis placed on formal archery competition?
That's the thing, really. As a newcomer to archery, I've felt very much like the whole point of archery, as both a hobby & sport (& yes, I see the paradox here
) is to compete, in formal, organised tournaments. You can't achieve classification, without competing, for example. This just strikes me as wrong. Why should I
have to compete against other people in order to achieve a recognised
GNAS classification? Why can I not shoot, under supervision, & have my score recorded for classification purposes? Just as an example, I am now regularly shooting 570 Portsmouths (Actually, I don't know what classification this would be a standard for) which I consider to be pretty good. My coach keeps telling me that it's good & who am I to argue, but I cannot gain a recognised
GNAS classification, because I refuse to compete.
I took up archery, initially, as a hobby. Something I could do on my own, with a definative end-goal in mind (ie; getting them all into the gold, every time) As I learned more about archery (mainly through this site) I began to get a little disallusioned with the whole thing. After learning about GMB scores, MB, Bowman, 1st, 2nd classes etc.... I started to realise that 'Archery is about Formal Competition' The club I shoot at is regarded as 'A Little Odd' because none of us has any interest in competition, other than the occasional, oncea year jaunt to a clout shoot, or something similar. Unfortunately this means that none of us (& there are far, far better shots at the club than I) will ever acheive
GNAS classifications.
Is it just me, or does this seem wrong?
As payed up
GNAS members, why should we have to compete to attain classification? Personally I refuse to enter competetive shoots, because of what it does to my mentality. I'm a
very competetive person (in a sporting environment) & turn into someone I don't particularly like when in a 'Win or Lose' situation, hence, I stay away from it. But why should that stop me from acheiving a
GNAS qualification? I just don't get it!!
WHY is archery, do you think, aimed solely at competition?
Why is it
not geared, just for people to enjoy shooting arrows?
It seems that from the first minute that we pick up a bow, we're being groomed for the competition circuit (Does anyone else feel this?) We're taught (and taught to teach) about how to comport ourselves at shoots, How to score rounds etc....but what if we're simply Not Interested?
I guess I'm just trying to gauge if anyone else feels as I do about this.
Do you want to compete? Do you care? Do you feel like you
have to be better than somebody else (& prove it) or are you happy just trying to be the best you can be, for the sake of your own sence of accomplishment?
I would
LOVE to be able to say, many years from now, that I was a Grand Master Bowman, but I really, really don't want to have to compete to acheive it. As it stands, this will never happen. It's simply not possible. I could bethe greatest archer to have lived, but if I didn't compete my scores could never be officially recognised.