[Merlin Archery]

First up, my apologies for this post. (And my first one on this board, too! I’m not normally a complainer. Honest..) This is a copy of a letter that has gone out to try and get clarification on the carbon arrow issue. There are much deeper issues at hand, and this ‘banning’ culture, instead of finding a solution, is just the easy path, and not the right path.

A little point I would like to make to you compound shooters out there. It wasn’t so long ago when many archery clubs tried to ban compound bows. Thankfully the GNAS put a stop to that and the compound bow has grown into a major division.

Here goes.

It’s very rare that I’m moved to write a letter of complaint about anything, but there is an issue that has been bothering me for a while, and I now feel it must be addressed as it is becoming more and more commonplace. This issue is to do with some archery clubs banning the use of all carbon arrow shafts. More specifically, clubs being allowed to hold record status tournaments specifying that competitors using carbon arrow shafts will not be allowed to compete. It is said that the reason for this stipulation is that carbon arrow shafts can’t be found with a metal detector, and because the tournament field is also a sports field, there is a risk of injury to other users of the field falling onto a hidden or broken arrow.

I can fully understand the reasoning behind sports ground owners stipulating to the club that all lost arrows must be found. I also accept and support the fact that archery clubs should be able to run their clubs however they see fit. However, I feel it is wrong that a tournament organiser is able to stipulate what equipment may or may not be used at a record status event. A record status event is shot in accordance with the rules of GNAS. The rule book clearly states what equipment may be used, and if a tournament is granted the title of ‘record status’ then if an archer’s equipment complies with said rules, they should be allowed to shoot. Do you think FITA would allow the Lords Cricket Ground to ban carbon arrows at the 2012 Olympics?

You might think I’m being petty, and you might say people should just shoot aluminium arrows or carbon/aluminium arrows and be done with it. There are several underlying reasons why I don’t think this should be the case. Firstly, one manufacturer has a virtual monopoly on aluminium and carbon/aluminium shafts. (Probably 99% of all aluminium and carbon/aluminium tournament arrows sold in the UK.) Good for them, you might say. But if this trend of banning carbon arrows continues to grow, the tournament organiser is effectively supporting a certain manufacturer. If organisers can choose what equipment can and can’t be used then it’s a short step away from them choosing what brands can and can’t be used.

Another reason is discrimination. Discriminating against carbon shafts also discriminates those who can’t, or don’t want to pay more than £100 for a set of aluminium/carbon arrows! There are a multitude of all carbon arrows that can aid archers long distance shooting without breaking the bank. I’m in the archery business and have sold, and always will sell, all arrow types. I am now having issues arise where customers have bought a set of carbon arrows, been very happy, only to return dismayed having been told some tournaments on his circuit won’t allow them to shoot. I sell equipment based on the rules of archery and shouldn’t be expected to cater for differing rules on a club to club basis. Equally, archers competing at record status events shouldn’t be forced into buying a brand they wouldn’t normally have chosen. (As is currently happening.) Not so many years ago compound bows were banned at some events for no real reason other than organiser’s personal preferences. Thankfully, this was overcome and the compound bow is flourishing.

It seems that this ‘banning of carbon arrows’ is a self imposed rule, and is the easy option for clubs unwilling to find a solution to this new problem of lost arrows. I say ‘new’ because carbon arrows have been around a long time. When the carbon arrow was first invented by Beman Archery it was an all carbon shaft and became hugely successful all over Britain and the rest of the World. It set a new standard for other manufacturers to follow because of the weight advantage over aluminium arrows. I would bet that the organisers of the more established clubs currently banning carbon arrows allowed their use back then, because it gave them this advantage. If they found a way to use a shared field before, they should be able to do it now.

I believe this issue could be quite easily resolved if a club, who is under instructions that all lost arrows must be found, invests in a better metal detector. If metal detectors can find old pennies buried 3-4” inches deep in the ground they can certainly find a brass or steel arrow point somewhere near the surface. If, however, a club is still told they can’t use all carbon arrows, or the club themselves decides they don’t want people to shoot all carbon arrows, then their ground should be classed unsuitable for record status tournaments. After all, if you don’t have a long enough overshoot you don’t just say ‘30lb maximum draw weight’ and be expected to get away with it.

I’m asking the GNAS to clarify the confusion regarding this situation. If the GNAS continues to turn a blind eye to this, then it won’t be long before arrow manufactures start complaining that their FITA legal arrows are being restricted in the UK.

Yours Sincerely

Ben Jones