What is archery to you?

[jadlem]

Monday nights: at home in front of the telly or organising club events/club trips to tournaments (easter funshoot 14th April: 14 target 3d, warwick and clout if anyones interested)

Tuesday nights: I help at a local junior session, with anyone from 8-18 years of age.

Wednesday I'm out at club sessions, normally first one there getting the field set out.

Thursdays: dog sitting while the wife is out training two of the three collies. Normally fletching friends arrows or general bow maintenance.

Fridays, club session. Normally help with beginners and occaisionally have a blat with the compound bow. Usually update club website when I get home.

Saturday: occaisionally visit another local club. More often go shopping for new archery gear.

Sunday: Another trip to a local club in the morning. Quick lunch then club session in the afternoon (let other members set up the field for this one)

Sunday night: Chill out infront of Planet Earth on the telly.

Guess that means archery is my life. I occasionally read archery interchange on the web too!

According to the wife we're at a competition every weekend between the end of may and middle of July when just for a change we've got a holiday booked! Not sure if I'll take the bow with me yet...

[provins]

Sunday
Get up
Breakfast
Put gear in car,drive to shoot.
Arrive,sort out gear and clothing.
Book in while wife is getting coffee and bacon sarnys.
Meet greet and chat to all our friends that we haven't seen for a week or longer.
Assembly and get led out to our starting target and meet up with our shooting companions for the day.
Will it be people we know or strangers we don't?
If its people we don't know they will probably be new friends by the end of the day.
A day spent walking and shooting around beautiful woodlands,seeing the bluebells are a little taller this week than they were last,the birdsong,the buds on the trees,seeing nature at work.
The end of the day,the scores congratulations, commiserations,the goodbyes and "see you next week?"
YOU BET!!!!

[jammed05]

i have just started archery. and at the moment i want to go as far as i can to achieve what i have been waiting for. to actually do the course after waiting 2 years i am impresses with myself

[MrT]

I didn't take up archery until the age of 54, a couple of years ago, so I know I'm not going to the Olympics! I do it because I enjoy it, I really wish I'd found it as a lad, when we used to make our own stick-n-string bows.

I compete in the odd shoot, but it's not important to me, beating my PB is far more satisfying than beating someone else.

Good company, fresh air... yeah, those as well :-)

Kev

[Radar_UK]

For me it's primarily for fun but I like to complete at club level for some tournament experience.

I know I can never give up enough time to practice to be able to compete at any higher level but that was never the plan anyway as it's my hobby (well addiction would be more accurate).

[Wrexham Exile]

i want it all.

it has been my life before and i know it will be again. ok so uni has to be completed first etc but i feel its just a matter of time.
im not at that level yet but im fast getting to where i was and beyond i feel - dont mean to sound arrogant or big headed but when you want something bad then its just how you feel.

but as marcus said - if i dont make it it wont be the end of the world as long as i know im giving my all.

[SLOWHAND]

Originally Posted by Woodie

The rest of the european masters records and beyond.

In your dreams, there mine, MINE I TELL YOU (demented laugh)

[SLOWHAND]

Since taking up archery three and a bit years ago it has really taken over my life. I love the laughs and banter at club nights (and the drink afterwards in good company) the hours spent in practice, buying new kit and messing about with it untill it's right. But most of all I really love the competitive side of the sport. I enjoy indoor competitions but for me the absolute pinacle is doing a two or three day shoot in the middle of summer at a nice venue, camping with my 16 yr. old son and chatting to other archers as you eat your fish n' chips outside the tent and looking forward to the next day. I have made some wonderfull friends through archery and look forward to making many more. I'm quite a competitive type of person and archery is one of the very few things in my life that I'm good at (county and European records).I didn't discover the sport untill I was fifty years old and you have no idea how much I regret the fact that I didn't take it up in my teens, but then again would I still be enjoying it as much now if I had?

Now listen, LISTEN all of you people who think that age is a barrier. My ambition is to shoot the type of scores that make it impossible for the Olympic selection committee to ignore me, at the very least I want to shoot for England and break world and European records. Will I do it? Dont know, but if I dont it wont be because of the lack of trying. And the minute I think that I'm too old, thats when I'll know I am too old (and take up compound!!)

[Max]

Originally Posted by SLOWHAND

Will I do it? Dont know, but if I dont it wont be because of the lack of trying. And the minute I think that I'm too old, thats when I'll know I am too old (and take up compound!!)

Ooooh! you really know how to stick the knife in! I've seen you shoot and I know you can do it Slowhand. In case by some chance I actually make it to the 2012 Olympics - how far is the bathroom from the shooting line? - it might be kind of important. Does incontinence count as equipment failure?

[SLOWHAND]

Originally Posted by Max

Ooooh! you really know how to stick the knife in! I've seen you shoot and I know you can do it Slowhand. In case by some chance I actually make it to the 2012 Olympics - how far is the bathroom from the shooting line? - it might be kind of important. Does incontinence count as equipment failure?

No problem, they have special pants nowadays dont they?