Radical U-Turn

[chrism]

Not so long ago I posted in reponse to a thread about how serious you take your archery, saying I didnt take it too seriously and was not interested in tournements or score rounds. Well within the last 4 weeks I have taken part in my first AIUK Tournement (2nd birthday), I am waiting for confirmation of my 3rd class, and I am 2/3 rds of the way to my 2nd class

Is this common amongst other arrow chuckers, a sudden change from "playing" to "taking it all a bit serious", or did everyone else start of with a broad competative streak from the start?

[Kae]

Your not alone!

lol. This is a common theme amongst beginners. They start as arrow chuckers, having a laugh and a joke, but as soon as they realise that they can shoot well, and that the high and mighty awards and classes are actually attainable then they start to shoot more seriously.

Its good.

Kae.

[!!!]

Up until two days ago my other half was happy just to chuck a few sticks, for an hour or so then she had, had enough. Longest distance she had shot at was 30M.
Got to the club on Thursday and asked her if she wanted a target out at 30M.
“No put one out at 50Yards I need a sight mark”
I walked off gob smacked set up a target at 50Yards, helped her get a sight mark with the first six arrows.
“So now I can hit it at 50Yards what do I need to do to get my third class?”
Again I wandered off to the clubhouse gob smacked to consult the green book, I explained what a Short National was and asked if she wanted to have a practice at the 50yards for a bit and do a round another day.
“No just want to score them now while there are only four of us at the club and see how I get on”
Where had all this determination come from, why the sudden change from just flinging sticks to taking her archery seriously. I don’t know but it looks good and after six dozen arrows (5th end at 50Y she got 4 gold’s) she just turned round to us and said “Well have I got a 3rd then?”
I had to pass the score sheet along the line for someone to check my maths before I said anything.
“Sorry but you haven’t got a 3rd class score with 435, 69 hits and 19 gold’s
you have just shot a second class score in your first ever round”

This is great now she is texting me asking if we can go to the club after work, and like Im going to say No.

[bkupris]

Originally Posted by chrism

Not so long ago I posted in reponse to a thread about how serious you take your archery, saying I didnt take it too seriously and was not interested in tournements or score rounds. Well within the last 4 weeks I have taken part in my first AIUK Tournement (2nd birthday), I am waiting for confirmation of my 3rd class, and I am 2/3 rds of the way to my 2nd class

Is this common amongst other arrow chuckers, a sudden change from "playing" to "taking it all a bit serious", or did everyone else start of with a broad competative streak from the start?

I started out by helping to form a new club in our area. I soon became interested in the competitive aspect of the game. I shot quite a few SAA comps with limited success. Enjoyed it, made loads of friends etc. Being a coach and knowing what it takes to really be competitive I have now accepted I don't have the drive to try and remain competitive. I have now come out the other end of the archery tunnel if you will. My interest now lies in doing a bit of coaching, some admin work for the SAA and playing around with a few different bow types. I have spent every spare minute over the last 6 months forming a new field archery club and field course, soon to be a reality. I would love to be a top shooter but it aint going to happen. Sorry to ramble... Enjoy your climb up the archery ladder, wherever it takes you

[ThePinkOne]

Originally Posted by chrism

Not so long ago I posted in reponse to a thread about how serious you take your archery, saying I didnt take it too seriously and was not interested in tournements or score rounds. Well within the last 4 weeks I have taken part in my first AIUK Tournement (2nd birthday), I am waiting for confirmation of my 3rd class, and I am 2/3 rds of the way to my 2nd class

Is this common amongst other arrow chuckers, a sudden change from "playing" to "taking it all a bit serious", or did everyone else start of with a broad competative streak from the start?

Yep.

Downhill all the way after the bug bites too, startes to get SERIOUSLY addictive...

P.

[chrism]

Right! thats it, Im jacking in archery and Im going to make a nice little bonfire of all my gear.

Went out this weekend with the intention of shooting my seventh round in 5 weeks and getting my 2nd class. Set up, shoot, miss, (repeat 18 times).

Couldnt get an arrow to pierce paper! Got a few others on the line to check me as I shot but we couldnt spot anything that was throwing my arrows everywhere but the boss. I even tried dismantling my bow and setting up from scratch again but to no avail. In the end I just packed up early and have decided that this weekend didnt happen, it has been expunged from the official history.

[ThePinkOne]

Originally Posted by chrism

Right! thats it, Im jacking in archery and Im going to make a nice little bonfire of all my gear.

Went out this weekend with the intention of shooting my seventh round in 5 weeks and getting my 2nd class. Set up, shoot, miss, (repeat 18 times).

Couldnt get an arrow to pierce paper! Got a few others on the line to check me as I shot but we couldnt spot anything that was throwing my arrows everywhere but the boss. I even tried dismantling my bow and setting up from scratch again but to no avail. In the end I just packed up early and have decided that this weekend didnt happen, it has been expunged from the official history.

I know the feeling.

Step 1- find a new coach
Step 2- aforesaid coach does a good job of deconstruction with accompanying mushing up of form before going abroad for a trip
Step 3- tear hair out, beat head on wall in sheer bl**dy frustration and wonder how much those compound bows are worth second hand... would what I get for them pay for a set of golf-clubs...?
Step 4- go home and have a large glass of good red wine. Shrug and put the archery head on the rack with the bows, hell this wine is good gotta have another glass....
Step 5- have a good nights sleep and wake up with a more balanced perspective..... hey, it's not life and death........ just seems that way sometimes...... so I'm shooting like a pile of c**p at the mo, does it really matter in the big scheme of things? Nah......

Patience isn't my strong point. I'm more of a doer than a sit-and-thinker.

Sometimes tho it just doesn't happen. Whilst I won't quite be expunging this weekend from official history but I will be putting archery on the back burner for a bit. Concentrate on some other things in life for a while until I can come up with another more constructive way of directing my frustrations than

Hey ho, such is life.

P.

[john rowland]

Originally Posted by chrism

Not so long ago I posted in reponse to a thread about how serious you take your archery, saying I didnt take it too seriously and was not interested in tournements or score rounds. Well within the last 4 weeks I have taken part in my first AIUK Tournement (2nd birthday), I am waiting for confirmation of my 3rd class, and I am 2/3 rds of the way to my 2nd class

Is this common amongst other arrow chuckers, a sudden change from "playing" to "taking it all a bit serious", or did everyone else start of with a broad competative streak from the start?

You now have a serios addiction that may last you the rest of your life . i only wanderd into an archery club when i was six ,i have never found the cure John

[Rik]

Dangerous business. You know how it all starts... He seems like a nice enough kind of guy. He says "come on down and try it, it's a nice day. You might enjoy it". And you try it. Just the one session to start with. But that turns into two sessions and before you know it, you've been shooting long enough to join a club. That's when things really start to go down hill. Before you know it you find yourself spending money you never would have dreamed of, and doing degrading things like standing in the rain in the middle of a windy field. Just to get a "score"...

[chrism]

well after a disasterous two weeks of shooting I have finally got myself my third 2nd class score (records officer approval pending). ok so I only got it with 1 point to spare but I still got it. And all it needed to turn my bad form round was a new rest, a new long rod, a change of grip, a change of stance and two changes to my drawing technique.