SCAS Intercounties

This was my last competition of 2010, but it could have not turned out worse.

On the Saturday I put a hole in the engine of my car and have probably written it off. The stress of this, and having to sort out an last minute issue with my sight meant that I was not in the right frame of mind for shooting. However I had to attend because the team would be short of numbers.

100 yards was a disaster, and I ended up with 566, about 30-40 points short of my normal standard. I simply could not shoot properly. Thinking about it later, the issue was the classic lack of alignment.

After a pep talk I had a reasonable 80 yards, 410, and 60 yards was good, despite dropping one red (dropped bow arm on release). I was really getting the alignment issues sorted at this stage and the shots were really crisp.

In the end I ended up with 1190, not bad considering I was not in any frame of mind to shoot. One positive out of this is that I was able to turn it around and grind out a result which I did @ 80 yards.

Well that's if for 2010. I am off for a holiday, and then I will come back, get the bow rebuilt and start my training regime of one full 12 doz round per week. I will not be shooting any indoor competitions in the indoor season as I am going to be as ready as possible for next years out door, where my target is GMB.

Meriden FITA Star

I shot a new competition PB of 1344 (327/329/334/354), but could have had more.

This round was a mix of brilliant shooting coupled with very poor shooting. 70m was a mixture of 57/58's and 51/53's.

Looking through my score card I chucked away at least 25 easy points.

But, on the positive side, my 90m was great, and a new competition distance PB and 50m was new competition distance PB, as well as being a very comfortable MB score.

I have my last outdoor shoot of the year next week at the Inter-counties, and I hope to bring it all together and shoot well. Just need to concentrate and focus harder.

Allington Castle York "White Friars"

After the KAA Champs I was determined to shoot better, and I did, but the weather put a stop to any high scores. The wind was so bad that the shoot was stopped twice. However, my 100 yards was fantastic, I really shot well and finished on 598. On a calm day it could have been a lot higher.

80 yards was a lottery, and anything inside the red was good. Brute force won the day here but was well down on my usual score at this distance. However, at the end of this I was still on for an MB score if I maxed 60 yards.

Alas, the wind did not relent, and with really low sight marks (terrain on the range was uphill with lumps and bumps coupled with a head wind), 60 yards was poor and I finished on 1196, still 50 points ahead of second place.

I feel now I can battle the wind with ease, both mentally and by choosing the right moment to shoot. Also, my reading of the conditions down range was good, using the bubble to steer arrows into the gold. Although I lost a few points by reading it incorrectly, I gained far more by making decisions on canting the bow to guide the arrows in.

I am very pleased with how I shot in terms of my alignment, and some of the shots were as good as I have ever shot, and to come away with a convincing 1st place in very difficult conditions was pleasing.