However, on the bright side I shot an EFAA National Record at Panther Bowhunters for the New Marked Forester round, upping it from 930 to 995. My form was much better and more like what I know I can shoot like. I received my certificate at the EFAA Spring Championships.
And finally, this weekend was the EFAA Spring Championships, comprising of a Hunter round on the Saturday and the New Marked Forester on the Sunday. Day one was a bit of a disaster, shooting under 530 for the first time ever with a 529. I could not get any form going and shot a succession of 19/20 throughout the day. It was enough for 3rd, and a place in the top group on the Sunday.
On the Sunday I headed for the practice range and did some blank boss shooting, with the hope I could figure out the problem. I worked out it was my rear elbow alignment, and as a result I shot a brilliant first 2/3 of the round. I hit a bit of a stumbling block where my arrows started hitting above the spot on the last few targets, and I fell short of beating my own record with a final score of 985. But, it was enough to win the FU class by a mere two points across the two days.
This was a pleasing result, simply because I worked the problem and dramatically turned it around to come away with the win, even with the pressure of shooting effectively head to head in the top group with the second placed archer, who on day one was way out in front. Not only did the blank boss shooting give me the insight into what the problem was, but also a comment from an archer I shot with on the first day. He was talking about his days as an international archer, and he said you have to want it so badly that you could walk up to the target and smash your fist through it. That stuck on my mind for the rest of the weekend.
Next up, the EFAA Bowhunter Champsionships, an un-marked 3D round over two days. This is going to need some serious practice!
