August is a low motivation month for me for a few reasons, some of which have only really dawned on me recently, thankfully there was a bit going on archery wise.
Seasonal affective disorder is the official name for it or the winter blues as it is more commonly called.
A wise man once said if you say to your significant other that they look fresh and alive like the first day of spring, you'll be in notching up a few points. Just a day earlier though, likening them to the last day of a long cold winter....another story.
By the end of winter I have had enough of it, my birthday is also in August so the reminder that none of us will ever be as young as we are today is like a slap in the face with an Atlantic salmon. Cue long pause and thoughtful stare into nowhere.
Now that navel gazing session over it is time to get back into it. There are three two-day competitions left as well as the club stuff so plenty to look forward to. Still rounding off the month break but have hit the range a couple of times.
24/08 - Indoor comp - 38 arrows and as far as shooting goes for an IFAA indoor distance alternating between a five spot and single target, I was happy enough with the shooting.
I can't see where the arrows are going on these target faces so can't compensate with the next few shots, a few members put coloured feather fluffys on their arrows for that reason.
Talk is cheap and there are excuses for everything if you think hard enough. Practice is required. There were plenty of shooters in the same score range and I reckon everyone has improved which is fantastic.
29/08 - New Arrow day! Ordered some new arrows a month or so ago on back order and they showed up yesterday. I threw a few down to see how they went, these are for the new bow on order, due to arrive in October and are next years project. No choice of fletch colour but I wouldn't have picked the dark green and a white cock feather, not when I have to look for them in the grass sometimes.. Usual walk back stuff and it was probably a month or more since I shot at home. - 41 arrows.
02/09 - Indoor full round ABA Comp - 62 arrows.
Always a fun day, Shooting against DM I know I have to bring my A game every bloody time, this time around, a couple of early third arrows in the morning didn't help my cause. To be perfectly honest, I shot an average for me score, a 480 for the day, my one arrow was not bad with 7 washes. DM had a blinder with an impressive 572 and so the friendly rivalry continues and I love it. Boring fact time, my phone told me I walked 4.81kms today...that surprised me.
Still haven't wandered out the back for a practice shot or two, life is just so busy at the moment.07/09 - Indoor Comp IFAA Field - 32 arrows
Shot the woods tonight and was reasonably happy with the shooting. It's obvious which were the 50 and 40 odd yard targets.
16-17/09 - Lilydale 2 Day Competition - 114 arrows
The weekend didn't start well, got my bits for work done on Friday Morning, packed and squared away and headed off for the roughly 2.5hr drive across Melbourne.
I stopped in Waurn Ponds for some 'supplies' and as it turned out was the difference between the said 2.5hr drive and what was a 6.5hr drive.
A truck had hit a bridge just past the Werribee turnoff and they had shut the highway, I wasn't far behind it but the accident and diversion of traffic added at least three hours of sitting, waiting.
I had grand plans of arriving early and after setting up, kicking back and making a few strings, listen to tunes, have a coldy and ease into the weekend. Yeah Nah.
Once I did get there I set up, I had a coldy and started cooking my dinner because it was so late. The usual suspects showed up, we had a chuckle about it and the evening was as pleasant as it always is.
Lilydale turned on the perfect weather, just fantastic, and once we hit the courses we were not disappointed.
This club is blessed with beautiful landscape, the vegetation differs from one side of the course to the other and with the bubbling brook snaking it's way through the valley, butterflies, kookaburras, cockatoos, the tall and proud trees on both sides of the gully, just wow!
Facilities are top notch as well.
How did the shoot go? The courses were challenging for me as I'm not used to shooting a lot of extreme up and downs. There were a lot of long distance shots as well, those two things together would have tested the best of them and I did my best.
I was in a group of three, Luke from the host club, Craig from Bacchus on the Saturday, Darrin joined us for Sunday.
I had to chuckle each time I dropped the 'it's a twenty, but not a Lilydale twenty' unless it was and there were a couple, none were mine.
Thoroughly enjoyed shooting with these guys, good banter, good conversation, great shooting and the birth of a new rivalry which made the weekend so much better.
Not unhappy with my scores, although 6 third arrows in round one, 8 washes in round two. Two by two arrow rounds on Sunday which I was consistent so overall not bad.
My new rival pipped me by one arrow in the end. I came in second to a local guy that I didn't know, he got me by 80 odd points.
The bridesmaid trend continues, but well worth the trip across.
Lilydale two day - 123 arrows, lost one arrow by choice this time, no more information is required here.
Still dragging the chain on hitting the practice range, even though it's just there, right outside..
I have gone out only once in weeks.
26/09 - Home range - 30 arrows.
While I'm in two minds whether or not to stuff with everything before Bacchus, by everything I mean new differently spined arrows, I'm also toying with my aiming method plus I got a new glove which is stiff AF compared to the one I picked up one night at the indoor range.
A quick digression, I was attending indoor for a few months last year and not shooting, just doing my thing as the safety guy and also helping new comers and the kids with tips etc.
While showing someone some bits and bobs, my fingers started hurting so I went to our shoe box full of donated tabs, gloves, arm guards and I picked out an old worn Neet glove, loving donated by a club founding member and a lady often referred to as the Matriarch.
I put it on and angels started singing, the sun shone through the tin roof even though it was dark, I felt...something.
It literally fitted like a glove, like a second skin.
The rest is history.
A year down the track and a few thousand arrows later it's developed a ridge on the third finger that catches sometimes if my form is poor so instead of improving my form, I got a new one. Joking.
Ok carry on.
I'm currently gap shooting which I'm comfortable with but as I go down the YouTube rabbit hole from time to time and talk to fellow archers so I've began playing with it. I'll give it a week and see if I'm happy to take it into the States.
28/09 - Still no practice but I've noticed my string getting a bit tired and since I have been wanting to make a couple of strings, I think now I've been pushed into 'needing' to. So back onto Youtube, watched a couple and went with a Clay Hayes no jig method and quickly realised that it was only going to half work for me.
I hammered a couple of nails in the fence to get the string bundles sorted, got one each spool of electric blue and a dark green of BCY B55 string material and away I went
Clay adds some additional strands to reinforce the loop, my first attempt was just as quickly unwound and they were removed. I got there in the end and pro tip I didn't see - wax the ends. They stay together so much better. Note to self, lay off the cider until you are absolutely no longer required to be dexterous. This morning I sorted it all out.
First one stretching out before I serve it, the second one I did in a third of the time, ready and waiting. I'll do a couple more and once they are good enough I'll give one or two away to people I've promised them to.
Three weeks out from the State Titles at Bacchus Marsh Bowmen, I'm already thinking about it.
Lilydale was a good warm up to the up and down shooting, across gully stuff not so much. I've shot Bacchus once, a few years back now and I remember it being hard work just getting around the courses.
I'm really looking forward to this shoot, it is almost like the perfect storm. The most challenging courses, some of the most proficient longbow shooters.
All the usual suspects and, being a Title shoot, there will be guys travel that we wouldn't normally see. The weather will play some sort of role but we won't know what that will be until probably a day or so before.
I won't be putting any pressure on myself for this one
I cannot wait.
FL14 Tally:
This period - 71 arrows @ home
- 70 arrows @ indoor range
- 0 arrows @ outdoor range
- 290 arrows @ competition
2023 Total Arrows - 4321
FL14 Casualties - 9 - (6 broken, 3 lost) = 5 left
Carbon Casualties - 6 - (2 Broken, 4 Lost)
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