New Archers
Entering and Going to Shoots
Before you can go to a
shoot you need to fill in an Entry Form. These are all different and may
ask for different information. If you are unsure what is meant by
something, ask someone in your Club - don’t guess! (I’ve always asked
for ‘Classification’ on shoots that I’ve organised as by knowing this I
can keep very good archers away from each other and so minimise arrow
damage; ‘male’, ‘senior’ and ‘archer’ (amongst others) are not
Classifications! The Tournament Organiser will have a good reason for
asking for the information on the form - so please fill it all in
correctly. Organisers have a hard enough job as it is so anything you
can do to make life easier will be appreciated and will encourage them
to do the job again (and you will be able to go to the same shoot again
next year!) As well as giving them all the information they ask for -
even if you think it’s rubbish - please write clearly; email addresses
are a particular problem!
Before going to
tournaments make sure that you understand how to score. Metric Rounds
are scored differently from Imperial Rounds (and the Worcester Round is
different again).
Many ‘new’ archers are
worried about going to tournaments - “Will I make a fool of myself?”,
“What will the other archers think if I miss the target?” and “Will I
remember what I am supposed to be doing?” (Yes. Idiot! and No.)
Seriously though - if you follow the instructions given in the club
situation, read the “Rules of Shooting” (every Club should have a copy!)
and use a bit of common sense, you will have no problem. Unless you are
the super-confident type I would recommend you start with local ‘club’
shoots rather than FITA Star or Rose Award events. The first tournament
I went to was to watch a club member shoot in the Somerset Championships
at the start of Dunster Week, I had only been shooting for about six
months and didn’t think I was fit for competition. There seemed to be
quite a few arrows going into the grass and I thought, “I can do that”,
so I went and saw the organisers and shot the last three days and really
enjoyed myself (I even won a prize - hidden score in the Western Round)
- to the extent that now I am usually at a tournament somewhere on most
Sundays from April through to the end of September.
I can’t say that all the
archers I have shot with have been good company; but those that have
been a bit of a pain have been in a very small minority, the vast
majority have been great - a better percentage than you would probably
find in life in general! And that same majority have been helpful in
many ways, from pointing out that I should be on the shooting line
rather than talking (lots of my target companions do this for me!) to
technical advice and problem solving.
Aim to get to the shoot
well before the time stated for assembly and on arrival try to remember
the last part of the GNAS motto (Union - True Heart - Courtesie). Not
all shoots book you in but it is only polite to find out if this is
being done and tell them that you are present. Everyone likes to set up
as near to the shooting line as possible, but, at a big shoot this is
often difficult; please try to leave gangways so everyone can get from
their tent to the shooting line without too much difficulty; you will
undoubtedly come across the dipstick who parks himself in the gap you
have considerately left for others to use as access - this is when you
have to remind yourself of the ‘Courtesie’ again instead of just kicking
seven bells out of him or her.
If you have given yourself
plenty of time you can set about putting your gear together in a relaxed
state rather than rushing around like a headless chicken, this means
less mistakes, or at any rate gives you time to check things out and
correct if necessary. It also starts you off in a better frame of mind
so your shooting will (probably) be better. Find out which detail you
are shooting and which side you will be standing; if you can, find out
who your target companions are and introduce yourself (once you have
been to a few tournaments you will be surprised how many people you
recognise). Make sure scores are filled in correctly - any alterations
made, and signed, by a judge (you can alter the hits, score and golds
but only a judge can alter the arrow values) - or you may miss out if
you are making a claim for a Rose Award or a FITA Star and remember that
you should do all the scoring before going behind the target to look for
arrows. Make sure you do your share of the work involved in scoring,
pulling arrows, moving targets, etc., don’t forget to thank your
companions for making your day so pleasant and remember to sign the
score sheet.
The prize giving is part
of the shoot and it is my personal belief that archers should make every
effort to stay for it - I know it is not always possible and there may
be good reasons for getting away quickly; but if everyone did this there
would be no-one to applaud the winners - and one day this may be you!
(And if you do win a trophy - please return it in a fit state to be
presented - tournament organisers have enough to do without having to
clean trophies before the presentation).
One final bit of advice -
bring a friend (or two!) - two can travel as cheaply as one and you can
have a good moan about things on the way home!
Seriously, archery is a
great sport and by going to tournaments you will make friends and learn
more about the game. Take the plunge and come and join other archers
doing what they love - shooting arrows!