A Day of Highs and Lows

Today's archery practice was … interesting. Let me start off, though, with some most excellent news:

JOHN MADE BOWMAN!!! WOOOOOO!!!!!

During the last timed end, I was actually watching where his arrows landed rather than where my own did. I'm SO over-the-moon excited for him!

I began practice today with a right-handed longbow. It was every bit as awkward as I expected it to be--every muscle in my body tried to revolt against what I was asking it to do. I had to consciously think of everything, from which foot was on which side of the line, to which eye I was aiming with, to where my aim point was. It all felt so foreign.

I scored 8 points on my first end at 20 yards, and 5 points on the second end. 😂 I do think that with monumental amounts of practice, though, I could become at least proficient in shooting right-handed.

Then I switched back to my own bow and began both a Royal Round and the IKAC with a timed end at 20 yards. It was like my entire body heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed … and it showed in my shooting. I scored 21 points!

That was immediately followed by what is probably the worst untimed, 20-yard end I've ever shot. I scored three points. THREE! I don't even know what to do with that. I tried to cut myself some slack, given my mental state this weekend, but oy. That bugged me for the rest of the day.

I managed to bounce back, though, with a decent 9 at the 30 and 5 at the 40. I went right into my second Royal Round. Ironically, both RRs were a total of 38 points (yay, consistency?).

20: 3
20T: 21
30: 9
40: 5
TOT: 38

20: 16
20T: 15
30: 5
40: 3
TOT: 38

WELL below where I've been shooting this season, but again, given everything, I guess I'll take what I can get. We did the timed ends at 30 and 40 to finish off the IKAC, and my score wound up totaling 95 points--just 4 points shy of my current record. That was surprising. If I hadn't had such an atrocious 20-yard end, I'd have had a new record.

20: 3, 16
20T: 21, 15
30: 9, 5
30T: 4, 11
40: 5, 3
40T: 3, 0
TOT: 95

We were pretty tired by the end of the IKAC, but wanted to take a crack at the SSAC as well.

It didn't go well, score-wise. BUT! I did manage to do this:

And I was pretty proud of it. 😊

Archery in the Fall

Our outdoor archery season is rapidly drawing to a close here in the northeast. I've been trying to get in as much shooting as possible in the time we have left.

On September 29, I had a really off day. I shot both the IKAC (including two RRs) and the SSAC.

20: 14, 20
20T: 9, 14
30: 3, 5
30T: 3, 3
40: 1, 2
40T: 0, 0
TOT: 74

The higher of the two RRs was:

20: 20
20T: 14
30: 5
40: 2
TOT: 41

Ugh!

The SSAC was equally awful that day. I did the Full Course and the Par 3.

Full
Timed: 30
Untimed: 17
TOT: 47

Par 3
Timed: 13
Untimed: 21
TOT: 34

For comparison purposes, my scores on record for the SSAC are 32 (shot the following weekend) for the Full Course and 29 for the Par 3 (which I shot the prior weekend).

That awful day notwithstanding, however, I have some good news to report: as of the September update, my Royal Round average has increased to 54.67! I am sooooo close to Bowman, I can smell it. If I can figure out a way to practice frequently throughout the winter, I feel like I may be able to kick off the 2020 archery season with a 60+ average.

On a non-score-related front, I had an epiphany at the range today. Elena let me try shooting her (right-handed) bow. To do so, I had to adjust my gear. I moved my shooting glove to my right hand, and I FLIPPED MY BACK QUIVER TO THE OTHER SHOULDER.

Why did I yell that, you ask?

My quiver is DESIGNED FOR A RIGHT-HANDED ARCHER.

That's why it slips constantly, and I feel like I'm wrestling with it all the time. This thing has driven me bonkers for more than a decade, but I just assumed that that's kinda just what back quivers do when you're a well-endowed woman (my seatbelt in my car also slides all over the place on me, so the logic seemed sound). But OMG. When I put that quiver on the other way this afternoon, it was like night and day. That thing was glued in place.

I'm so mad.

I'm also relieved, because as a leatherworker it should be a simple matter for me to alter it to a left-handed setup.

What will it be like to not have to fight my quiver anymore?!

I can't wait to find out.

September (So Far)

I went from No Archery Whatsoever for most of the summer into All Archery All the Time for the past few weeks!

Hunter's Moon was Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. I didn't shoot at all on Saturday, because after being on my feet for two hours straight retaining for Her Highness, I just didn't feel up to more standing/walking. But Sunday I got my bow out. There was a novelty shoot in addition to the standard RR. I started off the day focusing on 40 yards, which turned out to be a Series of Frustrating Events. No matter what I tried, I couldn't seem to even hit backstop, nevermind achieve scoring arrows.

...until I shifted one gate to the right.

I literally spent an hour shooting from the same spot, trying to control everything from my aim point to my stance to my breathing, with no success. I don't know WHY shifting one gate to the right made the difference, but it was a good reminder of a lesson I had learned earlier this season (and then forgotten about during my hiatus): if something isn't working, change things up.

I only shot a 44 for my RR that day, but I submitted the score anyway. It won't affect my average, and it helps document archery participation (go, Omnibus Peerage!).

The following weekend was Panther Vale's annual archery event, Lost Tip. It's one of my three favorite archery events of the year (along with On Target down in Atlantia, and the Coppertree Holiday Shoot out in AEthelmearc). It featured three ranges: a static range with RR targets and two timed novelty shoots, a walking range with 3D targets in the woods, and a roving range that involved lobbing shots at unknown distances, trying to get as close to a stake in the ground as possible.

The last time I went to Lost Tip, I did the static range and the roving range. Therefore, this year I really wanted to make sure I did the walking range. As a fully warranted marshal, I got to lead my own group through the course, which was cool. The two archers that accompanied me were delightful, and though we lost a few arrows in the brush, we had a great time!

I wound up with a final score of exactly 100 points for the day, which landed me in third place of the archers who submitted their scoresheets! First place was 169, and second was 137.

Lost Tip RR
20: 15
20T: 19
30: 10
40: 10
TOT: 54

The very next day was Concordia's archery practice, which I was actually running because John was out of town. Elena was my hero, though--she came out to support me even though she couldn't shoot (fresh arm tattoo), and she actually ran the line the whole time so that I could actually shoot! I nailed down two RRs, the higher of which I submitted, and then I went on to do the extra timed ends to complete my first-ever IKAC!

9/8/19 Practice RR
20: 18
20T: 12
30: 16
40: 7
TOT: 53

9/8/19 IKAC
20: 18, 14
20T: 12, 12
30: 16, 11
30T: 3, 5
40: 7, 1
40T: 0, 0
TOT: 99

Yesterday, John was back in town for archery practice. I drew up a target face for the fall SSAC, and we set that up along with the 20, 30, and 40 RR targets. Counting the score for the SSAC was … trying. It requires math! For this particular shoot, a LOW score is better.

Fall SSAC
Timed: 20
Untimed: 14
Total: 34

Then I switched over to shooting the RR. At the 20, I adjusted my stance slightly--after drawing, I kicked my left hip back a tick, which I think improved my total body alignment, because … wow. I mean, the difference was measurable and immediate. I explained to John what I had done differently, and he tried it too--with the same immediate improvement. 😮 I'm not seeing a LOT of difference at 30 and 40 yards with this yet, but John also saw improvement at 30.

9/15/19 Practice RR
20: 25
20T: 16
30: 10
40: 4
TOT: 55

We're going to offer a special, extended practice option next weekend, explicitly for folks who want to shoot the IKAC. And the EK's top IKAC archer (and newest Tyger of the East!), Peter the Red, may be joining us at a practice in the not-too-distant future--I look forward to the opportunity to watch him shoot, and maybe even receive some guidance from him!

First Practice in Two Months

Hello!

I had surgery in June, which resulted in me not being able to practice or shoot at events for over two months. As such, my quest to attain the next rank has been pretty thoroughly derailed, and I may have to update my goal to "Marksman to Bowman 2020" at this point.

But today I got out to Concordia practice and shot a Royal Round for the first time since the end of May. It was hot and incredibly humid, and we all observed that our arrows were striking lower than normal. It took quite a few warm-up rounds to dial in an adjusted aim point, and it was really frustrating.

My Royal Round today wasn't great, but for my first day back, I'm happy that I at least stayed in the Marksman range with my score.

20: 20 (I shot this round last, and I was REALLY happy with it)
20T: 14
30: 8
40: 4
Total: 46

We'll have practice again next weekend, and then the weekend after that is Hunter's Moon, so I can record scores on both Saturday and Sunday. I'm hoping the progress I had made before the surgery will come back to me fairly quickly, and will be reflected in those scores. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Target Making and Practice in the Rain

A group of us gathered at SUNYA on Saturday to tackle the monumental task of making the targets for the novelty and youth tournaments at War of the Roses. Our goal was to get the designs drawn onto the cardboard, and then each of us would  take a couple of them home to paint them.

Well.



In addition to Jonathan, Janna, and the MITs (me and Elena), we had our Baron and Baroness and Their daughter! So not only were we able to get everything traced, but we got everything painted as well. Many hands make light work! You should definitely come out and shoot at Roses--it's gonna be a great tournament!














Then on Sunday, we the nutty but dedicated few went out to the range in the rain and shot royal rounds. It was ... weird. I expected my arrows to strike lower, because of the added weight of the water in the fletching. However, I overshot the target repeatedly--especially at 30 yards. Baffling.

20: 16
20T: 11
30: 11
40: 9
TOTAL: 47

So, it was decent, but not spectacular. It's probably the last time I'll get out to shoot for a while, because I'm having surgery tomorrow.

To end on an exciting note: we nabbed a second Jo-Jan multifletcher! WOOHOO!

Snorri's Visit

We had an impromptu, unofficial practice last Tuesday afternoon because our friend Snorri from AEthelmearc was in town for a work conference, and the weather miraculously cooperated. I got off work at 2, but Elena and Snorri wouldn't be getting to the range until 5 or so. I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to experiment with an idea we had for a suspended target--a tennis ball. We weren't sure if anyone would be able to actually stick an arrow in one.

Of course, to test this idea, I had to actually manage to HIT the tennis ball. 😄

Because this wasn't Royal Round work, I also thought it was a good opportunity to bring out the new longbow. I got the target set and the bows strung, and lined up for my first end with the longbow. Something felt off right from the get-go, though. The bow had no power--the arrows didn't penetrate the target more than a third of the depth of the tips. Also, the fletching of the arrows not only didn't fit between the rest and the string pre-draw, but the stuck out in front of the riser.

I had a ruler in the car, so I measured the brace height of the strung longbow and was someone confounded to discover it was a mere three inches. I unstrung it, and added twist to the string until the brace height reached five inches (I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be six inches, but I couldn't actually find that in the bow's description on the Etsy listing, so I opted to not push it too far).

The five-inch fletches still didn't fit, of course, but I noticed an improvement in the bow's power and the arrows' penetration in the target. I still don't think the bow is up to 35#, however, which is what it's supposed to be.

It's amazing how different my aim point is between the recurve and the longbow. For the recurve, at 20 yards I aim the tip of the arrow at the left leg of the target stand. For the longbow, my aim point is just as far to the left, but it's in line with the top of the gold circle.

I managed to scare that tennis ball and even had a couple of shots that brushed against it, but I didn't manage a direct hit before Elena arrived. She added a standard target face to the round behind the tennis ball, and we had fun casually shooting.

A few ends later, I hit the tennis ball. BOING! My arrow certainly didn't stick--it bounced wildly to the left and landed in the grass a few feet from the target. It was awesome! And, in hindsight, it was a good example of why we shouldn't use a tennis ball. My arrow bounced left...but it could have bounced back towards the firing line instead, and that would be dangerous.

We did several more rounds with each of us occasionally brushing the ball, but no more direct hits. Then we took a brief break to go get Snorri at the gate.

If anyone was gonna hit that tennis ball, it was gonna be Snorri. And he did, three times in three successive ends. In each case, he knocked the ball out of its harness, but his arrows also did not stick in the ball. He also pushed the center clear out of our target round, so we had to take it down and stomp it back into place. 😄

After that, we abandoned the tennis ball and experimented with other things. Snorri took aim across the field at the dilapidated butt, and nailed it with his very first (and all subsequent) shots … at an unknown distance.

Someday, I will shoot like Snorri.

I worked on shooting two arrows simultaneously with the recurve. I'd like to be able to start off my timed ends with this instead of a single shot, for obvious reasons. However, the arrows have always flown too erratically for it to be worth the chance. After watching me for a couple shots, Snorri asked, "Do you rotate the second arrow?" I was startled by the question--it has never, under any circumstance, occurred to me to purposely nock an arrow with the cock feather down.

Turns out, though, that it's a really good idea in this particular case. With one arrow right-side up and one upside-down, the arrows sorta nest together. They fire and strike MUCH closer together. It was like magic. I emptied my quiver (24 arrows--12 shots). Not only did not a single arrow miss the round, but every. single. arrow. was a scoring arrow.

Astonishing.

Quiver Strap

The weather when I got out of work this afternoon was absolutely gorgeous, so I took myself to the range for some solo practice. Now that I've got breathing consistency down as a habit rather than something I have to consciously focus on, I wanted to try paying attention to other variables in my shooting--especially my draw, and my release.

Draw wound up being the main focus today.

I have an inexpensive back quiver that I bought at Pennsic more than a decade ago. It's got a single strap, and it doesn't stay in place very well. For years I've toyed with the notion of adding a second strap to help anchor it in place, but I never actually did it--the slipping was inconvenient in that it made it harder to reach my arrows, but I didn't think it actually affected anything besides my speed round. I'd just adjust it back into place when it slipped too far, and keep shooting.

Well.

Because I was focusing on draw specifically, I noticed that the slipping DOES affect things. At full draw, my string rests against the right side of my chest in a particular spot. However, as the quiver strap slips, it gets in the way. This either causes me to underdraw (because I stop when the string hits the strap, rather than my chest), or to draw at a weird angle (to go around the strap). The results became glaringly obvious as I did a few comparison ends:

Six arrows at twenty yards.
In the photo on the left, I did not adjust the quiver strap at all and let it slip wherever it went as it moved when I shot. The low shots were my last arrows--a product of a shorter draw, because the strap was in the way. In the photo on the right, I adjusted it after every two shots, putting it back into its original position. While there was still some vertical variation, it was a much tighter grouping. The variation may have something to do with my release, or it may yet be related to some other issue with my draw--I'll keep focusing on that over my next couple of practices to see if any other explanations become apparent.

The variation caused by the strap became even more noticeable when I fired twelve arrows. When I did so without adjusting, my shots landed all over the place--and one missed entirely. The vertical variation was again because of the shortened draw. I believe the horizontal variation occurred when the strap slipped even further and I began to draw around it, so the string once again touched my chest, but in a different place. When I adjusted the strap after every two shots, the grouping again improved dramatically and my arrows were all within the blue rings or better.

Having to adjust every two shots is, of course, not an ideal situation--especially for timed ends. I may have to revisit the notion of adding a second strap to my quiver. Or, maybe I should pick up a hip quiver and experiment with that.

Or I could just master the technique of holding all my arrows in my bow hand, and do without a quiver entirely. 😆