The outdoor season is just about to begin but before we get there have you handed in your Indoor score card yet?

Hopefully, everybody will have given their completed scorecards to the Records Officer before the AGM. If you haven’t been able to, don’t panic. Indoor shooting ends in April but the indoor year technically runs until June 31st. Please ensure that all scorecards are with the Records Officer (Jon) by then, so that they can make sure records, classifications, handicaps, etc are up to date and any awards are given.

With that out of the way it’s onto the outdoor season. For those members new to outdoor shooting (and those who need a reminder), here’s a few things you should know.

Dates and times

Outdoor evenings will start on Tuesday the 23rd of April and last until September (date to be confirmed). Sessions will commence at 18:30 and continue until light fails (we start earlier outdoors because of light restrictions). As always, Sunday shooting is outdoors year-round, starting at ~09:30. We have the field all day on Sundays, although most people tend to pack up around lunch. As long as you and a key holder are present however, you may shoot for longer. Please be on time (or early) if possible for evening sessions, as we are limited by light, so we want to get as much shooting done as possible.

Location:

We shoot across the road from the YMCA, on the school field. From the YMCA car park entrance, head up the road. On the left, just before the roundabout is the upper entrance into the school. From the car park, continue on foot beyond the basketball court (on the left) and the caretaker’s house (on the right). On the right is a double gate and a path leading down to the field (please close the gate behind you).

Be careful as you approach the shed, as there may be people shooting in the woods (they’ll be obvious). To reach the shooting line, you can either walk down to the shed and across the field, or continue along the path, taking you behind the shooting line. If entering the field from the shed, stick to the right of the flags if people are shooting (or wait until the whistle goes to indicate it’s safe to cross).

Badges and Classifications

Just like when shooting indoors the outdoor season also gives you the opportunity to earn classifications and handicaps.  We also take part in the widely popular 252 scheme, which is designed to help archers improve as they move up the distances.  Also for new members you must obtain a badge for a distance before you can progress to the next.  For example you must fist obtain your 20 yard badge before shooting at 30 yards.  More information will be added to the site in a future update or you can look back at this post from when we first took on the scheme.

Outdoor Competitions

Don’t assume that inexperience means you can’t enter competitions. Archery events are as much about the atmosphere as the shooting (the author has made several friends through competitions). It’s also an opportunity to look at all the different equipment that people have.

They often include the longest available distances but shorter rounds are normally on offer so, if in doubt, contact the tournament organiser.
Give a competition a go and see how what happens.

Be sure to check out the Devon and Cornwall Archery Society events calendar to see what’s going on in the two counties.
Regardless of the result, let me (Jonathan) know how you did and I’ll mention it in my monthly Records updates (first due at the end of April).

On Tuesday 30th October we will be holding a SPOOKTACULAR fun shoot for Halloween.

Fancy dress is optional – as some don’t need it ;P We do remind you that if you want to shoot in fancy dress, please make sure you don’t have loose items that may catch in your bow!

This shoot will be open to all subscribed members and our lovely friends from the Plymouth Uni Archers.

Our recent beginners are of course also welcome as your course will have finished by then. We hope you can stomach whatever our Social Sec, Iain, has decided to dress in.

What would a fun night be without prizes! We will be awarding prizes for best fancy dress, moonlit shooting, some freaky tunes and some side games.
Start time – 1930 until 210(ish)

See you there!

Overview of the night

Yesterday the club held it’s first Easter themed shoot, organised by our rather eccentric Social Secretary Iain (yes he’s the rabbit).  From the amount of eggs consumed, bunnies shot and smiles on faces the evening was a great success. With the prospect of a full archery setup up for grabs the competition was fierce! Although many people did just keep going for the chocolate rewards!  By the end of the scored shooting everyone was on a suitably high enough sugar rush to warrant a round of balloon shooting to round off the night.

Results

Junior

1st place -Alex Bennion

Ladies

1st place – Linda Wright

2nd place – Jenny Woodards

Mixed Mens

3rd place – Marvin Doncaster

2nd place – Mike Coleman

1st place – Darren Bennion

What’s next

We enjoyed putting on the Easter shoot and it was really well received. We’re keen to provide more themed evenings for members so watch this space!

You can see all the photos from the night on Facebook

As you know we weren’t able to shoot last night owing to the annual War Games. But that didn’t stop us from having fun as we went out for a fun night of bowling.

Everybody who attended had a great time, despite Lindsey trying her best to flatten us with a backwards bowl!  The best individual score of the night went to Marcus with 174.  Top team score went to lane 8 (Janet, Jim, Mat, Simon and Teresa) with a score of 535. For those who want a recap of their scores, here you go.

Finally we just want to extend a big thank you to Iaian (Laim) Lees for organising the outing.

 

You probably know by now that the DCAS Postal League is in full swing.  Shooting a round for the Postal (and in any competition) can be daunting for newcomers and experienced archers alike. So here’s 5 tips to help you shoot at your best.

1. Check Your Equipment

It’s frustrating getting up to the line and realising you’ve forgotten to put something onto your bow.  Even worse when you’re 4 ends into a bad round and then realise you don’t have a button in!  Whenever you shoot it’s important to run through a mental checklist on all the parts of your bow.  If you’re a recurve archer don’t neglect your string, having a well waxed string and correct brace height will pay dividends.  Finally don’t forget your arrows, make sure all the fletchings are secure and the shafts are straight.

2.Warm up

Not everyone does it but warming is very good for you.  Not only are you helping to reduce the risk of straining yourself, you are are also reminding your body which muscles you should be using to draw your bow.

3.Clear Your Mind

It can never be overstated how much of a mental game Archery is. Learning how to entirely focus on your shot and shut out distraction is not an easy thing to do. Before you start your end take a few moments to focus on your shooting. Many find it helpful to recite their shooting routine in their head.

4.Relax

Tensing up before a shot can lead to poor execution in the form of torquing and heeling the bow.  If your shoulders, arms, neck or back are tense before your shot you can’t properly control which muscles should be applying pressure at each stage.  Take a breath, hold it, release and let your upper body relax.  Once your muscles are free of tension you can start your shot.

5.Don’t Look At Your Scores

Scores can be a huge distraction when shooting. If you focus too much on a bad score you can pull yourself down mentally. Likewise getting cocky with a good score can lead to you neglecting your shot.  The key is to take each arrow one at a time. Focus on that one shot and once it’s in the target, let it go and move onto the next.

Hopefully you found these tips useful and we’ll be seeing a lot of new personal bests.

Committee changes

By now you may have heard that Richard has stepped down from the position of Chairman and Susie has stepped down from the position of Treasurer.  On behalf of the club I would like to thank them for the time they have volunteered to help with the successful running of the club.

After the EGM last Friday you’ll also see there are a few other changes on the Committee including the new role of “Development Officer” (more details to come).  You can see the new up to date committee list here.

The 252 Scheme

We’ve seen a great uptake on the 252 scheme since it started this year.  In fact you’ve probably seen people with their fancy badges already! The 252 scheme is a great way for any archer to evaluate their current ability, get sight marks for different distances and generally improve their archery.  The scheme has also had another affect, less time is now spent searching for arrows! By ensuring that you shoot at a distance that is appropriate to your skill level we have been able to fit in far more shooting and far fewer Seagull style field searches.

Owing to how well the scheme is going it has been decided that the 252 scheme will now become mandatory for all new club members who have not yet shot outdoors. Basically if you want to shoot a certain distance you must first achieve the 252 badge for the distance before that.  For example, if you want to shoot at 40 yards, you will need to have completed your 252 scores for 30 yards.

If you haven’t heard yet, our new Records Officer Darren is starting up a new 252 scheme for members.

What is it?

The 252 award scheme is designed to help you practice your shooting at different distances and have your achievements recognised. This is a scheme which is widely used throughout the country to not only help beginners, but for club archers looking to improve scoring and move up to the longer distances in a structured manner, which will ultimately improve your confidence and make you a better archer.

After 6 sighters, you shoot 3 dozen (36) arrows on a 122cm face at your chosen distance. The round can be shot at  20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80 or 100 yds with the aim of scoring 252 or better (that’s recurve, alternative scores apply for other bow types). If you achieve the score twice you can claim a badge.

The rules?

• Standard Archery GB rules apply
• Shooting Imperial, five zone scoring on a 122cm target face.
• Round must be scored on a specific 252 score sheet at the club.
• Six sighters to be followed immediately by three dozen (36) scored arrows.
• Awards must be claimed in sequence. You can’t for example claim a 30 yard until  you have a 20 yard.
• Scores need to be achieved twice to qualify for the award.
• Only 1 qualifying score per day will be permitted.
• To make an award claim, two signed, dated and witnessed score sheets need to be submitted to the club’s Records Officer.

The distances

Distance	Recurve	Compound	Longbow	Barebow
20 yards	252	300	164	189
30 yards	252	300	164	189
40 yards	252	300	164	189
50 yards	252	300	164	189
60 yards	252	300	164	189
80 yards	252	290	126	164
100 yards	252	280	101	139

Score sheets

The specific score sheets will be made available in a folder in the hut, however you can also grab a copy to print off here. Completed rounds will then be placed in the completed folder or handed to Darren directly.

AGM Recap

AGM Last night saw the end of the current indoor season and with it our Annual General Meeting.  Here’s a few highlights for those who missed it.

The club has never been stronger with regular attendance helping to support the replacement of most of our indoor targets (you probably remember all those hard to pull arrows!).  We want to extend a big thank you to all of our members who have made our club such a great place to shoot and have fun.

During the meeting all committee nominations were reviewed and we now have a newly elected committee.  You can see the new committee on the committee page. We still have a few open positions, so if you think you would like to help with the running of the club please let us know!

Next the results of the Tavistock Trophy were announced.  The results are as follows:

Gents Barebow – Richard Burridge
Ladies Barebow – Suzie Deagan
Junior Ladies Barebow – Jess Yeoman
Gents Recurve – Simon Bench
Ladies Recurve – Charlotte Irons
Gents Longbow – Bob Dakin
Gents Compound – Marcus Yeoman
Gents Traditional – Pasty Cain
Ladies Traditional – Karen Ingram

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who represented us in the postal league.

To wrap things up we said congratulations to Bob Dakin who received the Handicap improvement medal and to Marcus Yeoman for setting nine club records!

Outdoor Season

From next Tuesday 25th our mid-week shooting will now be outside. For those who don’t know this will be across the road at the All Saints Academy Sports Field.  As before please use the entrance at the top of the grounds and park up then walk down. To make the most of the light we will be starting at 6:30pm, but if you can’t make it until later there’s no problem.

One last point for outdoor shooting.  It’s inevitable that arrows will be lost in the grass during the course of shooting.  They are tricky to find and stick out where you can barely see them.  Owing to this it is very important that shoes which cover the whole foot are worn when shooting to prevent injury.

See you on the field!

Simon

Tonight our website has taken another step towards providing a far better service for our members.  This update will simplify the process of adding and amending content, meaning I will no longer be the bottle neck on getting minor updates out.

There is far more left to do but if anybody experiences any issues with the new site in the meantime, please send an email to simon@simonbench.net

Happy shooting!

Simon