NFAS Championships deadline approaching

Very quick post to remind any NFAS archers out there that the deadline for getting your entrance in for this years National Championships is quickly approaching.nfas

I am not involved in any of the Admin for the NFAS Nationals, but I thought those interested in attending might like to know this in case they had not noticed it on the booking form or website. The closing date for entries on the form is the 23rd August, that’s next week guys !!

If you are wanting to attend best get your entries in ASAP. I don’t know how many are booked in at present. The event is on the weekend of September 21st -22nd, Near Hemel Hempstead UK.

This year the courses are to be a mix of both paper and 3D targets. Historically the event had always been solely paper faces, the change is piloting the idea of a mixed course 60% paper / 40% 3D targets.

Here is a link to the entrance form www.nfas.net/downloads/NationalChamps2013-Info.pdf

Shoot report – Lyme Valley archers August 2013

Been a short while since my last shoot report so here is one for the nfas lyme valley shoot last weekend. For those of  you who are interested here is the last report on Lyme valley.

Dave, Graham, Sharon and Peter

Dave, Graham, Sharon and Peter

Early Sunday morning we set off up the motorway to just outside Stoke on Trent; about an hour and 20 minutes depending on traffic. We’d missed the last shoot but I had managed to shoot their excellent 3D course at this year’s 3D champs.
For those of you who are new readers Lyme valley archers ground consists of a wooded valley which gives them the opportunity for some nice up and down hill shots.
In all I would say it was a good course with a few challenging targets. The only real problem was the afternoon dragged as progress was slow. We were constantly catching up with the group in front who were only just getting to shoot the target. This made for a slow days shooting as you could never get into a rhythm.
Lyme valley is a very popular shoot and I wonder if it suffers from it’s own popularity by trying to accommodate all the archers it can and sometimes that’s too many.
downhill 3D mountain lion

downhill 3D mountain lion

5 on a peg but a few with 6, combined with a challenging course means archers take second or third arrows. All slows down the day. Personally I think they would be better to have 4 maybe 5 to a peg.
Weather was good, warm but not hot with sunny spells.

View up the slope after shooting down the hillside

View up the slope after shooting down the hillside

The course was a mix of paper faces and 3D targets with some very long down hill shots like the giant komodo dragon shot from the top of the hill to the stream bed.

komodo dragon as seen from bottom of slope

komodo dragon as seen from bottom of slope

There were some new paths in some cases but glad it was dry as we would have been slipping and sliding all day.
Generally we like Lyme valley shoots and I enjoyed the course the only thing that put a downer to on the day were the hold ups.

Sharon won ladies Bare Bow and I was lucky enough to come away with first in Gents Hunting Tackle.

Thanks for reading.

A suitable archery quote

“Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.”

If memory serves I think this was said by the character of Walter Hagen (played by Bruce McGill) in the film The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000). IMDb directed by Robert Redford.

Legend of Bagger Vance

If you are unfamiliar with the film it revolves round a golfer (played by Matt Damon) who on his return from the first world war is at a low ebb suffering from flashbacks and memories of the horrors he witnessed in the trenches. The second main character is that of his caddy Bagger Vance played by Will Smith.
Smiths character helps Damons to overcome his lack of confidence in his golfing prowess and personal troubles whilst competing at a golf tournament. You get the feeling there is more to Bagger than meets the eye as he not only helps Damons character but provides an insight and  casual charm set in the early 1920s southern state of the USA.
As for the quote. It is a phrase that I’ve used more than a few times to describe those shots which just seem to have been too good to be true. It has also been adopted by friends who also are now using a shortened version simply “a blind squirrel shot”.
Lets face it we spend a lot of time in the woods and there are times and days when I wonder if my eyes are working in conjunction with my limited brain cells and my muscles. Your judgement is off and yet you make the shot.
You miss what should be easy shots only to get those near impossible ones. So next time this happens to you just remember “even a blind squirrel can find an acorn once in a while”
Thanks for reading and enjoy your archery.