Club Update #2012, Sep 2020

 

Aside from the occasional cold snap, the shooting conditions down at the club have been AMAZING lately, in the company of kookaburras and even one or two deer, who have been spied lurking at the back of our main range once or twice during the day.

In this update:

John Chaplin Target Championship

An important reminder that this coming Saturday (3 October) we will once again gather at 10am for the target championships. Four shoots are available:

  • Division 1 – Canberra (30 arrows each at 60,50 and 40m on the big target face)
  • Division 2 – Short Canberra (30 arrows each at 50,40 and 30m on the big target face)
  • Division 3 – Junior Canberra (30 arrows each at 40,30 and 20m on the big target face)
  • Division 4 – Mini Canberra (30 arrows each at 30,20 and 10m on the big target face)

Simply register for the event via Archer's diary.

This is a great day to come down for a shoot, and is quite relaxed for an event with bragging rights involved, so give it a go!

Unfortunately, due to food handling sensitivities during COVID 19, we won't be offering the traditional barbeque, but please feel free to bring your own picnic and make a day of it.

Twilight Shoot Series

Our twilight shoot series will return at 6pm, Thursday 8 October!

These shoots are informal events held after school and work every Thursday during the daylight savings period. They are closer shoots, with distances ranging from 18m to 40m. Earlier shoots in the season will be fewer arrows so that dusk doesn’t intrude. A calendar of twilight shoots is available here.

Although scores are kept via Archer's Diary results are reported both as a raw points score and handicap (so anyone can win on the day, if they shoot their best).

The atmosphere and variety of bow types at this event is great, with a lot of support and a sprinkling of friendly banter thrown in, so come and have some fun.

Club Shooting Calendar

With the club entering the fray of Archery Australia's "Back to Archery" competition, and with clout events not being held, we’ve made some very minor changes to the calendar. Please download the latest calendar for the remainder of the year from here.

If you haven't done a club shoot before, we shoot across three divisions. Division 2 and 3 shoots are designed to be over closer distances, which are suited to beginner and intermediate archers who are building your skills – if you have a look at the calendar you're sure to find something that suits.

A calendar for next year will be discussed at our club meeting on 5 December. If you have any suggestions or requests, please email our Recorder, Colin Hobbs, at recorder@illawarraarchers.com.

The COVID Note

We are continuing to monitor both the Government's rules and advice around COVID, and general information about infection trends.

Our current plans remain appropriate – please remain familiar with them by clicking here. Most importantly, if you feel at all ill, please stay away from the club! Also, if someone is shooting on a target and would prefer not to share, please respect that and move on to another – we have plenty.

Occasionally (and despite the array of signs at the driveway), people still occasionally try to use the car park, toilets or even seek water from our club house. People even sometimes wander over to pick flowers from the field course which is, after all, a live shooting range.

If this happens, it is entirely reasonable to ask them to respect our rules and ask that they leave. We are a club on private property and, while we are a friendly club, these rules are in place to protect ourselves and the public.

Minutes of Meetings

The Minutes of our most recent meetings are available via the following web links

Our next club meeting is scheduled for 10am on 5 December – please turn up and ensure that we discuss everything we need to and that you have your say. Don’t forget that as this is the last meeting of the year, we will be setting up the shooting calendar for next year.

The Tip

Got a problem with string slap? Ever forgotten to wear your arm guard, then been reminded by a painful rip down your arm as your own bow attacks you?

The answer could be a simple and building a simple, deliberate twist of your arm into your shooting process, with a short exercise to help.

Essentially, try to rotate your bow arm's elbow clockwise (for a right handed archer – anti-clockwise if you’re a lefty) as you brace the bow. This will move your forearm away from the string's path, while also helping to settle your shoulder into a consistent position. You can exercise this without the bow by gently pressing your palm against a wall with your arm outstretched, then practicing the movement.

Unclear? Well, the good news is that you don’t need to rely on my garbled words. Here’s a link to a video from former Olympic archer Jake Kaminski, explaining the whole thing. If you’d like to geek out with more shooting and gear tips, explore his YouTube channel. While his channel almost entirely concentrates on recurve and barebow archery, some of the material is transferrable to other bow types.

Happy shooting!