2019 Autumn Archery UK Magazine



2019 Autumn Archery UK MagazineCoverOfficial magazine of Archery GBCover teasersInside: History, horse bows, barebow, volunteers.Simply the best: Meet our champions.Street safe: Archery helps fight crime.Ambassadors: Special report inside.Win: ?500 off a holiday.Cover photo credits:Title: National Tour champion Tom Hall.Picture: Anthony Barnett.ContentsNews5 Your news: All your latest news18 Obituaries19 Big Weekend: What made it the best yet?20 Recycling: How archery is tackling the problem21 Robin Hoods23 Street safe: How archery is helping fight knife crime25 Competition: Win ?500 off a Go Active break with Hoseasons27 Ambassadors: Special report30 International round-up: Medals haul and Tokyo35 Talking helps: Thea's beating mental health problems36 Disabilities: Worshipful Company of Fletchers plus BWAA championships38 Youth festival 2019: Talent galore40 National Tour finals: Simply the best42 Field: Watership Down challenge, achievements and updates47 Tournaments: Domestic round-up54 History: Plot points, Archery’s place in literature and Archer Antiquaries56 New products: Some of the latest archery products on the market58 Mailbag: What you think62 Your picturesPractical: advice zone65 Barebow: Tiller set-up67 Coaching: Spare a thought; how to encourage newbies69 Back to Basics: Finger tabs70 Horse Bows73 Compound: Cam lean74 Nutrition: Get a golden start76 Arrow straightening: An engineer's approachArchery GB78 AGB awards: It's that time, nominate your unsung hero78 Settling in: New chair, Mark Briegal, looks back on his first six months80 A fresh perspective80 A clearer insight81 One member one vote82 New anti-bullying policies82 Key role at WA congress82 SponsorsSeparate documents2019 Autumn Tournament Diary: Archery UK Magazine2019 Autumn Records and Achievements: Archery UK Magazine2019 Autumn Directory: Archery UK MagazineEditor's letterWelcome to our autumn edition. It's the perfect time to look back on a fantastic summer. Our international athletes have amassed an impressive haul of medals and Steve Prowse retained his VI 2/3 world title in style.Our rising young stars have also had the chance to showcase their talent at the Junior National Outdoor championships, the Youth Festival and at overseas tournaments; and we find out how Thea Rogers, who competed at the World Archery Youth Championships, deals with the pressures.We have the results of the National Tour finals, the latest on recycling, a special report on the work of our Ambassadors, a look at how archery is helping in the fight against knife crime, as well as coverage of the Disability Champions and field. New Chair Mark Briegal looks back over the past six months and we have reports from the Archer Antiquaries and Royal Toxophilite Society.And finally; that's a wrap. This is my final edition as editor and I want to thank you all for your support and help over the past eight-and-a-half years. It's been an honour, and a blast. I have met amazing people and done things I could never have expected, following a Disney film crew through miles of freezing Scottish forest comes to mind. As does London 2012, something I will never forget. But now it's time for new adventures. Please welcome our new editor and give them the same support you have shown me.Good shooting; and thanks.Jane PercivalEditorProduction informationPublisherProduced on behalf of Archery GB by: TRMG Ltd, 1 Forum Place, Hatfield, Herts AL10 0RN. Tel: 01707 273 999. TRMG web site: trmg.co.uk.Publishing Director: Jon Fellows.Operations Director: Andrew Stevens.Head of Production: Charles Dragazis.Project Manager: Stefan Glosby.Design: Mark Chambers.Senior Commercial Manager: Steve Chambers.DisclaimerWhile every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, the organisers Archery GB and the publishers TRMG cannot accept liability for any statement or error contained herein ? 2019.PrintingThe paper used for printing this magazine has been sourced from sustainably managed forests in accordance with the ISO 14001 and EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) standards, which are internationally recognised and externally audited integrated environmental management systems.Published for:Archery GB, Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre, Newport, Shropshire TF10 9AT. Tel: 01952 677888. AGB web site: . Email: magazine@. See also the Directory document for individual staff contact details.CorrespondenceCorrespondence with regard to Archery UK including mailing list queries and enquiries about advertising, should be addressed to Archery GB at the address above.Copy deadline for the winter edition:29 October 2019.AGB disclaimerArchery UK is the Official Magazine of Archery GB and is read by all members. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, however caused. Letters, articles and features do not necessarily represent the opinion of Archery GB.The decision whether or not to include material submitted for inclusion (whether advertising or otherwise) shall be entirely at the discretion of the Editor and/or the Marketing Manager. No responsibility can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork, editorial or advertising material in transmission or with the publishers or their agents, although every care will be taken to ensure safe return of items requested to be returned. ? 2019 Archery GBRecycleWhen you have finished with this magazine, please recycle it.NewsArchery UK: we're socialJoin us on Twitter, Facebook and by email.Get in touchWant to send us your story? It couldn't be simpler! Send it on a Word document with big hi-res jpg pictures to magazine@.Big Weekend 2020The dates have been set. Big Weekend 2020 will happen on 15 to 17 May, so start preparing now.Stoneleigh: new datesThis year's National Indoor Weekend at Stoneleigh is happening earlier than usual, so get the dates in your diary now. This year's championships are being held on 30 November to 1 December.Amazing: Thumbs up for Project Rimaya competitionAn inter-school archery competition, part of Project Rimaya, got the thumbs up from students at the Small Heath Leadership Academy and Ninestiles School, Birmingham."It was really fun, I got to meet new people and I hit the yellow zone on the target", said Sadia, a year 9 pupil. Another, Summayyah, described it as 'amazing'. And student Ambrin said, "The competition was enjoyable because everyone was friendly with each other. I have also learned how to shoot a bow using sighted technique."Project Rimaya aims to increase participation in archery across the Midlands, particularly for black, Asian and minority ethnic women and girls. The competition gave the girls a chance to experience a pared down Olympic format with a ranking round followed by team head to head matches.Project coach, Emma Davis who runs a weekly club at Small Heath Leadership Academy, organised the competition and was joined by Ninestiles' maths teacher and archery coach, Chris Guerin.Medals were awarded to the top three individual archers in school years 7 to 8 and year 9+ and for a mixed team competition. They all received a certificate of achievement with their ranking round score."Everyone was supportive during the competition", said year 9 pupil Emma. "The coaches showed us how to improve our techniques. I enjoyed the whole experience."So cool: Kiwis praise warm welcome in UKTwo of New Zealand's top archers undertook a 68-day tour of archery's biggest events as they battle for places at Tokyo 2020. So how did they end up shooting a World Archery 720 round with Sherwood Archers on the outskirts of Southwell?It was the suggestion of Alison Caughey whose son, Struan, used to represent Great Britain and now shoots for New Zealand, and Olivia Hodgson and Sarah Burton Fuller were happy to take it up in the break between the Antalya stage of the World Cup and the World Championships in 's-Hertogenbosch.Twenty-five-year old Olivia from Christchurch and Sarah, 38, originally from Auckland, got chatting to Mandie Elson, Chair of Newark Castle Archers, at the event.Sarah, a veterinary nurse who lives in Australia, said they landed in Rome before travelling to Turkey and then the UK, and temperature changes had proved the biggest shock. "Climate changes are tough," she said. "Going from Turkey in the high 20s to the UK in the mid-teens was difficult. I froze for the first few days."But the warm welcome from Sherwood Archers had more than made up for it. "I loved it," she said. "I would shoot there again; even in that weather. It was lovely how everyone got together at the end and stayed to clap and cheer for the winners. It felt very homely and welcoming."Olivia, an apprentice body mechanics coach, said: "The experience at Southwell was great. We felt welcomed and met some cool people. It was great to see what a positive culture you've created."Three gold endCongratulations to Pete Price of Aquarius Archers who shot a three gold end with his longbow at Spelthorne Archers' George Potts Memorial Shoot.A little helpWhen thieves broke into Havering Disabled Sports Association and Broxhill Juniors' base and took all the lightweight bows and arrows, members were left wondering what to do next. That's when West Essex Archery Club stepped up. It offered equipment to help bridge the gap, earning the thanks of all at HDSA and Broxhill.Home sweet homeNothing was going to stop Gravesend Archers from celebrating their move back into the town centre. Not even a burglary.The weekend after the move from Meopham School to Gravesend Grammar School the club's tractor, four metal detectors and other equipment was stolen. But its world record-status Pocohontas Shoot went ahead as planned, mainly due to the hard work of tournament organiser Emlyn Jones. And the Mayor of Gravesham, Councillor Gurdip Ram Bungar, was there to help members celebrate.Welcome coachesOur sport has welcomed 11 new coaches after a level one training course at Overton Black Arrows held their first level one training course this year, run by Pauline Pillans. There were 12 trainees, mainly from Overton Black Arrows, Old Basing Archers and Bourne 55. The course assessors were Malcolm Penn (lead), Val Smith and Chris Hatt.County longbow dayArchers flocked to Riverside Archers for a county longbow day run by Durham and Northumberland and to meet special guest Adrian Hayes.Adrian, a bowyer and experienced longbow archer, is on a mission to increase support for the discipline, share knowledge and advise and support longbow coaching. He was supported by Lynn Young, who spoke about arrow making, Ian Norwood who demonstrated making a Flemish twist string and Ann Conifey shared how to spot signs of flaws and damage in a bow. A team fun shoot was a fitting end to an entertaining and information-packed day.With love: Russians latest to embrace cloutClout is international. UK archers are not the only ones dedicated to keeping this important part of archery's history alive. Granted, we do not compete on an international basis but a bit of research shows it's shot in the USA, New Zealand, and Australia.They shoot using 'Aussie Rules' with 10-zone scoring using sights fitted with mirrors and prisms. So, it was really exciting to read this post on Facebook: 'Russian Clout Championship and Cup next weekend near Moscow. Everything is prepared.'Dimitry Dembowski, from the Russian Longbow Club, set up in 2005, is the Russian Clout Championship organiser. He's passionate about clout and about sharing news and pictures.It was a very special weekend for Russian clout. Along with the usual popular, traditional longbow rounds, it was the first time that a double metric round, World Archery rules, had been shot.It was also a full week schedule. First came the new Double WA metric event, then on to a double Archery GB imperial round. The next day it was longbows at the ready in the company of the living history club, the Welsh Archers.Dress code was 14th and 15th century costumes for the Welsh Mayfair Shoot, a square clout set out to replicate the 'enemy battalion' at 120, 140, 160 and 180 yards. Then for something completely different, a speed clout, two rounds of one minute to shoot as many arrows as they could. It was all topped off with a flight round of three arrows with the furthest shot winning.As yet, no recurves or compounds have taken part, but Dimitry said they would be very welcome. Several UK clouters have already expressed an interest in a long road trip in 2020.Celebrating 70 years When Derbyshire Archery Club opened, joining fees were in guineas: 2 for men, 1.5 for women and 1 for juniors. But then it was 70 years ago.The county's oldest club was set up at the Derby Hippodrome but, after Lord Scarsdale became Club President at the first AGM, members often shot on the great lawn at Kedleston Hall. It still does, courtesy of the National Trust, and hosts an annual longbow open tournament, among other events.The past 70 years have seen members shooting in various locations, including over pews at the Mission Hall in Derby, but now the club has a new field in the heart of the county with enough space for 30 targets.Golden day at BrixhamBrixham Archers celebrated its 50th anniversary with a fun shoot, fancy dress, targets custom made by member Ian Caira and a special cake; with a side order of sunshine!Confidence boostIn the last edition, we ran a story about how Deer Park Archers are preparing members for competition. A picture of the winning team was used and, unfortunately, one team member was cropped off. We apologise for any distress caused. The greatest?Is Sheila the best female longbow archer ever?Who is the greatest female longbow archer of them all? Well on current form, Sheila Hudson of White Rose Archers has every right to stake her claim to the title.She started shooting with husband Richard in 2009 and spent the next four years shooting recurve with some success. Then, in 2013, she decided she wanted to shoot something lighter, picked up a longbow and everything changed.By 2015 she held both the Yorkshire and Northern Counties women's indoor titles. She shot a Grand Master Bowman score in her first qualifying shoot in open competition, and has held on to the classification ever since. She also set a new county record and was only 10 points off the national record. Since 2015, she has won four team titles for Yorkshire at the inter-counties tournament and last year shot a five-gold end at 70 metres.RankingsSimon Slater of Yorkshire Archery said that since 2016 she has been UK National, the British Target and UK Masters women's champion, has topped the UK rankings and won every Archery GB January Challenge. Her other titles include the British Longbow Society postal Portsmouth, first woman outdoors since 2014-15 and indoors since 2015-2016, and was overall winner of the longbow section in the latest Russian Longbow Championship International Winter League.Last year she was particularly successful. She attended her first Grand National Archery Meeting and came away with the top title, was English Archery Federation champion and took the five-counties title. She also went to her first Dunster Week. It was a good move. She set a new UK record to take the World Archery 1440 title, became only the second woman in 100 years to win the two-way Western and won clout and Western rounds, picked up the Victor Ludorum Trophy and set a new UK National record on her last day. Records"And talking of records," said Simon, "she currently holds 45 Yorkshire records, actually achieving a total of 106 so far. She just keeps on raising the bar every time she shoots a different round."Sheila shot her first UK record in 2015, a WA 70m and since then has achieved 76 in total, with 22 UK records shot in 2018 alone. That's truly exceptional shooting. Her 30-metre distance record is two points more than the men's, something she is rightly proud of."This year has been going well too. She is already the Yorkshire champion for the fifth time, has submitted UK record claims for New Western and New Warwick rounds, took the UK Masters title and increased her WA1440 and Western record claims at Dunster.EquipmentSo what equipment has helped her reach this standard? Sheila shot the late John Geldard's bows, starting at 30lbs and then adding a third-hand 35lb bow for the longer distances, plus four more of his for spares as they came up for sale.?She also has an Adrian Hayes 37lb bow and a bespoke 40lb Gary Evans bow.?Her arrows were supplied by Little John, then Carol's Arrows and Lyn Anderson. Her husband also made her a set of indoor arrows with which she broke several UK records.Simon said; "So, is it possible that with some good shooting and a little luck in finding a WA900 round to complete the set, that Sheila could possibly be the greatest female longbow archer ever? I leave you to decide."Fun days and big bearsThirty Ballyvally Archers, mostly juniors, volunteered at a have-a-go for visitors to a fun-filled Lurgan Show. And then they followed that up with a Big Bear Shoot at Banbridge Leisure Centre. There were novelty targets, a friendly knockout and raffle prizes; and it was all in a good cause: raising money for the Buddy Bear Trust. Hello there: New Chair visits GuildfordArchery GB's new Chair, Mark Briegal, wants to get to know members. His aim is to visit as many clubs as possible and Guildford Archers was one of his first ports of call.Mark, and his wife Clare, were there to present an ontarget Community Specialism to Club Chairman, Simon de Kretser.The community specialism is all about bringing more people into archery and allows clubs to explore ways of getting to the heart of the community by giving as many people as possible easy access to the sport. It means finding solutions and overcoming potential barriers so that people can enjoy a high-quality archery experience with excellent social, training and competition opportunities.Guildford has already achieved the Performance and Young People Specialisms and is one of only eight archery clubs in the country to have all three.Mark and Clare met around 30 junior archers, watched seniors being coached and spoke to members, the committee and coaches about what members wanted to see from Archery GB going forward. He also saw GB archers, Eleanor and Louisa Piper in action.Mark later tweeted: 'Thanks to Guildford AC for your fabulous hospitality and delighted to present you with your AGB?ontarget Community award.'Community boostPicture: courtesy of Driffield and Wolds WeeklyA wind farm company is helping Archers of Bridlington and Burton Agnes with its lack of storage space, struggles with heavy straw bosses and efforts to attract new members.The Lissett Wind Farm Community Fund gave the club a ?6,492 grant. It means that members can buy a second-hand 20-foot container and 12 Danage targets, which are much lighter than the bosses they found so hard to move. And, in true community spirit, the club's old storage unit will be passed on to the Burton Agnes Bowls club.We're home: How Shipley Bowmen found a new baseShipley Bowmen is relatively new. It started seven years ago. But it does know one thing. Archery is about more than shooting. It's about having a community, and a firm base.It began when 12 archers attended public sessions at a leisure centre near Horsham. One lived in Shipley and persuaded them to put on an archery display at the village's Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. It was in the grounds of a local country estate and went down a storm.A club was formed, a storage hut and second-hand materials were bought and a policy of 'give archery a try' was adopted. It brought in a steady stream of new members.Then things started to go wrong. The leisure centre was redeveloped and no longer suitable. The country estate withdrew permission to shoot there because of a rewilding programme. A field behind a pub was deemed just about suitable by an Archery GB inspector, but he had checked online and had spotted that the pub was up for sale.Luckily, one member found a school with suitable fields and a head teacher who wanted his pupils to have the chance to learn archery. The other condition was that the club had to provide a smart, unobtrusive storage hut.Members could not move the original hut from the estate so they sourced a new kit version online. A wooden base was prefabricated in a member's garden and they set to work.It took seven members a long, tiring day to clear a site for the new hut. All was ready.The instructions for the hut said it would take two men eight hours to build. It took 12 people and two-and-a-half days, but that did not matter. It was complete and the club's new home was secure. And, as one member pointed out, they might struggle to teach the children how to shoot arrows but the club can definitely show them how to build a hut.Calling the policeThe British Police Archery Association is back and it's aiming to become a contact point for serving and retired officers, staff, spouses and dependent children who do not have an official force archery club. Why? So that they can represent the BPAA at domestic competitions and internationally.It also wants to help police forces set up archery groups under the Archery GB umbrella. If you want to find out more, email britishpolicearchery@.Charity marathonOverton Black Arrows shot a total of 256 Frostbite rounds, over 24 hours in June, to raise money for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance. It was worth the effort. Members had intended to shoot 20,000 points but, in the end, reached 59,545 and raised more than ?2,pounder Craig Ballantine scored a near perfect 358 out of 360. Junior recurver Jodie Buckner shot 334 at 2am. Mark Davies took the longbow high score of 190, Bill Jones, shooting barebow scored 305 and Dave Giddings scored 89 with his horsebow.The magnificent eightEight longbow archers from Saints and Sinners Bowmen in Worcestershire each achieved the minimum of a bowmen classification by June 2019. The archers, who have been shooting longbow for between two and 20-plus years, shot a Windsor round at the club's annual longbow championship. They were: Steve Lester, Henry Evans, Kathryn Lester, Rob Hodgetts, Nick Holder, Daniel Griffiths, Phil Casey and Dave Evans.A chance to say thank youSometimes archers with disabilities, physical and mental, and impairments need a little help. So when they get the chance to meet the people who give them that support, it's not an opportunity they are likely to miss.Thirty joined the Royal Toxophilite Society to take part in its annual Worshipful Company of Fletchers Trust Day for Archers with a Disability at its grounds in Buckinghamshire.The Trust awards grants to newcomers to archery as well as experienced and elite archers, along with supporting archery clubs and contributing, or solely funding, the costs of competitions.The archers, who included veterans of the Warrior and Invictus Games, took part in a relaxed nine-dozen arrow shoot which gave them the chance to meet members of the Company who sponsor them.There were prizes too. Duncan Garland, Master of the Company, presented the Steiner Salver for an outstanding contribution to archery for the disabled to Rikki Bingham. The Des Clark Memorial Cup for the most promising start in competitive archery for the disabled was awarded to Tamas Gaspar."Hosting this day is a very important part of the society's year and it is an honour to be able to provide our facilities and skills for the day," said its vice-president, Tony Usher. "Numbers this year were up and it was a real pleasure to be involved with the archers and Worshipful Company of Fletchers and to be part of such an enjoyable and friendly occasion. The shooting was excellent, the weather superb throughout, making it a memorable day for all concerned.""I had another amazing day at the Worshipful Company of Fletchers' Day for Archers with a Disability. A once a year delightful, fun and no pressure competition," said Gavin Watson, a gold medallist at the Invictus Games 2014 and Warrior Games 2016.If you would like to be considered for this competition in 2020, please email Gemma Underwood at matchsecretary@royal-toxophilite-.Quite a dayWhen BLESMA, a military charity for limbless veterans, and the Royal British Legion Riders wanted to find out more about our sport they contacted the Leicester Ancient Order of Foresters Archery Club. The result was a quite a day for everyone concerned.The bikers arrived just in time for coffee and joined in the fun, shooting at balloons, joining in a friendly competition and helping to raise ?130 for BLESMA. The club also gave a 20-yard 252 badge to a particularly talented guest.Wales needs judgesWork commitments and illness means that Wales Archery Association's judges are stretched to the limit. And they need your help. So the big question is: do you want to become a judge?At the moment the association has one national, two regional, two county and one candidate judge. Judge Liaison Officer Paul Curtis says without help the WAA's judges group will cease to exist. To find out how you can help contact him at paulgnas@.Make a promiseWant to make sure your sports-mad child has a safe and enjoyable experience? Then make the Sports Parents Promise and spread the word about the Parents in Sport Week 2019 which runs from 7 to 12 October. There's still time, so spread the word by using #sportsparents. If you are organising an event, here's four top tips:Encourage parents to make the?Sports Parents Promise.Discuss future developments for the club.Discuss the development of their childTell parents where to find safeguarding policies, who your club welfare officer is and how to report any concerns.On the first rungWant to get your newer archers on to the first rung of the competition ladder? Three Nottinghamshire clubs, Belvoir Archers, Bramcote and Beeston Rylands, are running shoots for second and third class archers to help give them the encouragement they need.Belvoir hosted the first and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Wilford Archers' Andy Kay said: "I got up this morning, excited and nervous to be entering my first competition since 2007." John Roberts of Bulwell Foresters said: "Our archers thoroughly enjoyed their day and were full of renewed enthusiasm on Sunday.? Great to see."It's a first for KeyworthKeyworth Archers has staged its first outdoor competition and, despite blustery conditions, it gave members a taste for more. The gender-neutral handicap event at different distances allowed everyone to take part. Taking the longbow, flatbow and barebow honours were Brian Watts, John Brown and Kate Knaggs while the top recurvers were Ken Lane, Jerry Gath and Dave Oliver.Farewell to PPCFor years, Personal Performance Courses have been helping archers improve their technique and reach their full potential. Weekend and week-long courses enabled Archery GB members to access first-class tuition and all the latest information.Now course manager David Redding and coaches Tony Luff and Sue and Keith Hawkesford are stepping down and the courses are coming to an end. We would like to thank David and everyone who has helped run the courses over the years for all their hard work and for everything they have done for members.In the midnight hourCan't get enough of shooting? Don't want to go home at the end of the night? Then Wight Bowmen Archery Club might be able to help.It holds an annual Midnight Outdoor shoot, and this year 21 members started shooting at midnight under temporary floodlights, took a break to chat around the fire basket, then carried on until 4am, finally retiring for a full English breakfast. It raised ?210.1,000 arrowsWhen things go wrong, they tend to do it in style. Longbow loving Simon Thomas was fit and well; until he wasn't. The 53-year-old Hingham Bowman had a heart attack, was put into an induced coma, contracted sepsis (twice), pneumonia, septicaemia then a staphylococcus infection.A major factor in his survival was the fast arrival of an Air Ambulance. His 15-year-old son William figured the best way to say thanks was to attempt a sponsored 1,000 arrow shoot as part of the club's 10th anniversary celebrations.He started at 9.30am and was done by 3.30pm, raising ?2,400 to be split between the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital's critical care unit and its Kilverstone Ward.ObituariesHelen George: AGB DirectorIt is with much regret that we announce the death of Helen George, 74. Helen was a member of the Archery GB Board of Directors and was passionate about improving our sport for everyone and particularly for those with disabilities.For several years, Helen chaired the Archery GB Disabilities Committee. She was also a member of the World Archery Para Archery Committee. We will miss her enthusiasm, knowledge and wise counsel. Our thoughts are with her husband, Tony. David Harrison, former Chair of Archery GB, paid tribute. He said: "Helen was a truly inspirational person who was loved and respected across the archery world. Helen, you were and always will be my friend, coach and mentor. Rest in peace."Bob SmithBob Smith, who served as Chair of Archery GB's Disabilities Committee, founded the British Wheelchair Archery Club, organised events for WheelPower and became British Wheelchair Archery Association's coaching co-ordinator, secretary and treasurer, has passed away.He taught technical studies in Aylesbury and had been a member of Newport Pagnell Archery Club. "He is sadly missed by our members and many more in the wider disabled archery community," said BWAA Chair Pauline Betteridge.Dennis WhitemanJudge, former Chair of the Grand National Archery Society and honorary life member Dennis Whiteman has passed away. His archery career started in the 1950s and continued when he was stationed in Hong Kong with the RAF. An Archery GB spokesman said: "Dennis was highly respected throughout the archery community and will be greatly missed."Big Weekend 2019: What made it the best yet?Logo Text: Archery GB Big Weekend, in partnership with The Archery Shop 'aim for the best'.The Big Weekend 2019 was the biggest ever. More organisations took part in 103 events and, crucially, more people were introduced to our sport than ever before.Thanks to feedback from organisations that staged events, we have been able to find out what worked, what didn't and how to make future Big Weekends even more successful.One thing is very clear. Setting the dates as early as possible gives everyone time to get things organised. That's why we can now tell you that the Big Weekend 2020 will be held 15 to 17 May. So get the dates in your diary now.What did we get right this year? More people from different departments were involved in organising the Big Weekend and we worked with partners including Sport England, Be Inspired, the National Trust, UK Coaching and our instructors to spread the word. We even uploaded the Big Weekend logo on to our franking machine so that every outgoing letter carried the message.We also ensured that we could get as many staff members to as many events as possible. This included Chief Executive Neil Armitage visiting Long Mynd Archers and Chair Mark Briegal going to both Colwyn Bowmen and Lonsdale Archers. This gave us the chance to find out about successes and challenges, to get involved helping out, gather interviews, video and photo coverage, to build better relationships and give volunteers the recognition they deserve.This year's dates tied in with Mental Health Awareness Week so we encouraged clubs to use the Big Weekend to create a welcoming, inclusive and positive environment for participation. The focus was on clubs recognising this important aspect of staying healthy, talking about it to reduce the stigma attached, and raising awareness.Every club that registered a Big Weekend event before the deadline was given a kitbag loaded with give-aways. Eight focus clubs, all members of the ontarget programme, were given additional support, receiving ten free copies of the Archery for Beginners Guidebook to give to anyone who signed up for beginners' courses.Our use of social media channels brought lots of people to events and attracted lots of media attention. But we know we can do better and will be working on improving the support we give. Roll on 2020.Recycling: How archery is tackling the problemRecycling. It's one of the most important issues around and, not surprisingly, it's something archers are passionate about. So how do we play our part?You might have noticed the bag in which Archery UK was delivered. It's plastic, but you have been asking us to make a change and we have listened. It's taken a while to find the right product but we are about to swap the cover for one made from a polymer mainly produced from potato starch which is fully biodegradable. And, as the technology gets better, we are hoping to keep pace.And we are not stopping there. We can announce big changes to our membership cards. Your new environmentally friendly membership card is produced from 100 per cent recycled PVC and can be recycled again when you’ve ?nished with it. If you would like to reduce your carbon footprint, then please opt to receive just the electronic card via the online members' portal.You have been coming up with ideas too. We have already showcased some in past issues and we are delighted to say they keep arriving. Dave Chudley of Hinxworth Archery Club says its equipment officer Derek Bridgewater has an idea for prolonging the life of old straw bosses.He suggests buying a 60cm straw boss, removing the taper cut square, tying it off and applying a liberal coating of waterproof PVA to the end. Lay it on the shot out boss and rotate the small one until it overlaps the nearest coil of the larger by approximately 5mm. Mark the larger boss at the end of the small boss, remove and cut the centre of the large boss to that point. Lay the large boss on the floor, coat the inside with waterproof PVA align the small boss and tamp down with a large hammer until level. If there are any small gaps at the end force some offcut straw dipped in PVA into gap.Ann Fforde-Johnston, a member of Burscough Archers has taken a crafty approach to the problem and come up with ways of recycling rubber target bosses. She is busy turning them into keyrings, glasses cases, wrist straps, coasters, picture frames and score books.She said: "The material is very nice to work with and cuts easily with a scalpel or a sharp blade."For the glasses case, I cut out two identical front and back pieces, used a hole punch and an old shoelace to tie it all together."The keyrings are simple folded strips of the foam with an eyelet and chain. "The picture frame is held together with eyelets with a piece of foam as a strut at the back, the photo simply slips in from the side or the top."The archery score book consists of one piece folded in half with two holes and a strip of the foam was used to tie it together."I feel the occasional arrow hole in the foam gives the items some character."I enjoyed playing around with the foam but I really wanted to draw attention to the volume of waste material and to provoke thoughts on how it could be recycled or repurposed."Every little helps, so if you can come up with any more ideas let us know at magazine@.Robin HoodsCornelis BoonAnything is possible no matter your age, says Cornelis Boon, and he was really pleased to achieve his ambition of shooting a Robin Hood at 50 metres while shooting at Barnstaple Archery Club.Bill ElmoreBill Elmore of Ramsey Ravens found out the hard way that consistency can be costly. Fortunately, he was able to salvage one arrow and was able to show new members that good grouping can be achieved.Dave ThompsonDave Thompson was eager to test out his new Pro comp arrows at Bognor Archery's ground. He was shooting at 40 yards when he did this to a new archer's arrow. "I've never been so happy to damage an arrow." said Dave. The owner of the other arrow has yet to comment.Paul RedmanPaul Redman was really pleased to hit nine twice at Shenley Archers, but his grouping might have been a little too close.Darren ClarkeDarren Clarke shot a wooden arrow, then split it right down the middle with his next effort. He was attempting a 252 at 40 yards with his longbow at Portsdown Archery in Portsmouth when it happened.Steve PattinsonVariety is the spice of life and Steve Pattinson served up this variation at Royal Richmond Archery Club. He managed to split the arrow, even though it was trapped under the binding around the boss.Street safe: How archery is helping fight knife crimeWhat's the latest word on the street? Well in South Yorkshire it's about how archery is helping to combat social issues as well improving the physical and mental health of young people and adults.An organisation called Street Safe 4all has been running Archery 4all and Street Bows sessions since 2015. It has worked with more than 4,600 young people and adults from ex-mining communities, special educational needs and behavioural schools, youth offending groups as well as mental health organisations and disability groups.Street Bows is unique. It was designed to target social issues that affect many communities across the UK such as gang culture, drugs, knife crime, child criminal exploitation, money laundering and other anti-social behaviours.James Swallow-Gaunt, founder of Street Safe 4all, said: "Street Bows uses archery to build skills to help people overcome challenges in their life. Achieving the perfect shot uses similar skills required to change direction in life, such as self-control, discipline, self-confidence, resilience and reflection."It is designed to be delivered in local community spaces, parks, community centres and any space where soft archery can be set up. Once we have established trust and relationships with local communities, we run a range of workshops and other community focused sessions designed to reduce social issues such as anti-social behaviour, drug awareness and reducing street exploitation."Street Bows brings communities and families together and allows them to enjoy archery in a way that is easily accessible and fun. We work with a number of different organisations such as South Yorkshire Police, Mums United and Sheffield Horn of Africa and look to train up instructors from the communities they work in, providing positive role models and ensuring community activities are more sustainable."Archery 4all is its schools programme. It works with the Youth Sport Trust and adapts games and activities to the needs of each specific person. It focuses on archery's positive impact on improving mental health and self-confidence, has measurable outcomes and cross curricular links to numeracy and history.So far it has:Worked with Mums United, Mothers of Burngreave and Sheffield Horn of Africa Community Forum to bring archery to, and promote cohesion in, black and Asian minority ethnic communities in Sheffield.Worked with South Yorkshire Police on a scheme to reduce knife crime.Run pop-up archery sessions for children and young people linked to Doncaster's Youth Justice services.Worked with Sheffield's churches and mosque madrassa to promote social and community cohesion and understanding.Helped reduce anti-social behaviour by 41 per cent over eight months in Lansdowne, Sheffield, in partnership with Sheffield Wednesday FC and Mums United.Worked with and developed an archery programme with Paces Conductive School for children with cerebral palsy.Delivered sessions with MENCAP Sports and Lions in day residential centres across Doncaster and Sheffield.Supported a number of events, including an Inclusion Revolution that brought together 400 people with disabilities to try archery. Competition: Win ?500 off a Go Active break with HoseasonsGo ActiveThis year, Archery GB has teamed up with Hoseasons to campaign for more families to get out and active over the school holidays. Working with Rio 2016 Paralympic silver medallist Jodie Grinham and Bryony Pitman, who took gold at this year's European Games, to talk about the amazing activities on offer across the UK, including archery.Now we're offering your family the chance to win ?500 off a fantastic stay at one of Hoseasons many Go Active locations across the UK. From a family cycle in the forest or a ramble across the countryside, a splash in a swimming pool to a dip in a bubbling hot tub. A Go Active Break gives you the freedom to make the most of your time together whether you go fast or slow.Hoseasons has come a long way since its beginnings as a boating break provider on the Norfolk Broads. Celebrating their 75th year anniversary in 2019, the staycation specialist is one of the UK's leading self-catering accommodation providers with more than 31,000 places to stay throughout Britain. Hoseasons accommodates more than 1.75 million holidaymakers and more than 100,000 pets every year.QuestionTo win ?500 off a Hoseasons Go Active staycation, simply answer:Q: What anniversary is Hoseasons celebrating in 2019? Submit answersSend your answers to magazine@ and make sure that you include a daytime telephone number, your home and email addresses. To sign up for the latest special offers from Hoseasons, just add ‘sign me up’ in your entry email.Closing dateThe closing date for entries is 1 November 2019.More about HoseasonsFor more information about Hoseasons and Go Active breaks please visit the Go Active section of Hoseasons' website: hoseasons.co.uk/go-active.RulesThe winning gift voucher entitles you to ?500 off the holiday accommodation cost of any of the following Go Active Locations through Hoseasons, booked and taken before 31 December 2020:Landal Gwel an Mor.Piran Meadows Resort and Spa.Sandymouth Holiday Resort.Finlake Holiday Resort.Cheddar Woods Resort and Spa.Oakdene Forest.Crowhurst Park Lodges.Hemsby Beach Holiday Park.Norfolk Woods Resort and Spa.Kenwick Woods Lodges.Whitemead Forest Park.Landal Darwin Forest.Landal Sandybrook.Talacre Beach.The Bay.Landal Kielder Waterside.Landal Piperdam.Lochgoilhead Lodges.Hunters Quay.There is no cash alternative and it is not transferable. The voucher does not include travel or any other expenses connected with it.The prize is subject to the Promoter’s Booking Conditions at Hoseasons booking conditions: hoseasons.co.uk/booking-conditions and is subject to availability.Any personal information will be managed in accordance with Hoseasons Privacy Notice: hoseasons.co.uk/security-and-privacy.Hoseasons, Raglan Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 2LW. Registered office: Spring Mill, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB94 0AA. Company Number 00965389 VAT Number GB 598 22 99 77.Ambassadors: Special reportTaking it to the Max: Double champion is man with a planMax Oakley is a man, or rather an 11-year-old, with a three-point plan for promoting archery and getting more people hooked on the sport.The Archery GB Youth Ambassador, who won both under-12s recurve titles at the Junior National Outdoor Championships, took up the sport three years ago. He loves it and he wants to make sure everyone else has the chance to find out why. When he joined the Ambassador scheme his strategy was:Visit schools and talk to pupils to promote the sport.Try to set up an annual junior open day at the multi-sports facility where he shoots with Bowmen of Adel so that youngsters could try each other's sports.To encourage juniors to take part in external competitions.And it's so far so good. He sent emails to head teachers and spent two weeks talking to seven to 10-year-olds at five local schools about archery. His presentation included different types of bow and archery disciplines and talking about our international athletes as well as his journey in the sport and his ambassador role. And, more importantly, he encouraged pupils to take their families along to a fun day so they could try archery for themselves and decide if they wanted to sign up for a beginner's courses.The response he received from the schools earned him a Head Teacher's award and this from his teacher, Delia Martin, "Max is an incredible young man with a real mature head on young shoulders. He has proved to be an articulate and confident individual who can work effectively with his peers and who can inspire younger students about his life in archery. He is a star in the making."The second prong of his plan was to set up the junior multi-sports open day. So he set up a meeting with the centre's membership secretary. The secretary loved the idea and has taken it forward to the executive committee aiming to get it running next year. He also helps put on beginners' courses demonstrating technique, leading the warm up and chatting with the juniors taking part to tell them about how great archery is and what it can offer them.Part three was to get his peers involved in external competition. He devised a new county-wide junior league and, with the help of the club's tournament organiser, designed a new round just for juniors, called The Addeled round.The idea is to host matches at different clubs across the county so juniors can get to know each other, have fun and experience what a competition would be like. The entry fee? It's cake. Preliminary trials highlighted a few glitches in scoring ideas so he's gone back to the drawing board so that it will be ready for next year. And the really good news? He has received interest from many clubs across the county that would like to be involved.It's also rapidly becoming a family affair. His sister Georgina manages his social media channels. And his mum Nicky? Well she is understandably proud. "To see him standing there speaking to 120 children for 20 minutes so confidently was a wonderful surprise and a true proud parent moment," she said.Heike's burning ambitionHeike Palmer is the reigning under 14s recurve Junior Masters champion. But personal achievement is not her main focus. She has bigger ambitions.The 13-year-old is an Archery GB Young Ambassador. It is a role she loves and she has thrown herself into getting as many young people involved in our sport as possible.She recently helped deliver a multisports festival for year 6 pupils in Birmingham where the emphasis was firmly on passion, respect and honesty. It played to all her strengths. She said, "We had 400 pupils from across Birmingham trying athletics, cricket and archery, rotating around in groups of 50."The value for archery was 'passion' and I was able to award badges to the pupils who showed the most passion for our sport.?I was also awarded one myself."Welcome all: Ambassador Aaron works with refugeesBeing creative is part of getting people interested in archery. That becomes even more important when you need to make refugees from war-torn counties feel comfortable and welcome.More than 30 took part in an afternoon of sports with Lonsdale Archers, and Young Ambassador Aaron Christie played a pivotal role, organising and running archery and boccia."It was a case of being a bit creative with the archery and the boccia," said Level 1 coach Lucy Gunson. "Luckily Burton-in-Lonsdale's sports pavilion has a really long balcony, so despite the heavy rain we managed to organise both boccia and archery on the veranda while those who didn't mind getting wet running around went and had a game of casual football on the pitch."The rain may have poured but nothing got in the way of the fun. We used the Arrows kit and it was so popular people came back to shoot several times. We didn't stop."He supported two qualified coaches by collecting arrows and demonstrating how to hold the bow and load the arrows correctly."I enjoyed doing my bit to help the families" said Aaron, who was there with his Archery GB Mentor dad Mark."To start with I helped referee and coach the boccia, then I helped some of the younger people with the archery. It was great when they hit the target, even better when a few hit the gold. The weather was a bit of a nuisance but we adapted the activities and everyone was really happy with how it all went. I even got stuck into some football and got pretty soaked."Mark said, "We’ve recently been successful obtaining a social inclusion grant from The Two Ridings Community Foundation, and this is the kind of outreach work which the club wants to be involved with to enrich people's lives. Here, it was heartening to see the big smiles on people's faces, people who have experienced terrible hardship."Looking forward, we have plans to target older people, women's only sessions, run more sessions for juniors, and we've signed up to the Mental Health Charter for Sport with a view to helping people."Find out what being an Ambassador means to Aaron in our Mailbag section, page 58.New kit and new sponsorArchery GB Ambassadors and Mentors have a new look and we are delighted to announce they have a new sponsor: Clickers Archery.Graham Harris, Chief Executive of Clickers, thinks it's a great investment in archery's future. He said: "We have a great sport, a sport that is truly accessible to all. The Ambassador programme will help raise the awareness of the sport and hopefully introduce more young people to it."Among the first to showcase the new kit was Club Ambassador Huw Harper, seen with Faith, a new member of Gronant Bowmen who turned 11 during her beginners' course. And Student Ambassador Ffion Edgeley was happy to show it off as she coached Abi, Louis and Oliver at the Talisman Bowmen's beginners course.International round-up: Medals haul and TokyoMedals haulInternational teams hit fine formBritain's international athletes have been busy over the summer, as proved by our bursting medals cabinet. Here's a quick run-down of their successes.World Archery and Para ChampionshipsLogo text: 's-Hertogenbosch the Netherlands. World Archery and Para Championships 2019.As well as securing Paralympic and Olympic quota places at the World Archery and Para Championships, our athletes earned medals too. Defending Visually Impaired 2/3 champion Steve Prowse retained his title in fine style and Nicholas Thomas took bronze, beating teammate Philip Tranter. VI 1 athletes Richard John Nicholl and Stuart Rodgers both reached the quarter finals.Jess Stretton and our compound women's team both won silver, Jess, along with Jodie Grinham and Phoebe Pine were just edged out of gold by China while Jess, shooting for her first compound title, lost a shoot-off against Singapore's Nur Syahidah Alim.The women's recurve team of Sarah Bettles, Bryony Pitman and Naomi Folkard took bronze in dramatic style, beating China in a shoot-off.European GamesLogo text: Minsk 2019. 2nd European Games.Sarah Bettles, Naomi Folkard and Bryony Pitman won the first gold medal at the European Games in Minsk. They only dropped one set in the entire process. Then Naomi and Patrick Huston added mixed team silver after a tough battle with Italy. It was the first time compound had been included in the games programme and Adam Ravenscroft came close to adding bronze to the medals tally but was edged out by Mario Vavro of Croatia.World CupLogo text: Hyundai. Archery World Cup, Berlin, 2019.British compounders took gold and silver at the Hyundai Archery World Cup in Berlin.Ella Gibson and James Mason won the mixed team competition, beating Croatia, Colombia and Italy. That left them facing Slovenia for gold. It was close, but the Britons gained an advantage and held on. It was Ella's second medal. Earlier she, Susan Corless and Sarah Moon, took team silver. After defeating New Zealand and Germany, they faced Turkey. It was hard-fought but Turkey edged ahead to secure gold.Para European CupLogo text: Para-archery world ranking and European Cup 2019.Two British teams battled for bronze at the second stage of the Para-Archery European Cup in Nove Mesto, and both had to be satisfied with fourth place. The mixed W1 team of John Cavanagh and Victoria Kingstone were edged out in a shoot-off against Russia while compounders David Bramley, Steve Gill and Jamie Harris lost out to Slovakia.Summer UniversiadeLogo text: Napoli 2019. 30th Summer Universiade.There were close calls and tough matches for British students at 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples. Compounders Sarah Moon and Izzy Carpenter saw off Ukraine but then fell to Chinese Taipei in the quarter finals. The mixed team of Sarah and Kai Thomas-Prause defeated France but were denied a semi-final place by Kazakhstan.European Youth CupLogo text: European Youth Cup, 15 to 20 July 2019, Bucharest.Our young stars played an absolute blinder at the European Youth Cup in Bucharest, putting Britain at the top of the medals table.Our gold medal winners included: the compound junior mixed team of Ella Gibson and Kai Thomas-Prause and the compound junior women's team of Ella, Isabelle Carpenter and Lucy Mason. Layla Annison won the individual compound cadet title along with team gold with Jenny Bryan and Holly Clifford. The final gold went to compound cadets Adam Carpenter, Lewis Haslam and Nathan Thomas.Nathan also took individual silver, as did recurve junior Jacob Reid. The recurve junior mixed team of Eleanor Piper and Cameron Donaldson took the total of silvers to three. Bronze medals went to the recurve cadet women's team of Penny Healey, Louisa Piper and Thea Rogers and individual compound junior Ella Gibson.European Masters GamesLogo text: Tor European Masters Games, Torino 2019, 26 July to 4 August.The Europe Masters Games in Turin was split into two disciplines: field and target. And British athletes won medals in both.First up were the field athletes. Peter Webb battled through the recurve 50-plus pool rounds, finishing on a shoot-off. That put him through to the semis where he saw off Germany's Adolf Mohr then Italian Pietro Castelli to take the title.Wendy Aubrey took bronze in the recurve 50+ category after an early all-British clash with Wendie King. The medal came after an impressive 49-36 victory over Norway's Ragnhild Nordmelan.That gave our target athletes something to aim for, and they did not disappoint. Compounder Michael Aubrey was in unstoppable form in his 50-plus age group as he overpowered all opponents on his way to seeing off top seed Aulis Humalajoki of Finland in the title match. Then David Woo took 60-plus recurve silver after being edged out 6-4 by Germany's Klaus Preuss.Para European CupLogo text: Para-Archery European Cup Final 2019There was a hard-fought fourth place for the W1 mixed team of Victoria Kingstone and John Cavanagh at the European Para-Cup finals in Wiesbaden, Germany. They were edged out of bronze by Russia. Victoria also finished fourth in the individual competition.World Youth ChampionshipsLogo text: 2019 Mardrid, World Archery Youth pound juniors Ella Gibson, Lucy Mason and Jessica Stretton powered to team bronze at the World Archery Youth Championships in Madrid, with a hard-fought fourth place for junior recurvers Ryan Pinder, Jacob Reid and Alex Wise who just lost out to the Netherlands. We're off to TokyoLogo text: Tokyo 2020 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games.British athletes will be Tokyo-bound next year after winning the maximum six Olympic and five Paralympic quota places at the Hyundai World Archery Championships and the Para Championships at 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands. The paras were up first and three of our compounders, Jess Stretton, John Stubbs and Nathan Macqueen, secured places.Two more places came courtesy of recurvers David Phillips and Hazel Chaisty.All our athletes had to do to land Olympic places was to reach the quarter finals; and they did it in style.Tom Hall, Patrick Huston and Alex Wise qualified in eighth place, earning a bye into the last 16. Only Japan stood in their way and it was a clean sweep.Hot on their heels were Sarah Bettles, Bryony Pitman and Naomi Folkard. The fifth seeds also got a bye into the last 16 then beat Italy 6to 2 to win the all-important quota places. Talking helps: Thea's beating mental health problemsWords: David Williams. Article: courtesy of the South Wales ArgusRising star Thea Rogers has spoken openly about her battle with mental health problems and how she is trying to help others affected by similar issues.The 17-year-old began suffering from panic attacks, anxiety and depression after winning a bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Argentina two years ago.Quitting archery did cross the Cwmbran teenager's mind, but a steely determination to tackle her troubles head on and continue competing in the sport she loves won through.Thea, who shot a new outdoor recurve junior women's world record in May, said, "I had a bit of a rough year after going to the worlds in Argentina. I wasn't sure if I was going to quit. It was that bad but I pushed through because I love the sport so much and it has paid off."I ended up having depression, anxiety and panic attacks with my shooting, which wasn't great. It was also the second year of my GCSEs and any time I thought about archery I'd have a panic attack. I was thinking, 'what if I’m in the middle of my exam and it happens?'"I didn't do any competitions during the indoor season and just went to the gym as often as I could because I initially thought it was a strength problem."I didn't want to focus on making this team or that team or getting this score or that score. I just thought, 'I need to sort myself out for next year'."My parents haven't been through it so didn't know what to say or do to help and it was a bit of struggle for them to understand what I was going through."At points they said it was okay if I didn't want to carry on shooting because they obviously don't like seeing me upset, but I was too determined to get over it.”She continued, "I still have my down days every now and then when the problem comes back, but I've learned how to deal with it and what to do. Talking about it has definitely helped me."We've got a psychologist at Lilleshall and she helps a lot, she's brilliant. I always thought that if I talk about it then I'll get really upset, which I do, but it helps."Because if I don't talk about it then all these thoughts will be running through my mind."While doing what she can to manage her situation, Rogers is also looking to become more knowledgeable about mental health in order to improve the lives of fellow sufferers."I chose psychology as an A-level subject so I could try and help myself and others. I'm also an Archery GB ambassador to help others who are in a similar situation."When you look across the board, so many young people in sport are having mental issues and I don’t think it has been that much of a thing in the past."Now you have a lot more people opening up and it's being talked about a lot more, and not just in sport."Disabilities: Worshipful Company of Fletchers plus BWAA championshipsJust champion: Stunning show by para athletes Logo text: The Worshipful Company of Fletchers. Disability Championship 2019. Archery GB.Sunshine, laughter and stunning performances combined to make the 2019 Worshipful Company of Fletchers Disability Championships the best yet.The event was held in association with British Blind Sport and the Worshipful Company of Bowyers, so it was fitting that Steve Prowse showed just why he is the world's number one. He took the visually impaired 2/3 title, beating Nick Thomas 6 to 0. Peter Price beat Phillip Tranter 6 to 0 to claim bronze.The honours in the VI 1 category went to Roger Rees-Evans who beat Clive Jones 6 to 2. John Nicholl beat John Bower 6 to 0 to take third spot. Peter Shaw defeated Graham Walker 6 to 0 to win the VI Open title.Day one also saw our disability compound and disability novice champions crowned. Trevor Little was the top seed in the compound category and defeated Andrew Woodger to take gold. The bronze went to Gwenda Humpheys. Jamie Wallace beat Daniel O'Connor to claim novice gold, with Alan Izzard in third spot.The action moved to the Archery GB pod on day two and it was the turn of our All para classified athletes.Recurve top seed Paul Browne beat Kieran Wood to earn his shot at gold. He faced rising star Cameron Radigan, making his senior debut. Cameron had seen off Daniel Powell in the opening stages and secured the title with a 6 to 0 win. Good friends Daniel Powell and Kieran Wood went head to head in the battle for bronze. Daniel won, and could not stop smiling about it.In the women's competition, Hazel Chaisty defeated Rachel Watson to face Kate Murray, who had earlier beaten Amanda George in a shoot-off, in the battle for gold. Hazel took first blood and Kate hit back in the second but Hazel held on to the advantage to claim pounder Nathan MacQueen beat David Davies in the semi-finals to face Jamie Harris. Jamie had seen off Alex Scott but had no answer for an in-form Nathan. Alex took bronze but the Fletchers' Cup, for the person closest or who beat their personal best, went to David.Jess Stretton qualified in top spot, earning a bye into the gold medal match where she defeated Amanda Davidson. Phoebe Pine took third seed Tamas Gaspar shone in a W1 mixed gold medal showdown with John Cavanagh, winning 135 to 129. Martin Saych beat Victoria Rumary to bronze and later said he was "exhausted, but with a big grin on his face."Archery GB would like to thank the Worshipful Company of Fletchers for its continued support, British Blind Sport, the Worshipful Company of Bowyers, and KG Archery for supplying the medals.Call time on negativityLogo text: Who says? Activity Alliance. Disability inclusion sport.A new campaign from Activity Alliance is calling time on negative perceptions about disability, inclusion and sport and asks;?who says?Who says it's not a real sport if you have to adapt it?Who says disabled people aren't competitive?For far too long disabled people have faced misconceptions and presumptions about what is and isn't possible, including in sport. Activity Alliance wants to move the conversations on, open people’s minds and shift out-dated views on disability.?Who says??gives positive evidence that replaces these negative ideas.If you want to get involved, post your own experiences using #Whosays and help break down barriers.Difficult conditions = high standardsNovices had the chance to shoot alongside athletes fresh from the World Para Championships at this year's British Wheelchair Archery Association Disability Championships.Despite difficult and cold weather conditions, entrants rose to the challenge at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, shooting a 720 ranking round, metrics, head-to-heads and visually impaired rounds.Six representatives from the Worshipful Company of Fletchers were on hand to witness the high standard of shooting and to pay tribute to Tournament Organiser Bob Smith, who had passed away. His duties were taken over by Steve Millward, helped by Pauline Betteridge, Gill Millward and Tony George. Youth festival 2019: Talent galoreIt's my choice (and Sophie’s glad she made it)Sophie Roberts had just turned 12 and wanted to enter this year's Youth Festival. But she had only just moved up to shooting at 40 metres and had never shot at 50 metres, so she wasn't sure she could do it. Or compete in a full 720 50-metre cub round.Whatever happened, she decided it would be great experience, so did it anyway. She was right. Despite her lack of experience and terrible weather conditions, Sophie qualified fourth in the ranking round and made it to the head-to-head finals at Lilleshall's Orangery for the individual, mixed team and girls' cub team events.Even better, she came away with medals. She won individual bronze, mixed team silver with Jonathan Ralston after a hard-fought final and, in the cub team final match, Sophie and teammates Meghan Robertson and Lucy Coutts took silver.Sophie, a member of Peacock Archers, was understandably delighted. "I was over the moon to get to even one of the finals matches in the Orangery," she said. "But to get to three of them and to be on the podium three times was amazing."It was not all about the medals though. She said: "The Youth Festival was my favourite competition ever. I made so many new great friends and would encourage all juniors to consider it, even if you've not done much at the distances before."The Youth Festival was supported by: Wales Archery, ArrowSocks, Reign Bowstrings and Sport England.Future promise: Youth Festival showcases talentLogo text: Archery GB Youth Festival 2019.The 2019 Youth Festival was action-packed, fun and more international than ever. It also showcased the best of Britain's young talent and gave a taste of the promise our sport's future holds.A total of 180 young athletes took part. They came from all over the UK, Ireland and Sri Lanka to test themselves during the week-long event at Lilleshall. The rivalries were friendly, but intense, producing stunning results in both the recurve and compound categories.The festival incorporated Key Event 3, the Commonwealth Youth Championships and an international mixed team event. It was supported by Wales Archery, ArrowSocks, Reign Bowstrings and Sport England.In the individual categories, compound juniors Matthew Wong and Ella Gibson battled to hard-won victories while cadet Ajay Scott justified his top seeding by romping to victory. Recurve juniors Jacob Reid and Ruby Paul are this year's champions, with the cadet titles going to Damn Thompson and Thea Rogers. The top cubs were Randhir Senaratne and Samantha Roberts.The compound youth team titles went to Louis Perkins, Nathan Thomas and Kai Thomas-Prause and Robin Geddes, Lucy Mason and Lara Saunderson.In the recurve team categories, juniors Matthew Cotillard, Hayden Ledwick and Maxwell O'Keeffe took the men's title while the women's honours went to Alexandra Currums, Hannah Evans and Ruby Paul. Our cadet champions are Sean Martin, Cameron Radigan and Luke Tassie, Rhiannon Easton, Molly McCormick and Thea Rogers. The top cubs are Jonathan Ralston, Randhir Senaratne and Hayden White, Harriet Crook, Siri Mantravadi and Samantha Roberts.Some of the mixed team competitions were split into two tiers. The champions were:Recurve junior: Hannah Rowley and Thomas Oakley.Recurve cubs: Katie Mundy-Gill and Yusuf Ali.Tier 1:Recurve cadets: Imogen Newby and James pound youth: Paige Jones and Adam Carpenter.Tier 2:Recurve junior: Georgia Green and George Wall.Recurve cadets: Jannah Khaled and Henry pound youth: Anya Annison and Michael Wood.In the international mixed team event, England eventually topped the medals table with four medals, two ahead of Ireland.National Tour Finals: Simply the bestSpectacular end to National TourBritish archery's outdoor season saves the best for last, and this year's National Tour finals more than lived up to the billing.The setting was spectacular. Caldicot Castle, in Monmouthshire, was mentioned in the Domesday book, owned by the hero of Agincourt, Henry V and proved the perfect venue for a drama-packed weekend, during which heavy rain and gusty winds played a major role.Our top compounders were in action first. The women's title went to Ella Gibson who faced Layla Annison in the final. By the fourth end Layla led by a single point. Then the wind really picked up. Ella shot three nines but Layla opened with a six, fought back with a nine, and a gust carried her final arrow past the face.Ella said: "It's amazing to win; but I feel really gutted for Layla. She's a teammate and friend and we wanted this to be a really good match."Today meant quite a lot to me, it's my first National Tour final so I knew to expect a win would be a little extreme, but I definitely wanted to make it on to the podium."The men's title went to defending champion James Mason. It was an early birthday present, and a nice surprise as he beat Adam Ravenscroft. "I wasn't expecting to do anything here to be honest," he said. "I've not been shooting for a while as I was injured at the last National Tour event, so I came here with no expectations and I've done a lot better than I thought."The bronze medals went to Sarah Prieels and Matthew Wong.The recurve crowns went to Jaspreet Sagoo and Tom Hall. Jaspreet beat role model Naomi Folkard in gusty conditions which hit both performances and forced a shoot-off."This means a lot," said Jaspreet. "I don't come here often, and when I did this two years ago I came second against Naomi. I've put in a lot of hard work this year and it'’s paid off. I've come up against Naomi a few times and she's always just nicked it, but this time it was mine."Tom Hall began his archery career at a university freshers' fair. It's been a whirlwind ever since for the athlete who helped Great Britain secure quota places for next year's Olympics."This was never a career plan for me," he said. "I just picked it up at university as I thought 'this would be a bit of fun for me to do on a Wednesday afternoon' and a nice cheap hobby."But it's awesome to win here at Caldicot and it's really, really special. The first time I ever qualified for this I thought I was lucky to be here, and now I've progressed to be the favourite, and to come in top seed and pull it off on the fourth attempt means a lot to me as I've worked hard for this."The bronze medals went to Bryony Pitman and Michael Judd.The National Tour finals were sponsored by leading digital bank Starling Bank, which helps you track your spending in real time and say adios to fees, Visit Monmouthshire and Monlife, T.R.U.ball Archery, Axcel Archery, WiaWis, Hoyt, Mybo, Stanislawski Releases and Shibuya.Key to futureLogo text: Archery GB Key Events 2019.Britain's rising young stars went head to head at the Key Event finals and the results were stunning.Hallie Boulton took on top seed Jenny Bryan in the compound junior finals, and edged it by a single point to claim gold. The bronze medal went to Grace Chappell, who defeated Chloe A'Bear in a tight match.Ajay Scott took the men's title beating Louis Perkins, again by a single point. Nathan Thomas beat Lewis Haslam to bronze.Recurver Hannah Rowley took junior gold, beating Sophie Castle in a hard-fought final. Ruby Paul took bronze with a 6 to 4 win over Nicole Burdett.Cadet Penny Healey started in top spot and carried on to take recurve gold, beating Imogen Newby in a tough battle. Shauna Punjabi beat Thea Rogers to bronze.The men's title went to James Woodgate who defeated Monty Orton. Marco Costanza beat Austin Whitmarsh to bronze.Archery GB youth events are sponsored by Wales Archery.Field: Watership Down challenge, achievements and updatesInto the field and the forest and hunting trailsPhoto: Target acquired, Zack Kelly at the hunting trails.Our brothers and sisters in Northern Ireland have been busy over the past few weeks, battling through sunshine and rain but, most importantly, having fun.Fifty gathered in Loughbrickland for the two-day UK record status Frank Mulligan Midsummer Shoot. Formerly known as the Primrose Shoot, it has been renamed in honour of Ballyvally Archer's recently retired Chair.The weather was unforgiving, but it did not stop entrants, including Luke Wheeler setting new Northern Ireland records, recording personal bests, shooting impressive scores and making new friends.The club has recently introduced a new competition: the Mulligan Hunting Trails. Entrants followed a series of marked trails through the forest over two days in search of 3D animals to target. The junior entrants shone. They took particular pride in achieving complicated shots through branches and leaves, demonstrating their initiative, style and skill. The course was so well set up that only two archers, Romaine Mehaffey and Caoimhe Heaney, managed all 41 hits.But there was no time to rest on their laurels. Within a week, they had created a brand-new course so it could host the Northern Ireland Open 3D Championships. Members more than rose to the occasion. The course, designed by Kevin Heaney, was demanding, over challenging terrain and featured unpredictable shots, and suited the entrants perfectly. They battled through showers and club members came away with a total of 14 NI field titles.So close: Allison just misses out in CanadaInstinctive athlete Allison Kelly came a hair's breadth of making it to the semi-finals of the World Archery 3D Championships in Lac La Biche, Alberta.She defeated Hilde Haldorhamn of Norway 56 to 25, then Spain's Maria Beatriz Ardoiz Moracho 52 to 36. Only one person stood between her and the final pool shoot-out that would take her into the semis: Karin Novi. It was a tough match but the Austrian edged it 52 to 48, then beat France's Estelle Chautard-Valle to go through.Our other instinctive athlete, Jed Cullen, saw off Belgium's Pieter Puttemans 46 to 44 and Marjan Kocman 53to 52 before falling to Austrian Gunter Url 54 to 43.Jason Meehan lost 51 to 54 to John Demmer III of the USA in his barebow category while Victoria went out in hers, beaten 51 to 42 by Sara Liljestrom of Sweden. Longbow athlete Emily Williams lost 15 to 21 to Inke Alaja of Finland.The British athletes who just missed the cut for the pool rounds were:Barebow: Mel Rawlings and John Dalton.Longbow: Ian pound: Hope Greenwood, Dean Thornton and Martin Spencer.Bright-eyed: 60 rise to Watership Down challengeWatership Down is famous for many reasons. It is the name of a novel by Richard Adams which has inspired movies and adaptations. It is also one of the most challenging field courses in Britain.That's why more than 60 people turned out for the two-day 2019 Watership Down Open and Hampshire Championships organised by Overton Black Arrows.Last year entrants sweltered as they took the Peter Turner Challenge. This year the weather was kinder, as was the course. But entrants did have to tackle a woodland section which created some interesting shots and gave a bit of shade.There was also the Peter Turner Uphill Challenge. The competition was fierce but two recurve archers, Jonathon Shales and Chris Baigent, earned certificates for scoring 15 points, as did Jeff Williams with a barebow score of 13 points.Lord Paramount William Hastings, 17th Earl of Huntingdon, presented the awards and there were claims for eight UK records, seven Hampshire county records and 12 Arrowhead Awards.GB field team achievementsIn the last issue we published an interview with Gloria Mead, Great Britain's Field Team Manager. In it she described how she became the team's manager, her pride in the role and how our team is revered on the international circuit."They are among the best in Europe and the world," she said. "Other team managers are interested in our selection procedures and our unity. They admire the way we are always together as a team on, and off, the field of play."A table of the team's achievements since 2011 accompanied the article. Unfortunately something went wrong, the columns became scrambled, and it was not noticed until it was too late. So here it is again.2011Venue: Montevarchi, Italy.Championship: European.Number in team: 19.Golds: 1.Silver: 4.Bronze: 2.Overall position: 3.2012Venue: Val D'Isere, France.Championship: World.Number in team: 23.Golds: 2.Silver: 2.Bronze: 2.Overall position: 2.2013Venue: Terni, Italy.Championship: European.Number in team: 18.Golds: 2.Silver: 0.Bronze: 2.Overall position: 6.2013Venue: Cali, Columbia.Championship: World Games.Number in team: 4.Golds: 1.Silver: 0.Bronze: 1.Overall position: 3.2014Venue: Zagreb, Croatia.Championship: World.Number in team: 24.Golds: 1.Silver: 4.Bronze: 3.Overall position: 1.2015Venue: Poland.Championship: European.Number in team: 32.Golds: 2.Silver: 4.Bronze: 6.Overall position: 2.2016Venue: Dublin.Championship: World.Number in team: 29.Golds: 2.Silver: 2.Bronze: 3.Overall position: 3.2017Venue: Slovenia.Championship: European.Number in team: 23.Golds: 0.Silver: 1.Bronze: 4.Overall position: 2.2017Venue: Wroclaw, Poland.Championship: World Games.Number in team: 4.Golds: 0.Silver: 1.Bronze: 0.Overall position: 5.2018Venue: Cortina, Italy.Championship: World.Number in team: 24.Golds: 1.Silver: 1.Bronze: 0.Overall position: 6.Up to the challenge of NI ChampsSixty-eight archers, including one from Australia, descended on Whytes Estate, Loughbrickland, for the 2019 Northern Ireland and Open Field Archery Championships.There were fine performances over a challenging course, particularly by members of the host club, Ballyvally. Thanks to Dr Jean Whyte who allowed the club to use Loughbrickland Woods for the championships.Consultation update More than 650 people responded to our field archery consultation questionnaire, and we would like to thank everyone who took part for providing such valuable feedback.We have also spoken to more than 120 field archers in one-to-one interviews and group consultation events over the last five months and it was brilliant to hear from such a wide variety of people who are so enthusiastic about the development of the sport.The findings have been collated and a formal report has been submitted to the Board of Directors for review and further discussion. We will let you know what happened in the winter edition.Tournaments: Domestic round-upAll smiles: Students shine at BUCS outdoorsWarwick University students have plenty to smile about. They topped the standings at a rainy BUCS Outdoor Championships with four medals: two golds, a silver and a bronze.A total of 243 experienced and novice archers from 46 universities took part in the world record status two-day event at Lilleshall. They shot a World Archery 1440 followed by head-to-heads.The head-to-head medallists were:Recurve:Gold: William Pike (Warwick) and Rebekah Tipping (Birmingham).Silver: Arthur Coveney (Loughborough) and Emma Davis (Warwick).Bronze: Matthew Sharpe (Surrey) and Hannah Burnage (Warwick).Compound:Gold: Kai Thomas-Prause (Warwick) Sarah Moon (Nottingham Trent).Silver: Ove Schoeppner (Edinburgh) and Beth Martel (Edinburgh).Bronze: Rhys Harper (Lancaster) and Kara Abraham (Edinburgh).Longbow mixed:Gold: Alex Newnes (Aberystwyth).Silver: Mathew Burrell (Plymouth).Bronze: Rodolfo Perez (Plymouth).Barebow:Gold: Huw Vaughan-Jackson (West of England) and Suzannah Boardman (Leeds).Silver: Lonja Selter (Plymouth) and Eleanor Naccarato (Birmingham).Bronze: Daniel Kilgallon (Central Lancashire) and Paulina Zochowska (Swansea).Loughborough took the men's WA 1440 recurve team title with Birmingham claiming the women's honours. The novice team title went to Birmingham and Edinburgh won compound gold.The individual winners were:Recurve: Arthur Coveney (Loughborough) and Eleanor Piper (Birmingham).Recurve novice: Yang Ma (Birmingham) and Jiaxin Yin (Edinburgh).Compound: Stuart Taylor (Keele) and Sarah Moon (Nottingham Trent).Compound novice: Alex Herman (Birmingham) and Catherine Hughes (Exeter).Barebow: Paul Cobee (Bath) and Jessica Nilsson (Edinburgh).Barebow novice: Haydn Hayes (Swansea) and Aubrey Whitish (Swansea).Longbow: Alex Newnes (Aberystwyth) and Beth Duthie (Aberystwyth).Longbow novice: Rodolfo Perez (Plymouth) and Emily Hartley (Exeter).Healthy competition: Young stars shine at JNOCMore than 250 of Britain’s brightest young archers gathered at Lilleshall for fun – and some healthy competition – at the 2019 Junior National Outdoor Championships.The tournament, which is run in partnership with Wales Archery, started with world record status World Archery 1440 rounds and UK record status metric rounds.The winners were:Under 18s:Recurve: Jacob Reid and Penny pound: Nathan Thomas and Iulia Petre.Longbow: Jennifer Cuthbertson. Barebow: Houdeyfa Ajraou.Under 16s:Recurve: Monty Orton and Lauren pound: Luke Davis and Chloe A'Bear.Longbow: Rosie Elliott.Barebow: Sophie Martyn.Under 14s:Recurve: Alexander Smirnis and Isabelle pound: Alex Parker and Matilda Craven.Longbow: Alexandra Lockett.Barebow: Joshua Hetherington and Amelia Chumber.Under 12s:Recurve: Maxwell Oakley and Megan pound: Alfie Ridding and Chloe Scott.Barebow: Tom Wiggin.Recurve: James Woodgate and Thea pound: Lewis Haslam and Maddison Codling.West Midlands Archery Society teams topped both the men's and women's recurve standings.Even more, a total of 260, took part in the Junior National Outdoor Championships, shooting UK record status York, Hereford and Bristol rounds.The winners were:Bristol Under 18s:Recurve: Henry Mullock and Penny pound: Nathan Thomas and Jenny Bryan.Longbow: Jennifer Cuthbertson.Barebow: Houdeyfa Ajraou.Bristol Under 16:Recurve: Monty Orton and Kathryn pound: Ajay Scott and Chloe A'Bear.Longbow: Rosie Elliott.Barebow: Sophie Martyn.Bristol Under 14s:Recurve: William Liversidge and Isabelle pound: Alex Parker and Matilda Craven.Longbow: Alexandra Lockett.Barebow: Joshua Hetherington and Amelia Chumber.Bristol Under 12:Recurve: Maxwell Oakley and Megan pound: Alfie Ridding and Grace Coulam and Chloe Scott.Barebow: Tom Wiggin and Katie Dixon.Hereford:Recurve: Thea pound: Iulia Petre.York:Recurve: James pound: Lewis Haslam.Dunster: the first timeDunster. It's the home of the archery week; a celebration of all that's great about our sport. But what is it like to experience it for the first time?Chris Horan said: "Set in the historic grounds of Dunster Castle, the shooting field is encompassed by the rolling Somerset hills and overshadowed by the imposing castle buildings. It is clear to see this event is steeped in tradition."You don't have to move far along the shooting line without hearing references that this is a person's 15th, 20th, or 25th time. One archer has been at every Dunster tournament for over the past 50 years. Another couple chose to spend their honeymoon on the shooting line surrounded by their Dunster archery family."Lifelong friendships and acquaintances are forged at this event, which seems to uniquely and intricately balance both the competitive and social elements of our sport."Matt of Asgard Archery said, "To say I was a nervous wreck on my first day would be an understatement. I had been told how hectic the two-way western was and even those warnings were not enough. I was asked at one point how I was doing and replied 'so so' which was met with great scepticism by my fellow target mates."As things progressed, I calmed down a lot and started to enjoy the experience. All in all, it was an amazing first experience of Dunster, made all the better by the wonderfully supportive people I was shooting with. This is another reason why I love archery so much."Pure masteryLogo text: The UK Masters Archery GB.Two days, three elements and tough competition decided this year's UK Masters champions. The winners of each of the three elements were: World Archery 1440:Recurve: Tom Hall and Bryony pound: Adam Ravenscroft and Ella Gibson.Longbow: Cliff Gadd and Sheila Hudson.Barebow: Danny Hickman and Jacqueline Crow.Head to heads:Recurve: Sarah Bettles and Ryan pound: Lucy Mason and Rhys Harper.Longbow: Sheila Hudson and Cliff Gadd.Barebow: Karen Grassie and Danny Hickman.Team competitionsIn the team competitions where the pairings were drawn at random, the winners were: Recurve: Sarah Bettles and Charlotte Birch, Michael Judd and Alex pound: Holly Clifford and Lucy Mason, Lewis Haslam and Adam Ravenscroft.Longbow: Nicola Phillips and Mary Watson, Martin Bale and Cliff Gadd.Barebow: Karen Lott and Mary Louca.Countdown under wayThe indoor season is almost upon us and the big question is: have you booked your spot for this year's Combined National Indoor Championships?They are being held in Hall 2 at the National Agricultural and Exhibition Centre in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire over the weekend of 30 November to 1 December. The Junior National Indoor Championships and Back2Back tournament are being held on the Saturday with the National Indoor Championships on Sunday.Left logo text: Archery GB Competitions. Middle logo text: National Indoor, Archery GB. Right logo text: Junior Indoor, Archery GB.Entry is via the Members' Portal and the results will be posted on Ianseo. If you have any questions, contact:Junior Indoors: JNIC@.National Indoors: Indoors@.Back2Back: jon.nott@.Counties go head to headLogo text: County Teams, Archery GB.A total of 261 archers from 21 counties, some with more than one team, gathered at Lilleshall on one of the hottest weekends of the year for the National County Team Tournament.Yorkshire and Devon and Cornwall topped the medals table after shooting a world record status World Archery 50/70 round and head to heads.The top teams in each category were:Recurve: Lancashire (men), Warwickshire (women).Compound: 1, Derbyshire AS (men), Oxfordshire (women).Longbow: 1, Lancashire (men), Yorkshire (women).Barebow: Hampshire (men), Yorkshire (women).There were stunning performances by individual archers too. The gold medallists were:Recurve: David Timmins (Oxfordshire) and Jaspreet Sagoo (Cambridgeshire).Compound: James Howell (Essex) and Zoe Gray (Hampshire B).Barebow: Mark Robertson (Durham and Northumberland) and Suzannah Boardman (Yorkshire).Longbow: Rob Twigg and Sophie Twigg (both Devon and Cornwall).The second day of the competition was a World Archery 1440 round.The top teams in each category were:Recurve: Hampshire (men), Cambridgeshire (women).Compound: Derbyshire (men), Durham and Northumberland (women).Longbow: Lancashire (men), Yorkshire (women).Barebow: Durham and Northumberland (men), Lancashire (women).The individual gold medallists were:Recurve: James Woodgate (Surrey AA) and Jaspreet Sagoo (Cambridgeshire).Compound: Simon Scott (Derbyshire AS) and Elizabeth Foster (Durham and Northumberland).Barebow: Mark Robertson (Durham and Northumberland) and Suzannah Boardman (Yorkshire).Longbow: Cliff Gadd (Kent) and Sheila Hudson (Yorkshire).Stormy startLogo text: British Target, Archery GB.This year's British Target Championships got off to a stormy start, quite literally. Day one had to be stopped after 36 arrows and one round of eliminations because of the weather conditions.Thankfully day two was calmer and entrants managed to shoot a full World Archery 1440.The winners were:Recurve: Naomi Folkard and Alex pound: James Mason and Susan Corless took the Barnett International trophy.Longbow: Sheila Hudson and Marin Bale.Barebow: Karen Atkins and Glenn Studholme.England won the Home Nations competitions, Balbardie Archers won the mixed team recurve trophy and the regional award went to Northern Counties. The compound honours went to the Bowmen of Pendle and Samlesbury and Southern Counties.History: Plot points, Archery's place in literature and Archer AntiquariesPlot points, Archery's place in literatureBy Arthur Credland, Archery GB's official historian. historian@.Archery has played an integral part in the literary whodunnit but it features in a broader span of literature too.The sport is fundamental to the plot of George Eliot's last novel, Daniel Deronda (1876).The heroine, Gwendolen Harleth, attends the Brackenshaw archery meeting and her success in striking three successive golds forms the climax of the first book. Later she participates in a roving archery match, the shooters aiming at natural marks such as a tree stump, or a tussock of grass. Eliot also makes a passing reference to clout shooting, of which most of her readers would have no knowledge.Clout-shooting is favoured by the Woodmen of Arden, Meriden, a society founded by the Earl of Aylesford in 1785 and still active on their original ground with its elegant Archers Hall. George Eliot's (Mary Anne Evans) father was a farm bailiff on the Packington estate, and, after marriage, her sister lived at Meriden, so she would be familiar with archery as part of the social scene from an early age. As a writer she lived near Regents Park, the then home of the Royal Toxophilite Society and was a visitor to St Leonards, on the Sussex coast, where archery was a popular and fashionable activity. Princess Victoria shot on the local ground and after her accession continued her patronage of what became the Queen's Royal St Leonards Archers.Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) wrote a moral tale aimed at young people Waste Not Want Not, or Two Strings To Your Bow, in which the young hero wins his contest despite his bow string breaking. From a humble background he had carefully saved the whipcord from a parcel he had received and was able to use this and defeat his spoiled and extravagant rival.Picture text: Waste not want not. Shooting for prize on Clifton Downs.In a more jocular vein, we have The Adventures of Verdant Green published in 1853, written by Edward Bradley under the pseudonym of Cuthbert Bede. This recounts the hero's progress as an Oxford freshman, during which time he tries his hand at a variety of indoor and outdoor sports and games, starting with archery. There are plugs for two of the best-known bowyers of the period Buchanan of London, and Muir of Edinburgh.He found 'that the mere stringing of his bow was a performance attended with considerable difficulty. It was always slipping from his instep, or twisting the wrong way, or threatening to snap in sunder, or refusing to allow his fingers to slip the knot, or doing something dreadfully uncomfortable, and productive of perspiration; and two or three times he was reduced to the abject necessity of asking his friends to string his bow for him'. After striking a Skye terrier with an arrow, without doing serious harm, 'our hero became alarmed, and for the time forswore archery practice.'Archer Antiquaries: This is us, find out more with the Archery-AntiquariesWords: Veronica-Mae Soar.Photo: Andrew Hall tries an atlatl (arrow thrower).As you pack away your gear after a pleasant day at the targets, or perhaps after an invigorating, if tiring, trek around a field course, do you ever wonder how it all started? How the simple but ingenious invention of a stick and a string has been adapted over the years and its uses developed?One place to satisfy your curiosity is with the Society of Archer-Antiquaries.Hands up all those who know about the Society of Archer-Antiquaries. Now hands up all those who think that the society's only interest is in longbows. Nothing could be further from the truth, yet there does seem to be a general idea that the sole purpose of the society is to study the longbow and its history.The society?welcomes, encourages and supports anyone with a historical interest in archery and associated equipment, from the Neolithic hunter to the present, in all parts of the world, the far east, Africa, the Americas, in fact anywhere the bow has been or is being used.Archery is woven into the?tapestry of?man on earth, from prehistoric?cave paintings of hunting to the?skills of the Persian horse archers,?from the sturdy?English bowmen?to the?Victorians?shooting on green?lawns.?In some unspoiled parts of?the world natives still hunt for?food with bows and arrows.?Whether you are an archer, a bowyer?or have an academic interest, the?society can help you to learn?more about ancient weapons, native?archery, medieval longbows or?modern equipment.Membership?provides?the opportunity for friendly discussion, exchange of information (and sometimes items) and to examine interesting archery artefacts.There is an on-line forum?and a Facebook site which allows?members all over the world to ask questions, give answers and take part in ongoing debates on historical archery matters.?At meetings, members and guests can browse artefacts from across the globe and?the society's library of archery related books, magazines and research papers.As well as?reading and studying, some members engage in experimental archaeology, making and trying out a variety of bows. Every August targets are set up for an unusual but challenging competition,?where members can use simple bows of all types from any country.The worldwide membership has a vast breadth of knowledge which?is?encapsulated in a members-only annual journal full of fascinating insights topics such as Ainu archery, crossbows, bow and pike, Japanese yumi, Mongolian archery, the arrows of Africa,?thumb rings, bows in battle and Korean archery.Interested??Then check out the Society of Archer-Antiquaries website: societyofarcher-. New products: Some of the latest archery products on the marketGas Pro Efficient Spin vanesNew colour options on the Gas Pro 4-inch Efficient Spin vanes. Choose from shiny silver/green, silver/pink and silver/orange. Available from Dissegna sports distribution: .Archery Success App Track your progress with ArcherySuccess. 400+ supported rounds. Enter or plot scores. Make notes, journal entries and track PBs. Keep track of arrow volumes. New trend graph relating arrow volume to skill level. Generate and email your progress report to coach.Available from App Store, Google Play and Archery Success: .Artebo capsSpecially made for archery the flexible short visor avoids risk of string interference. Lightweight, made of UV-protection fabric,easily adjustable, water-and wind-repellent, breathable.Costs: around ?35.50.Available from Artebo: artebo.de.KG Phantom 17inch ILF wooden handleUnique weight and dampening system, incorporating lead weights and silicone shock absorbers which you can adjust the physical handle weight and balance to your preference.Available from K G Archery: kgarchery.co.uk.Skylon arrowsAll carbon. From the 40 tonne carbon 0.001-inch straightness of the 3.2mm diameter Preminens, to the 24-ton 3k carbon 8mm diameter Empross, these arrows are grabbing attention.Available from Archery World: archeryworld.co.uk.Import duty and VATPlease be aware that if you order goods online from an overseas supplier which have to be imported into the UK, you are likely to find yourselves liable for both Import Duty and VAT on top of the original retail cost.Mail bagSubmissionsWrite to: Mailbag, Archery UK magazine, Archery GB, Lilleshall National Sports and Conferencing Centre, Newport, Shropshire TF10 9ATEmail: magazine@.Please note we cannot print letters sent to us without a name and address or an email address (although we can withhold the address if you wish). Letters may be edited for publication. Please try to keep them to 250 words if possible. Letters containing personal attacks will not be published. By submitting a letter to Mailbag you understand that, should your letter be selected as the Star Letter, your address will be passed on to Opticron so that the prize can be delivered.Simply send in your letters for the chance of winning an MM3 60 16-48x scope worth ?320.Star LetterPrizeAn MM3 60 16-48x scope by Opticron worth over ?320. Look out for some special offers on the Opticron IS R scope range. For more details go to the Opticron website: boost for barebowThis year's National County Team Tournament felt like a huge step forward for barebow target archery in the UK.After a good amount of social media rallying and archers approaching their associations, seven counties took the decision to send a total of 10 barebow teams to Lilleshall. The competition and camaraderie between archers was just fantastic. What a boost for a discipline which can feel a little overlooked at times. Hopefully, more counties will consider entering a barebow team alongside their other disciplines in the future.Well done to everyone who took part and thank you to organisers, officials and volunteers for a great weekend.Helen Brown, Bowmen of Pendle and Samlesbury.Other lettersWhat it's done for meI?might be very young for a volunteer but I think it's nice to share my experience and how I am getting lots of benefits which might inspire others to get involved at their club. I'm 11 years old but I have been helping my dad and other club members to build our club. I've really enjoyed the responsibility of being the junior rep on our club committee and giving the views of our junior members.This is even more important now we have done so well this summer in getting 12 juniors into the club out of 32 members, so no pressure then. My dad and people at Archery GB have been very encouraging towards me to become an AGB Young Ambassador to help me develop even more as a volunteer and after getting some training at Lilleshall National Sports Centre with others (much older than me).I have gained confidence to help so much more at the club. For example, registration duties at beginner courses and have a go days including the Big Weekend, helping out with coaching and demonstrations at a sports event for refugee families and with sessions at the local youth club. I've also been lord paramount at our senior club championships and organised some fun junior practices with our club coaches. I'm now proudly completing my Youth Sport Trust Bronze Award for volunteering.I think volunteering makes me feel special because I feel like I'm always helping people enjoy taking part in archery and meeting new people. It's great going to sleep at night and feeling like I've made a difference in my own small way. I hope my letter can help others decide to volunteer at their club or in the community and make a difference too.Aaron ChristieBlue plaques for archers?Is it time for Archery GB to invest in some blue plaques to recognise famous (and perhaps infamous) archers with blue plaques?Not far from my home is Kirklees Priory allegedly the site of Robin Hood's death and his grave lies within what remains of the grounds. Access is restricted as the grounds are not open to the public but images of the grave can be found by a quick internet search.Robert Hardy's book Longbow A Social and Military History refers to another local, John King, as 'the finest shooter in the north of England'. In the History of Archery, Edmund Burke writes:'Under the rule of Oliver Cromwell there is an interesting incident of an archer being arrested for high treason against the state. It was due to a misunderstanding involving the best archer in all of northern England, a man named John King of Hipperholme. Having previously won many competitions, John King was defending his title against all challengers. He won, of course, and during the celebrations he was hoisted upon the shoulders of a jubilant crowd with cries of "a King". This apparently was too much for Cromwell's soldiers to handle, and they dispersed the crowd and arrested John King. King was taken to Manchester for a trial, but eventually more even heads prevailed and John King was freed.'I am sure there must be other archers deserving recognition in other parts of the UK. Shouldn't we be doing something?Grahame CotterillWelcome one and allJohn Paterson made a very good point in the spring edition of Archery UK. A relatively new archer, he had been looking at one of Savile Bowmen's events at Spen Valley High School, he had to contact the club to find an address.But how could anyone not know where the Spen Valley is? Scene of the Luddite uprising in 1812, stamping ground of the young Bront?s and, as any good archer should know, only a couple of miles from?Kirklees Priory and the?reputed site of Robin Hood's grave. Oh, and our tournament location is in Liversedge, West Yorkshire?WF15 7LX. We hope to see you for our?28th annual indoor tournament on 2nd February 2020.Chris Martin, Savile Bowmen.Progress awardsI have recently signed my club up to take part in the Archery GB progress award scheme and it is going down well with the junior members. I had been under the impression that when awards were claimed from AGB there would be a mention in the awards section of Archery UK like many other awards. However, it turns out that the achievement of developing junior archers isn't recognised in the same way that handicap development is.Considering that to achieve a gold progress badge it requires the archer to be at junior bowmen level or a comparative handicap of someone who can shoot Junior Master Bowman scores on a 1440. Might I suggest that Archery UK look at recognising archer's achievements from all AGB award schemes especially when it may keep juniors interested in the sport through a sense of public achievement?Scott Gibson, Neston ArchersArran Coggan, Clubs and Facilities Manager writes:We are currently reviewing of various award schemes, including the Progress Awards. There are tweaks needed, including the further promotion of the scheme for adult beginners. We will certainly take your comments on board but need to consider how to do this effectively.Restructuring fees?A question of feesOur club has just completed its first outdoor beginners' course and everybody seemed keen to join up until they realised they would have to pay 50 per cent of the annual fee for less than three months shooting followed by the full annual fees less than three months later.?Why can't Archery GB have a system where your annual membership covers twelve months from the month you join? If it works for DVLA why not Archery GB?Gina Burton, Caerau Dragon BowmenPlease reconsider pro-rataI urge Archery GB to review the current pro-rata arrangement for part year new memberships.I know clubs run their beginners' courses in many different ways. My club runs courses continuously throughout the year and the summer is one of our busiest times for beginners as people have tried archery on holiday or just want something to do in the sunshine.This results in beginners finishing their courses and wanting to join the club in July, August and September. New members after April pay half AGB as pro-rata membership but to a potential new member in August, AGB membership will be the full half year 'pro-rata' price ?26 plus county, plus region for one or two months membership. ?That isn't good value for money.In fact, in some cases it is a disincentive to joining as the alternative is 'go away and come back in October'. Not good for people who are excited to have finished their beginners course and want to join the club. While a rolling membership year is perhaps something for the future, I feel that the old system where, after April, the new member paid a full year's membership and got the rest of the current year for free (buy 12 months, get 18) was a great incentive to new members and virtually guaranteed their membership for the following year.Please AGB, reconsider the pro-rata arrangement so we can offer good value for money to our late summer new members?Chris Petchey, Grimsby ArchersAGB writes:We would like to thank everyone for their views. This is a complex area to consider across a broad spectrum of members and has sparked lively debate on media platforms. This has seen many different ideas and suggestions which our team will be reviewing. We will also be carrying out research, collecting insight and consulting counties and regions so we can make an educated decision.Your picturesSubmissionsIf you want to see your handiwork displayed in Archery UK, we would love to see it. And it couldn't be easier. Simply send your photograph, it must be in jpg format, high resolution and at least 1MB, with details of where you took it to magazine@.IntroductionStunning backdrops, spectacular weather and the sheer joy of our sport have fuelled your creativity over the past few weeks.Moody Skies and Fun at the Bowmen of Burleigh OpenThere are two submissions from Peter Slack:The first, of an archer shooting against a moody sky was taken at Archways, Padworth.The second was snapped during a fun weekend at the Bowmen of Burleigh Open which attracted 74 archers from across the southern counties.Fort PurbrookThe Fort Purbrook Company of Bowmen's Open Field Championships has one of our sport's most spectacular settings. It certainly inspired Malcolm Rees.SilhouetteCharlotte Attwood caught this silhouette of Thomas Lane shooting late on a June evening at Wilford Bowmen.Under the rainbowPeter Hill, Chair of Wymondham Archers, could not resist sending in this picture of a rainbow taken by one of the club members.Lilleshall, home of archeryLilleshall is the home of archery. Do you need proof? Then look no further than this shot of the skies above the hall taken by Freddie Collier, our Head of Sport Ethics and Integrity.Drying dayWhen you get a good drying day, you have to take advantage. Especially when your target faces have become damp in your storage container. At least that's what Bannockburn Bowmen decided. Goodness knows what the neighbours thought.Which target?Matt Latimer of Lough Cuan Bowmen spotted two archers present trying to figure out which target is the grizzly bear. Why? Because choosing the wrong target during this shoot meant missing out on points.Practical: advice zoneBarebow: Tiller set-upWords: Andrew ReesWhy is tiller set-up important?One of the critical factors in any good recurve set-up is tiller; the correct relationship between the top and bottom limbs. As the string is released, the objective is to have the limbs working in, or very close to, unison. For basic set-up, manufacturers will refer to measurement of static tiller: the difference between a pair of measurements that are taken on the braced bow, perpendicular to the string where the limbs meet the riser.For Olympic-style shooting, a nock height of around 12mm above the rest and the split finger position on the string results in a recommended static tiller measurement that is often between 3mm and 6mm greater on the upper limb.So, why measure static tiller? It is a convenient guide to the real objective: the correct dynamic tiller. This is the relative position of the limbs when the bow is fully drawn and should, when correctly set, see both limbs exerting the same force on the arrow. But dynamic tiller is hard to measure because it can only be assessed when the bow is at full draw.This presents problems. Where do you measure? How do you ensure measurements are parallel to the arrow? How do you undertake any measurement safely and, especially for the barebow archer, where is the best finger position on the string?With the differing strains applied to the upper and lower limbs as the draw-hand moves to different string-walking marks, it is not possible for the barebow archer to set a dynamic tiller which suits all finger positions. However, with a digital camera or camera-phone, a simple school protractor and someone willing to take photos, it is possible to set a good working tiller.Static tillerThe static tiller is measured from perpendicular to string. It is the distance from the string to the limb/riser intersection.Dynamic tillerThe dynamic tiller may be measured using a mobile phone and a protractor. The 90 degree line follows the arrow and the zero line is on the tip of the lower limb. In this case the top limb is significantly weak and should be adjusted by winding-in the upper limb-bolt.Step-by-step guideMake a note of the draw weight of the bow at your draw length, set the static tiller to zero and adjust the nock-point so that the underside of the top bead is around 16mm above the rest.Have someone take a digital photo of you at full draw, with your fingers positioned on your 30 metre string-walking mark. Make sure the image has top and bottom limb-tips clearly visible, together with as much of the arrow as possible.Print out the photo or, preferably, view it on a screen at a size where the protractor can span from tip to tip on the limbs.Place the protractor with the 90-degree line on the exact line of the arrow. If the zero line is in line with both limb tips, then the dynamic tiller is correct for 30 metre shots and will be reasonable for the range of distances encountered in field archery.If the zero line does not meet both limb-tips, then the limb bolt on one of the limbs will have to be adjusted up or down in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.Having adjusted the limb and made sure it is secure, repeat 1 to 4 above until the limb-tips are in the desired position.Measure the weight of the fully drawn bow again and adjust both limbs in unison to the original poundage by moving the top and bottom limb bolts the same amount, adjusting the bow's draw-weight but keeping the relative tiller of the limbs constant.Once the draw-weight is correct, measure the static tiller and you will have a reference which should be checked each time the bow is reassembled or retuned by increasing or decreasing the bow's draw-weight.Coaching: Spare a thought; how to encourage newbiesWords: Nick Coe, AC Delco BowmenThree little wordsIt is often said in jest that to coach beginners you initially need to learn just three words, "under the chin"; then later add a fourth, "no, under the chin", and then repeat ad infinitum.All sports require new learners to undergo physical and mental re-education, but surely none can rival recurve archery for totally confounding expectation. Perhaps being more aware of this might help coaches be more empathetic with newbies who might be feeling a little inept when being told the same thing for the umpteenth time.I use a coaching aid to summarise how nature can feed us completely wrong messages. It has a brutal acronym, LIAR, but it works. And here's how:L is for logicHow many new (and maybe not so new) archers have moved their sight in the wrong direction? Superficial logic tells you that if your arrows go left, you should move your sight to the right, but as we know it's actually the other way round. Watch a new recruit trying to fit a pair of limbs on to a riser for the first time, odds on it will be back to front.I is for instinct or intuitionEveryone new to archery seems to find barebow easier than shooting with a sight. We instinctively want to aim down the shaft of the arrow, as though it were the barrel of a gun. Much of the 'no, under the chin' monologue stems from the way in which the draw hand is inexorably pulled upwards towards the eye by a strong, magnetic-like force.A is for assumptionAsk a non-archer to guess the key qualities needed for the sport. Most will say 'a strong arm and a good eye'. This just is not true:A strong arm? Well, US Paralympian, Matt Stutzman, nearly took gold at London 2012, and he was born without arms.A good eye? The first world record to be broken at the London Olympics was set by Korean archer Im Dong Hyung whose eyesight is so poor that he meets the legal definition of being blind. He shoots against normal sighted archers; and beats them.R is for reflexOne of the biggest surprises for learners comes when they are told to stop holding the bow when they start to draw and to keep the bow hand open and relaxed at the moment of release, (very) few manage it. Most are compelled by reflex to grab the riser. It can sometimes take many weeks, even months, to overcome.How LIAR helpsSo how does being a little more conscious of recurve archery's counter-intuitiveness help? And how should it be used when talking to the learner? Carefully and always with a positive spin.Beginners need to be reassured that what they are being asked to do is not easy. The process of acquiring the necessary skills and abilities is one of a corrective reprogramming of mind and body, rather than just adding something new to what is already there. Simply put, by making beginners aware of how downright perverse recurve archery can seem to those who have never done it before, it can help to set their minds at ease and minimise frustration and tension. We need to sell the challenge and the reward.Archery differs from most sports in that there is really only one 'shot' to master; but it is an iceberg of a sport with a complexity and intensity which mostly sits below the water line. For those who develop the passion, it becomes a fascinating journey, a need to take total control of a mind and body constantly trying to feed false messages.So spare a thought for the anxious, struggling beginner and put yourself in their position, especially when you give them the final, utterly implausible instruction: to relax.Back to Basics: Finger tabsIf you need specialist help, just askWe all need a little help now and again. That's why we are running a new series of back to basics guides put together by Adam Lewis of Wales Archery. Here he takes a look at the dos and don'ts of finger tabs and any potential issues.Finger tab sizeBefore we look at technique we need to look at how your tab fits your hand. In most cases finger tabs have too much material left on them. Excess material can cause problems such as contacting the arrow, and the normal culprit is the top finger. With too much material hanging over, it drags the tab face down on to the shaft. Thankfully it's an easy fix by just trimming the tab length and height, then checking to see if the rest of the tab needs trimming down. But make sure you do this in very small stages as you can't put it back on.Finger spacerThe finger spacer is very important if you are shooting Mediterranean style (one finger above and two below). The idea is to stop your fingers contacting and pinching the arrow.Don't assume because you have a finger spacer that it is working for you, we all have different size hands and fingers. Get someone to check how your fingers look at full draw. It is important we check it at this stage because, at full draw, the angle of the string will force your fingers together. If they are contacting, you will need to build the space up accordingly using tape, leather, sugru putty and various other materials.Shooting finger contactWe need to talk about how our fingers influence the string, and what that does to the flight of the arrow.Figure 1What we are looking for is equal pressure on the top, middle and bottom fingers showing a nice straight line down the tab face as in figure 1. This allows the string to leave the tab cleanly without any interference, resulting in a clean forgiving shot.Figure 2What we see a lot of, whether it is in new archers or those who have been shooting for years, is finger contact of some kind. A good indication of this is if you look at your tab and there is a line going at an angle. This means that you are either not putting enough pressure on your middle, bottom or both fingers or putting too much on just one.Figure 2 shows a clear angled line. This is very common and caused by not enough, if any pressure on the third finger. One of the problems caused by this is that the hand wants to rotate as the string is let loose, causing you to dog leg the string. This results in the top finger contacting the arrow giving very poor arrow flight.SolutionThere are a few things you can do to solve this problem. The first is getting more pressure on your third finger by curling in your pinky finger as both the third finger and pinky share the same flexor tendons. The next thing is, when you are at anchor, rotate your wrist so that your pinky finger touches your neck. You should feel the muscles in your forearm engage and this will stop the wrist from rotating during the release.Any questionsIf you have any questions at all, please just get in touch.Horse BowsFull circle, the renaissance of horse bowInterest in horse bows is growing fast. But why are they becoming so popular? And what makes them so special? We asked Paul Jermyn of Bowmen of the Tors to give us an insight into their history, shooting techniques and how to find out more information."Horseback?archery and the use of?horse bows in field and target archery is undergoing a huge?renaissance?internationally,"?said Paul.?"And?it?is?growing ever more popular?in the UK."Horse bows are thought to have?originated?with nomads?on the Asiatic steppe.?These composite bows?were adopted,?and?improved upon,?by?early?civilisations?such as?China and Egypt.?"From then on?the practice of horseback?and?chariot archery?literally?created and destroyed?empires?for?the next?2,000 years," said Paul. One of the earliest surviving composite bows was found in?the tomb of Tutankhamun and?dates?to 1324?posite horse bows were traditionally made using wood, sinew and horn. The sinew on the back handled?tensile stress, while the horn on the belly had?3.5 times more compressive strength than wood. It is still possible to buy these traditionally made bows but most modern horse bows are now made with a?combination of wood and manmade materials like glass and carbon fibre.Thumb drawThere are also differences in the way the bows are built, and that requires a different technique: the thumb draw. "My horse bow journey started a year and a half ago," said Paul. "I have always been fascinated by them and after periods with both take-down and laminate flat bows, I wanted to try something different."Luckily, I am with a club that encourages and supports all forms of archery but members had to be particularly tolerant when?I?started learning?Mongolian thumb draw?technique. When on the line and asked which target I was using, the reply?was generally?'probably one of those three '."StabilitySo?why?thumb draw??Horse bows are?usually?about 54 inches long?when strung?and, at?full draw,?the string angle is quite acute?making?a?three-finger?draw?difficult. It?also?increases the?speed?at which?an arrow can be nocked and?released and makes?it?more stable?to the bow with less chance of it being dropped.?Generally, you need?some sort of aid or protection?when you?draw. Paul uses a leather?thumb?tab.The anchor point?is generally towards the rear jaw line under the?ear. Paul's?draw?on a takedown recurve?is 27.5 inches,?but?with a?horse bow?it?is 30 inches. This?is worth bearing in mind for draw weight and arrow length when buying your first horse bow and arrows. Release generally happens?instinctively?as you reach your anchor point at full draw.?StanceThere are?a number of?stances for horse bows from the standard both feet in line with the target to?squatting slightly or having the rear foot a little behind the?front foot to twist the torso a little."As with all archery, when it all comes together?horse bows?are an absolute joy to shoot," said Paul.?"But getting there involves calm, contemplative learning of form, or,?if you are like me,?swearing,?despair?and cursing?the day you heard of the thumb draw."More?informationAnyone interested in horseback archery can find out more from the?British Horseback Archery Association or the?National Horseback Archery Society.?You can find out more about bows and thumb draw technique on YouTube channels including Armin Hirmers at Malta Archery.Mongolian thumb?draw techniqueClench your middle, ring, and little fingers into a fist to help strengthen the wrist.Form your index?finger and thumb into an 'L' position.Place the?bowstring at the lip of the thumb ring?closest to the hand?or,?if using a tab,?just before the thumb joint. (Figure 1.)With your index finger still extended, curl your thumb around the string. To make sure the thumb lock is solid, press the tip of the thumb against the side of the knuckle of the middle finger. (Figure 2.)Rest the index finger lightly on top of the?thumb. Remember the index finger should only be rested not pressed against the thumb. Doing so will cause?a poor?release. (Figure 3.)When you?are ready to?draw the bow, the arrow and bowstring should rest against the hand above the thumb.As you pull the bow, tilt your wrist outward to maintain the right angle between your thumb and the string.Do?not open your hand to release the string. The?release?should?be done by relaxation of the thumb?and rotation of the draw pound: Cam leanWords: Duncan Busby. Picture: Malcolm Rees.QuestionCan you tell me what 'cam lean' is and what effect it has on both the bow and my shot?AnswerCam lean is an often overlooked but important part of bow set up and tuning. Put simply it is the angle at which your cam sits in relation to your bow string. If your cam is not straight you may find that your arrow flight is erratic with noticeable fishtailing and left/right groups on the target.Cam lean is visible at both full draw and at brace height but has many different causes, including bow hand torque.An easy way to check for cam lean at brace height is to take a long straight edge (an arrow or metre stick will do) and lie it against the flat side of the cam. Check to see if this runs parallel to the string. If it points away or runs towards it then the cam has a small amount of lean. The direction of the lean is defined as left or right, depending on which way the top of the cam is pointing.To check for cam lean at full draw, set your bow up as you intend to shoot it (with stabilisers and sight) and draw it back. Look up and down the string to see if the cams are leaning to one side or the other. This can be tricky so it may be easier to enlist someone to stand behind you to check.The cams should sit straight with the string at both full draw and at rest although a tiny amount of lean will not make a huge impact on your tune. If you are finding it difficult to get them straight both at rest and full draw, concentrate on getting them as straight as possible at full draw, as this will have the most impact on your tune. If this creates too much of a lean at rest, find a good balance between the two.Significant cam lean can cause premature string wear making it difficult to tune your bow, particularly during a paper test. Fixing it will mean making adjustments to your bow. These will depend on your bow's cam system and can be quite technical. If your bow has a split yoke, you need to add or remove twists from one side of the yoke depending on which way you would like to move the cam. If your bow has yokeless cams you will need to physically move the position of the cam on the axle to fix the lean. This is usually done by adjusting the spacers sitting between the cam and the limbs. If the cam is leaning to the left you need to move the cam to the right and vice-versa.Once the cams are as straight as possible, try shooting a paper test. If you are getting a left or right tear, first check the centre shot setting on your rest to ensure the arrow is perfectly in line with your string. Check your arrows are within the manufacturers recommended spine range for your set up. If both of these are correct, use cam lean to correct the paper tear. To fix a left tear (nock and vanes to the left of the point) lean the cam to the left and vice-versa. Start by first adjusting the top cam a tiny amount before re-testing, if necessary (or possible) adjust the bottom cam as well and keep making adjustments until the tear has gone and you're shooting a perfect bullet hole. Be careful not to lean the cams too far as you could cause the string to slip out of the cam groove and de-rail the bow.In rare cases it may not be possible to correct cam lean. If it is causing significant tuning problems check there is no damage to the cams, axles, limbs or riser. Problems here can cause significant cam lean which will be impossible to remedy.Further readingYou can find more advice at Duncan Busby Archery: .Nutrition: Get a golden startGo to work on an eggRemember the old mantra "go to work on an egg"? You might have to be of a certain age, but the message remains true. Eggs are nutritional gold in their own little packages. They're good value, easy to prepare, versatile, satisfying and delicious. But the question is: are they all the same quality? And does it pay to fork out a little extra? Our nutrition expert Jackie Wilkinson finds out.Down to basicsEgg white is protein and water; the yolk is protein and fat (mainly mono-unsaturated). Eggs contain all the essential amino acids and are the standard against which all other protein sources are measured. Protein is very good for satisfying appetite. Before a shoot you could include an egg in your breakfast so you don't need to snack before lunch. Hard boiled eggs are great to have on hand if you get peckish, or you could check out lots of great recipes at Egg recipes: eggrecipes.co.uk/recipes. British Egg Week runs from 7 to 13 October so why not get cracking?What else is in an egg?Fats: including mono-unsaturated and essential long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. Don't fear the cholesterol; it won't affect your blood levels.Vitamins: A, B2 (riboflavin), B5, B9 (folate), B12, D and E.Minerals: rich in selenium, phosphorous, zinc, copper and iron.Other: choline (the only other food rich in this essential nutrient is liver), lutein and zeaxanthin (needed by your eyes).Happy hens, happy eggs?The nutritional profile depends on how the hens live. If keeping your own hens is not an option and you haven't any hen-keeping friends, here’s what's available to buy:Organic eggsThese are the most expensive at around 30p each. They have the best animal welfare standards. Hens are naturally inquisitive creatures and are happiest when free to roam, forage and display their natural behaviours. These and free-range have a superior nutritional profile with double the amount of vitamins and omega 3 fats.Free-rangeThese hens have daytime access to the outside. Sainsbury's sells woodland eggs from hens free to forage among trees as wild ones would.Barn eggsThese come from hens kept inside, up to a maximum of 6,000, with space to move around. They eat only the feed provided without all the plants and little critters they would grub up if they were outside.Omega 3 eggsThese come from hens who have feed supplemented by flax seed and/or fish oil.CageThe cheapest eggs (12p) come from hens in cages. Even these are good for you and far better than many of the processed foods for sale. The three main downsides are: higher omega 6 from the grain feed, higher use of antibiotics and lower animal welfare. Fourteen-year-old Lucy Gavaghan's petition resulted in a huge national shift away from hens in cages. Barren, battery cages are now banned under EU law, so all lion-marked eggs are from enriched cages.Local farmThese eggs are often for sale in your local butchers and supermarkets and could come under any of these categories. You might see signs on the country lanes too. Some of these eggs are superb but if they do not bear the Lion Mark there are no guarantees of quality.Each egg will have a number stamped on it which identifies the farm it came from. Find out more at egg info: egginfo.co. Tip:Go to shoot on an egg; laid by a happy hen.How do you boil an egg?For reliable timing, boil the water first, then carefully lower in your egg. The shell is less likely to crack if you invest in an egg-pricker gadget (use it at the fat end where there’s an air space inside). Take out after five minutes for soft and eight minutes for hard boiled. You can even buy little colour-change timers to pop in the water.Further readingFind more advice from Jackie Wilson's Nutrition Coaching website: learntoeatwell.co.uk.Arrow straightening: An engineer's approachBy: Rod Flanagan of Burscough ArchersThree vital conceptsThere are three vital concepts when it comes to straightening out bent aluminium arrows: patience, gentleness and precision. And one essential bit of kit to my mind: the Graylin straightener. It comes compete with a dial test indicator that's as delicate as eggs, arrow support rollers, a pressure lever (go easy) and end stops to keep support rollers captive.First we need to establish where the bend is. To get a rough idea, roll the arrow on a flat surface (making sure the fletches are over the edge to avoid damage). As you roll the bent arrow, the gap between the arrow and the flat surface will change. The high spot is the bend point. Mark this point with a pencil and fit the arrow in the straightener.Locate the pencil mark under the pressure lever. The ideal set up looks like the chart rmation from chart:Top: Two triangular pressure level elements (red), one either side of the oblong DTI sensor (yellow.) The latter is on the top of the curve described as 'max reading’.Middle: solid thick line representing an upward curving arrow (black) with the apex touching the bottom of the DTI sensor. This is mirrored by a dotted thick line curving downwards and the bottom of the curve is described as 'min reading’. Running horizontally between these curves is a dot-dash line showing where the arrow would be if it is straight.Bottom: Two large triangular arrow support rollers (red). These are positioned ideally under or inside the nodes.Now align the dial test indicator sensor, adjusting it so that it is on the centre line of the arrow. Refine the location of the bend point by:Rotating the arrow and noting the range of movement on the DTI.Moving the arrow axially an inch or so and repeating step one.If the range has increased, move another inch in the same direction.If the range has decreased, reverse the axial movement.Find the point of maximum deflection.Minimum and maximumThe target at this point is midway between the maximum and minimum readings as indicated in the ideal set up. In this example, the minimum reading is 92 (rounded down to 90) and the maximum is 171, rounded to 170. This gives an ideal of approximately 130.Start straightening on the max. One hand holds the arrow against rotation, the other presses the lever down.Press the pressure lever gently until you see the effect then release and read the dial test indicator. If the reading still exceeds the half way mark, repeat. If the reading is less than the half way mark, you have overdone it. Reassess the maximum and minimum.Next stepsMove the rollers inwards to increase the bending load. Take care not to flatten the arrow and aim for symmetry.If everything looks okay, check along its length moving it axially a few inches at a time. Check the dial test indicator. If it changes materially, you have another bend point. If it doesn't, carry out final checks by rolling the arrow again and get back to shooting.Archery GBAGB awards: It's that time, nominate your unsung heroPhoto: 2019 archer of the year, Peter Hill, receives the Hartwell Trophy from President Richard Custance.Volunteers are the lifeblood of archery, so does your club or organisation have dedicated volunteers you just can't do without? If so, it's time to nominate them for an Archery GB award.We are very keen to recognise our unsung heroes, and we need your help. The next gold, silver and bronze plaquettes for services to archery will be presented at the 2020 AGM on 18 April at the Crowne Plaza, NEC Birmingham.What you need to do is write a short citation about your nominee before 1 January, the forms are in the AGM section on the website, and we will do the rest.There are also specific awards: The Hartwell Trophy for exemplary service to archery, the Gussy Trophy for the wheelchair archer of the year, the Toxophilus Trophy for the best archery magazine, e-zine or online newsletter and two Archery GB Trophies for the best websites.Settling in: New chair, Mark Briegal, looks back on his first six monthsMark Briegal was installed as Chair of Archery GB at this year's AGM. We caught up with him to find out how things are going so far."As expected, there's a lot to learn," he said. "I am fortunate that the previous chair, the Board and the whole team at Lilleshall have done a great job, so there's no immediate firefighting that needs doing. That has given me and the new board time to find our feet and learn about the organisation, the sport and the framework in which it sits."I've met some great people and had some fun along the way too. Everyone across the sport from grass roots archers to World Archery and our funding partners have been remarkably friendly and helpful."Connecting with our grass roots is an integral part of the job, he feels. And it is one of the most enjoyable. "I am a huge believer in what sport brings to society at all levels and it's great to see the dedication and skill that volunteers up and down the country put into their clubs," he said."I was delighted to visit Guildford, a large established club, but also to visit Lonsdale Archers, a new club in North Yorkshire that's setting out on its journey. Both clubs had an infectious drive about them as, I know, do many other clubs around the country. Someone tweeted me to ask whether I would go to their club and the answer is, of course, yes, subject to time and logistical constraints."Another aspect of the job is working with World Archery and organisations such as UK Sport, the British Olympic Association and the International Paralympic Committee. He got his first taste at the World Archery Congress in 's-Hertogenbosch. "It was quite exhausting," he said. "I had two 12-hour days over a weekend meeting new people, learning about archery internationally and taking part in workshops."I was disappointed that I had to come home (the day job gets in the way sometimes) and missed the World and Para Champs, where the GB teams did so well. It was reassuring to see that Archery GB is well regarded internationally and we have people on many of World Archery's key committees; our own Neil Armitage and Hilda Gibson were presenting workshops to other associations on best practice."I'm fortunate already to know some of the key figures in sports administration, but I've met UK Sport several times and the British Paralympic Association, among others, since my appointment and I'm building my network across other sports, which can provide a useful benchmark for us."So how does he see his role going forward? "There's a great team at Lilleshall who run AGB exceptionally well. Our role on the Board is one of strategy, governance and oversight. We're starting to pull together the next strategic plan for after Tokyo 2020. My role is as a conduit between all our stakeholders, members, clubs, counties, regions, UK Sport, Sport England, World Archery, and AGB."My vision remains the same: we must support members and clubs across the UK to deliver archery to as many people as possible in as many ways as they want to create a thriving archery community. We also need to create a pathway from clubs to a high-performing elite."The first six months have been intense but enjoyable and I'm looking forward to working with the Board, the members and the team at Lilleshall to move AGB forward."A fresh perspectiveYakoob Ali was co-opted to Archery GB’s Board in June 2018 and elected at this year's AGM. His brief? To bring a fresh perspective. Here's what he has to say:"When I saw the original posting for a board position, I had been a member of a community club in Leicester for around 15 years. Coming from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background and having contacts with similar-minded clubs throughout the country I hope to bring a unique perspective to the board."My time on the Board has given me an insight into the working of Archery GB and the challenges we face as an organisation. My daily life working as an operations director involves making decisions quickly to react to customer demand. The board is a strategic body working with the executive on behalf of all members as such decisions are taken for the benefit of the organisation that are assessed and implemented over a longer period of time."Based on current figures, around 2.5 per cent of our members come from a BAME background. This is considerably below the national average. I hope to promote diversity and inclusivity within the sport and organisation through engagement with communities of all backgrounds with the goal of increasing participation."A clearer insightGetting a better insight into your wants and needs is crucial to Archery GB's future. In the past six months we have been busy, and now things are starting to get exciting.James Knights, our Research and Insights Analyst, said: "We have recently created a panel of 500 members from a variety of backgrounds within the sport who help to provide detailed information and recommendations to us."We have investigated field archery within the UK, gathered feedback on competitions, and collected data on events, such as the most successful Big Weekend to date. We also have the upcoming third round of our customer satisfaction survey."Archery GB has been progressing much faster than other National Governing Bodies in research and insight and believe that it's vital that we become insight driven as an organisation in order to effectively support the memberships wants and needs."We have been working with the Ragdoll research agency to understand what motivates the membership within archery along with gaining a better understanding of some of the barriers that exist within the sport. This began with six-monthly customer satisfaction surveys to gather information about: What motivates you.How you begin archery.Training habits.Opportunities.Barriers.Satisfaction.We are now starting to gather enough data to begin to make reliable insights about the membership. We plan to share the results of the surveys with you in upcoming magazines articles, website news stories and the yearbook.If you would like to get involved in our research and share your opinions, look out for emails asking for your feedback and log into the membership portal. You will be able find information about upcoming competitions and courses, update information in your profile about your gender, ethnicity and disability monitoring and tell us about your bow styles.One member one voteAt this year's AGM delegates approved the recommendation of moving to a one member one vote voting system, allowing members to have a direct say in what we do. It was carried by 91 per cent of the vote.In 2020, we will send your voting information directly to you electronically via email, which helps us reduce our environmental impact. If you would like to receive your voting information by post, then please let us know by ticking the box in your membership account on the online members' portal or by letting us know via email or telephone.Log into the online members' portal?to check your personal details are correct and update your membership, AGM and communication preferences, see what awards, badges or roles you hold and book on to Archery GB's tournaments and workshops.If you have not logged in before, please email 'Activate' to:?membership@.New anti-bullying policiesArchery GB's Safeguarding Advisory Group has prepared new standalone policies for anti-bullying and online safety following concerns about homophobic and transphobic bullying in youth sport. Both policies closely follow the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit's template and are now available on the Archery GB website.Key role at WA CongressArchery GB played a key role at the 2019 World Archery Congress held at 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.Chief Executive Neil Armitage spoke about our strategic development during a workshop while International Relations Lead Hilda Gibson led a presentation about para archery. They were at the congress with Archery GB’s new Chair, Mark Briegal and representatives and proxies from 85 member associations.There was also positive recognition for leading the bid to get archery included as an option sport in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.Decisions made included the introduction of term limits for World Archery Executive Board and Committee positions and end of the World Indoor Championships.?Barebow is also now recognised in World Archery rules as a bow style in target archery.Four Archery GB candidates were elected to World Archery Committees.? Three were re-elected: Derrick Lovell to the Constitution and Rules Committee, Hannah Brown to the Field and 3D Committee and Pippa Britton to the Para-Archery Committee.?Graham Potts was elected to the Judges Committee.SponsorsWe would like to thank the following sponsors and partners.Long term support of our core programmesLottery Funded Sport EnglandExcellence in Sports CoachingNational LotteryErreaWales ArcheryHelping us raise standardsThe Equality Standard: A Framework for SportNational tour sponsorsArchery GB: National tour logoStarling BankVisit MonmouthshireMon LifeTru Ball AxcelShibuyaHoytStanislawskiMybo WIAWISTrading nameArchery GB is the trading name of the Grand National Archery Society, a company limited by guarantee number 1342150 Registered in England. ................
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