AoR Success update

It has been quite some time since anyone at the club emailed me with their successes and because I am not at the club much these days, those messages get missed.  However, the recent AGM showed that young Archie and Ruby are absolutely flying with their successes and they both go from strength to strength.

However, today is a report from one of the clubs newer members.  Mathew Jackson completed his course less than a year ago with his partner Michelle and it was great to receive a tournament success report from his first year of shooting and only his second competition.

Well done Mathew and please keep the stories coming.

 

Fenland Archery club open Portsmouth 22 March 2016: an unexpected result

In early January I filled out the forms for my second ever competition. This one was at Fenland Archers in Whittlesey near Peterborough and my aim was simply to gain more competition experience.

The day started well; we arrived with plenty of time to spare. I knew I would have support on the day from my partner as well as Leza and Ruby Paul. Leza and Ruby have been at both competitions I have shot at and have been a tremendous help! Not only with the extensive knowledge they have about competitions and the sport in general but also with a few jokes to keep the nerves at bay and the normal friendly banter.

The round started badly. First 3 sighters… 7,7,7. All 3 o clock on the target face grouped together.

Second set of sighters with an adjusted sight as far as the windage adjustments will allow…8,8,8.

When doing the beginners course Geoff explained how to calculate where to shoot off on a target to ensure they grouped in the gold. I put the advice into play… chose my spot and started my first scoring end. 10….9…7. The nerves were coming into play but the spot I had chosen was right!

Unfortunately I spent the rest of the competitions aiming off at 9 o clock on the line between 7 and 8 but it worked. The scores remained high; the lowest end was 50… the highest 59.

As it reached the final two ends I asked my partner, Michele, for the score. She said no… I don’t need it and to finish the competition. At the time I didn’t like that idea… I am very competitive! I later understood why she had refused when I checked the tablet, which Michele was recording my scores on, and was very surprised.

My round total was a new PB of 546 which smashed my previous PB, set the week beforehand, by 18 points. This was not the biggest shock of all though. A week and a half later my phone started going nuts while I was at work. Michele had seen the scores before me and my new PB was enough to clinch gold. 1st place on my second competition…. Shocked is not the word!

Overall the day was great and I am absolutely over the moon with the results. If you haven’t entered any competitions yet I would strongly recommend it. If it is your first and you want the comfort of your own club the AoR open would be a great start in the summer.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to seeing you all on the line.

Mathew Jackson

 

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected!!
Skip to content