World Archery 2014

Dear Reader

This weekend has been a very busy one indeed. I took part in my very first indoor world archery event at Telford International centre. It is the biggest event I have taken part in to date. Over 860 archers of all ages and many nationalities came together to enjoy the 3rd leg of this international event. The top archers competing side by side with many UK club ones. 

For me, this was a chance to compete on a world stage, not many times you get to do that. The event was held over three days starting Friday at 2pm.  There were 4 qualification groups, over 200 archers each time. I was shooting in the first group along side well known archers Brady Ellison and Jake Kaminski from the US and top archers in the UK, Larry Godfrey, Alan Wills, Naomi Folkard, Dannielle Brown, Becky Martin and Pip Taylor to name just a very small amount. It really had a true international field, yet for me it was not scary as I thought it could have been. Maybe that is my age or the fact I had nothing to prove to anyone. Either way it attracted good competitors. Something else to mention was the number of juniors pushing themselves in such a competition. It really is not easy to put yourself under such pressure without good support which from what I saw all juniors had. It will take time to understand the mental skills required to just shoot and ignore everything else. Many GB juniors took part and did well. For me they all did well.

I knew it was a tough competition but that was not the point for me. It was the expereince, just being at the event was different then normal shoots. Yet in many ways it was just like any other. That for me is the core of archery. Archers don't seem to compete against anyone except themselves and the target. They will help each other, offer support and even find the odd spare part if needed. 

I met up with a few familar people as you do. Everyone was in the same boat, a 3-spot target 18 meters distance. Sounds easy? For the top archer who practice every day over 1000 arrows a week its still tough. Top score 592 out of 600. I finished in the top 30 in my group but knew with 3 more I hoped to finish mid table which I did. 

At one point I did hit three 10's something many strive for. That was very uplifting.  

After the shoot I spent some time looking around the stands and stalls. Now that was dangerous, so many new bits. I kept my nerve just about. I also did one more thing which will make one person very happy and me very rich - maybe.  

I did get the chance to shoot again on Sunday morning. A early start 5.30am, drive to Telford ready to shoot at 7.30am on one of the smallest targets I have seen. Again another good shoot, a personal best as well. 

Archer folk are a friendly lot and once more I enjoyed another good time. If I ever get the chance to do this again I would. Take the opportuties when you can. 

One last thing, the event well organised, the staff friendly and many were archers themselves. It was well attended, well run and a credit to UK archery. 

Tagline: 'Brilliant'

Blogging Update

How to say update in different ways.

Dear Reader.

It's been a while since I wrote a proper blog and a few things have happened. No doubt you may have seen some of my Facebook updates, the latest part of Doctor Who - Virus in Time and my archery news.

Well archery is certainly taking up a good part of my weekends now, which is no bad thing. I have said so many times now just how good it is, the fun, the excitement, the shooting and the club.
Recently the number of competitions has increased both home and away for this indoor season. I have been able to post new personnal best in the Portsmouth round of 538 out of 600.

Considering I have been shooting for just over a year now I do feel really pleased with my progress. Of course dear reader I want more, which is not bad. You can just go and shoot for pleasure if you want. Not many sports let you enjoy the pure pleasure of the sport. Take football for example. You cant just kick a ball into a goal all the time, it becomes pointless. Likewise for chess (ok not a physical sport) you have to play against someone or something.

Archery you can just stand and shoot for your own enjoyment. But then if you do will you end up competing. And is that just what you end up doing in life? Boy theres a deep thought.

Well back to the plot as they say.

As you may or may not have noticed I won my first medal. And I mean won. Along with Veronique from the archery club we won the Open Pairs competition at Warwick Archers. Now that for me was a real milestone. Also I was 4th in a Warwick round and 6th in a Portsmouth postal shoot.

The past few days I have made a few changes. One of the advantages of TVA club are the coaches. They do help when you ask. George has been helping me now move forward again. Over the past few days he has changed my stance, anchor position and helped with my new finger tab.

Results. Well you always go a step back before going two forward. I took part in the latest postal shoot and did not expect to be above 500 to be honest. Well I surprised myself. 518 out of 600.  Now thats not bad for all the changes. So thanks to George I can settle into my 'new' style and see what happens.

What else has been going on.

A wonderful visit to Earle the restaurant and a good meal well recommended. Also we got a evening (Sunday that was) at a Hilton hotel in Chester. A suite no less, including a revolving television. A very relaxing weekend.

So what next for my Doctor Who story. Well part 5 is due out very soon (editor take note). And then I will have to work out parts 6 and 7. (Editor beware).

Ok so is this enough of an update. Well I hope so dear reader. Too much and I may overwhelm you. Too little and its like eating a slice of cheesecake on a diet. You just want more.

So this cheesecake slice is done.

'May your arrows find gold' Or if no arrows 'May the wind be at our backs.' 

New Year New Post - Well almost

Greetings my dear readers.

What does Happy New Year really mean? Is it wishing the Year to be new and happy, who knows.

Well dear readers as you have seen the first three parts of my Doctor Who story have been posted on my blog. It is something I have wanted to do for quite some time now. There are a few more parts to go yet and I must thank my editor for all the pain (well not really pain).

And of course you dear readers for reading it. I am not sure how many people actually do what they dream of or even see the results. These days the internet allows for dreams to be created and realised however odd they might seem.

The Doctor Who story is very much something that has been running inside my mind for many years (over 15 it seems) and now is being 'published'.

More of that in this Happy New Year.

Archery update - My first indoor competition external as well. The first weekend of January, Saturday was a practice in very cold conditions. I had purchased some thermals over Christmas very handy and useful. Shooting at 25 yards rather than the normal 20, felt good. Could not wait to get the bow back in hand and feel the arrows fly.

Sunday was the day of the competition and the team had to be at the place by 9.30am. So an unearthly start at 6.30am - yes Sunday morning - in the dark and the cold. And the snow. It was a little surreal getting up that early and seeing the Moon but all in a good cause.

The place itself was we thought going to be cold. And how wrong we all were, they had full hall length heaters. The actual shoot was very good, scored 474 out of 600 at 25 yards. Overall I came 21st out of 31. Now considering that I have just completed 1 year I feel I have made great progress.

I really am enjoying archery, its more than a sport now to me, it has a power, a passion, an enjoyment and something I can see me doing for years to come.

And in the next couple of weeks I have 3 more comp's all indoor so I will post more results in the future blogs. I do recommend that people find that sport or hobby that gives them the escape they need and gives them a sense of who they are inside.

Ok well my first 2010 blog done and updates to my dear readers.

I guess I ought to have some sort of strap-line (a writers thing) at the end of my blogs so here goes.

'May your arrows find gold'  

Archery in a cold place and other things

Why do I always get the start of a blog just as I am going to sleep.

Annoying last night as I started to drift off, the beginning of this blog began to write itself in my head. Now a few of you dear readers may think thats a bit odd. But there you go and so there was the start.

Now whats been happening since my last blog. Well lots of archery still of course, Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age and Star Trek. A few things to get through then.

Star Trek first. The new Blue-ray came out and yes it still looks brilliant. In fact even better when you can look at it on a nice big screen. The Enterprise looks cool, the effects are great, the story wonderful and when is the next film coming out?

Modern War 2. Ok now thats a game of course. Has had a few bits of odd press and there is one old adage I would remind anyone to stick to. If you don't like something then, either don't buy it, watch it, read it, listen to it and now don't play the game. Having said that I have played it and it was good, online gaming fine.

Problem is where is that Elite that came out for the BBC B. (Oldie computer people will know).

Dragon Age on the other hand is for the role players and has that interesting part that you may have to play at least 6 different ways. I guess its all driven by the need to sell of course. The old Elite sold for £15 pounds maybe and it lasted for months before I needed another game. The wireframe graphics were state of the art for computers back then and the game play was open ended. Now well you have to either pay monthly or buy the latest new game and still not find that Elite.

Dear read please don't think this blog is becoming anything like a monthly something or other.

Back to the update.

Archery. Well the indoor season has started, guess it had to with the rain, wind and bad light. No that was summer.

Well the indoor season has started because people say so. I have been considering how I would approach it. I started by planning what I would do Friday, just go in shoot look at some technical bits and practice. Saturday I would shoot a round. Indoors is either Portsmouth or Worcester. Its been going very well my scores rising nicely. Until I got to the first postal shoot. It went of course downhill, but still over the 500.

Now I did a Worcester this past weekend and the scores were not bad. 244 and 267 out of 300. Really have being feeling very good about all this now. As I said in my last blog, there is a feel for archery that you can get. And it keeps growing, it keeps grabbing you. You start to get that 10 feeling, the moment the arrow starts to move. You know that need to draw the string, you feel that last second when you have settled almost the breath let out and then, like a tick of a clock hitting the top of the hour. The fingers don't let the string go , it just goes. And yes I have seen the arrow fly to the target.

There are more competitions coming along, more chances to improve and now use my handicap. Archery certainly has taken over my weekends and its wonderful.

One last thing my readers, I have been writing a Doctor Who story The Virus in Time for 10 years. Now do I post it here in my blog or what. It needs a bit of work still but then don't all authors say that?

Let me know reader (if any of you are out there).

Not Blogged in ages - blog

Updates in my world blog.

Well I have been missing from the blog front for a while now. Nothing to write, the dear reader might ask.

Not really just lazy and an annoying game on a certain web site which drives you mad once you start to play it.

So whats been happening since the Scottish adventure.

Archery of course. That is fast becoming (if not already) something I have really got into and has got under my skin just a touch. I am sure I have said it before but who cares if you repeat a line or two.

Recently I decided to change how I approached archery in order to over come a couple of issues. Basically on Friday night I would just shoot, no scoring, but just relaxing after the week and trying out a few technical things.

Saturday I would shoot a round, which for indoors is mainly a Portsmouth round. This was to see how well I could improve my overall scoring. Plus it helped me concentrate and gave me targets to aim for (all puns intended).

Sunday I would review what I had done shot Saturday and see what changes to make for the next week.

Simple really, almost one might say a training plan. Others have also joined me in this plan which is good and has made the club step up a little I feel.

The club TVA - Trent Valley Archers - really has made archery for me. It is relaxing, fun, enjoyable and most of all friendly. And they do encourage what I am doing.

So dear reader (like old Terry of the radio I have one maybe two) you may ask, what have you been scoring. Well over the past 8 weeks I have scored from 495 up to a new PB of 530 - this out of 600. Now considering April of this year I posted my last indoor score of 475 shows that I am improving.

Archery is a sport. Feeling the bow in your hand, pulling that string before settling on the gold. The beauty of seeing the arrow fly towards the target. I have said it before in other blogs.

It is becoming very rewarding for me to see how well I can do this. Yes I still have the odd blue and loose release, but that's becoming fewer each time.

Very soon we will take part in the first indoor competition and I am feeling very good about it. After that I want to do a competition elsewhere. I want to improve and know I will.

What else has happened. Well I have changed jobs and its better for me. Its still in the same place and in IT.

Also soon I will be getting a new telescope. That means cloudy skies, rain in the evening and wind like conditions over the next few months. I am sure I will start a telescope blog along with the archery blog.

OK that wraps up the past few weeks. A trip is planned down to the South visiting friends and a new dog.

Blogs away.

Bank Holidays

Blogs can sometimes be like a bank holiday. They appear at the same time each year (almost the same bar one which is a pain due to various things I wont go into), they can appear to be long, they often have new 'something or others' but mostly end up repeating themselves.

This blog was started on bank holiday Monday in August while watching Ironman. So to catch up with what I have been up to.

Archery plays a big part of my weekends now, it is so calming, annoying, delightful and amazing when I do shoot, and certainly very good for me. Its almost an art when you draw the bow, when you actually pull that string back and feel the power building up. You have to hold that raw power for that moment, when the arrow strains to be let loose. Your fingers feel the string that point at which you let it slip through. Then the arrow flies. In seconds you hear the hit.

I have had ups and downs like everyone does and I have to remember that it has not been a year since I started. The club is excellent, very helpful people and perfect for me. The outdoor season is almost finished and now I will concentrate on of course indoor season.

What else since the last blog. Well the Doctor Who story is still under revision which is annoying as I really want to finish it. Problem is no book is never really finished so the true authors say. For me it's not just a matter of completing the book it's a matter of pride, knowing I can write.

Also I need to sort out my poems and put a few new ones on the web site along with some new photos. I may do that after my Scotland expedition, particularly after the steam train.

Cricket. How wonderful. The ashes back again and England did play well for once. Trott could be a new find and lets hope a long term batsman.

Soon the new rugby union season starts and this year I will be able to watch some of the matches as I have sky sports.

Guess that wraps it for this blog and the rain keeps coming. Roll on Scotland.

North face of shopping

Well its been a couple of weeks since my last blog/journal thing.

Like Gibbs on NCIS I do sometimes wonder what a blog is for, web log as it really should be known. I don't blog everyday as I use things like twitter and face book, but I feel a good long blog helps the soul. Well helps my soul at any rate.

And who does read this, my version of the world, what I am up to, what I enjoy etc.

This past couple of weeks have been fun. Archery plays a role now in my life and last Sunday (7th August 09 just in case) I went to my third archery competition. It is - as I have said - amazingly calming, mind clearing and just fun. Shooting at 80 yards was a first, not brill as yet but not a complete mess. 108 shots, 487 scored a personal best of course. Wonderful day, great weather, great company around me.

So what else has happened. Well Maddie had her 7th birthday - Steve and Carlys daughter. Plus they have a new puppy Logan (and if the name is for that Logan the runner then wonderful). That will be a full household and yes we will go to visit. Oh yes and English cricket had its ups and downs as normal with the Ashes.

And I hear someone ask (I hope anyway) what does the title mean. Well it means I went to North Face at Cheshire Oaks and found a few things to buy. That's not difficult for me really. New shirt for archery (green), new daypack (green) and canvas jeans (green). Green is the new black or white.

Also I will be spending the day at Edgebaston 20/20 cricket, watching the two semi's and a final. I will blog on that later.

Time to wander now. Oh yes and films. A few to see, GI Joe, Harry P and a couple of others. More later.

Archery dramatics for the weekend

Another weekend and some very interesting events.

Amateur dramatics on a Saturday night. What does amateur mean? Well considering that Sir Patrick Moore considers himself an amateur is odd. He is one of the most knowledgeable people in Astronomy. So what does amateur really mean.

Well to me it means just people who are not paid for what they enjoy. So watching my sister enjoy her first performance was quite something. "Sailor Beware" is an old play set around the 50's.

My sister played the comic part but very straight which as people may or may not understand is very difficult. To have comic timing whilst not laughing is not easy. I was I admit impressed by how well such people put on such a play without all the dramatics around them. Simple, easy, no problems great fun.

My sister did a great job, in my humble view.

So amateur dramatics , people doing what they love for no pay, just like many others, and some do it very well.

Well what did I do this weekend. Three days of archery. A little bit of searching for replacement items like a new digital phone (not replacing my iPhone nothing could). The old land line phone had many issues not least I could not hear many people, which could be a blessing.

As for my archery, each session was indoors which at this time of year I was hoping for more sun or at least less rain. However indoors gave me the opportunity to concentrate on my technique, letting the archery flow. Its more than just a physical element of the sport its in the mind as well. And is it a sport? Not to me. It was a military weapon, a way of hunting, a desire to ensure countries could keep themselves safe, defend whatever. At Agincourt it was deadly. Very deadly.

Now it does something for me. It relaxes, focuses, gets me to exercise and most all is fun.

Archery is much more than just how to draw a bow, what poundage you need, the draw length. Its seeing that string drawn, feeling the power in the bow, looking at the one spot on the target, waiting that one moment longer.

Then the power, all transferred back to the bow, the arrow in flight, the moment when its there then hitting the target. Seconds.

So did I enjoy my weekend. Of course. It was pleasurable relaxing enjoyable and fun. I feel a poem coming on.

Now for the week ahead, the normal mixture of meetings, managing and with a fair wind completion of a few tasks.

So another blog or diary ends. What with twitter, Face book, myspace, yahoo etc I am glad I express myself so deeply in each.

A Sunday Post

Its been a few weeks since I last blogged, well wrote here at least.

What have I been doing one may wonder (and that maybe only one person who wonders) and I do wonder that myself. A couple of Saturday's ago I spent the day at the clubs first outdoor archery competition of the year. It was amazing fun watching 30 archers standing on the line loosing off arrows. My first time at this competition which is an American shooting 30 arrows at 60, 50 and 40 yards. I set myself a target (550) and after the first two rounds had reached about half way. The conditions were not bad, but the wind always seems to have a say where we are and a couple of 5's could have been 7's. (To those who have no idea what I am going on about here search for GNAS rounds outdoor) So the final round 40 yards and needing to up my scoring. Without making a motion picture here down to the last 6 arrows and needing 43 to make my target (adds tension here) I hit a blue (5 points) drama! Of course as I approached the target had I reached my required score? As the Hitch-Hikers guide said - Stress and tension is bad - so to ease the reader (if there are any) of course I reached my target and passed it.

So what else I have been doing. Watched Night at the Museum 2. Not bad film, nice gentle comedy well put together a good family view. Looking forward to a few films Transformers for one, maybe Public enemy , 2012 and The Last Airbender (looks interesting).

Now a few spoilers here so if you have not seen Torchwood Don't Read On!!!

This last week has seen Torchwood: Children of Earth shown everyday. Brave, bold, different or sadly lacking in a few places? It just did not have that all round grab for me. Some bits I found made no sense. Why try and kill Capt Jack with a bomb inside him when sending it by parcel post would have been easier. The timing of the explosion was just right - why not wait and remotely blow him up? OK so these are plot designs or holes - you choose.

It sort of worked and sort of did not. The last episode worked, but if the Doctor had been there would he have allowed Jack's son to die? OK that's the difference you are all shouting (the one of you is at least). Torchwood has grit, is different, hits hard(ish) and has adult themes. To me this was more an adult version of Quatermass which may have fitted its aims.

Well hopefully there will be another series, at least a new set for Torchwood or will we find that lost base. Who knows.

The Ashes has started - cricket to those who dont know - and the first test is almost complete. It could be a long hard summer , very very hard.

Off to watch the F1 now and see if Button can get another win.

Enjoy

Weekends are short for no reason

So another weekend ends just before it starts. How, why and who decided the weekend would only be two days.

Its a question I am sure Wiki will have an answer for, but not the one I want. So why do some weekends seems to go so quick when others just drag and drag.

The rain had a good go and putting paid to archery outdoors this weekend but so did a metal screw. Funny how things happen.

Another couple of minutes and I would have been out in the wet shooting arrows. I must admit archery is beginning to get under my skin, which is very good.

Its the relaxation, the fun, the clearing of your mind, concentrating on just that target, drawing back and letting go.

Amazing how much actually goes into shooting one arrow.

Also amazing what can go into a weekend including allotment work (rain permitting) and even euro-song thingy.

And some of the shows do seem OK to watch - Something for the weekend certainly is good and like the name says has bits of everything. A working live Sunday paper almost.

But of course the weekend goes so quick, you end up having fun, relaxing and then that point draws close when the weekend finishes and the week approaches.