Archeon Open archery contest
Sep. 20th, 2010 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
janestarzTchk! Tchk!
The sound of arrows hitting targets is quite distinctive. It's unlike anything I've heard, unlike the indistinct thuds of larp arrows bouncing off a roleplayer. There's nothing as gratifying as loosing an arrow and being rewarded with a pleasing tchk! echoing the vibrations in the midriff.
NoKey, Keffie and I have quite the reputation when it comes to archery, and now I can say it is wholly undeserved. Shooting a 20 lbs longbow with 28" larp logs is nothing, nothing at all like hefting a 35 lbs taxus and hickory longbow, loosing a 28" oak shaft and missing your target by a meter and a half...
NoKey was shooting in lane three, but I was at the far end in lane seven. I was glad to see a familiar face: Frank of the Raikua, normally shooting a recurve bow but now using a painted longbow and thick arrows with a wicked head. The others from my lane, all men, were as cheerful as Frank and as helpful. After my first round, clutching my painful forearm, they were worried. "It's a new longbow." I explained. "I've never shot with it before."
It took some getting used to. I realised after three rounds (nine arrows, all flying wide to the left of the target) that my longbow was definitely different from my recurve bow. For one, I needed to move my arm bracer further towards my wrist. Meanwhile, Frank unstrung my longbow and twisted the string a couple of twists, so it was shorter and would stay away from my wrist a bit more.
After a round or five I finally had some reward: a single point! Before that, I'd managed to hit the target's legs and wegde an arrow through the blue plastic coating that kept the straw together. It took me a few more rounds but by then I'd managed to grasp the feel of my new bow.
After a lovely and hearty lunch at the cloister, we returned to the range for the second half of the match. Twelve more rounds of archery. In my second or third round I had a lucky shot, hitting the gold center and scoring my first (and only) 9-points arrow!
NoKey's mother joined us at the range and sat to the left of my lane, where she could see everyone shoot. She cheered with me when I hit the blue, red, black or white. During the day, I managed to hit each colour at least once, but often missing the target altogether as well.
And then I saw another familiar face: Hans Splinter. He's one of the photographers in my contact list on Flickr, and he makes gorgeous pictures of the Archeon. I properly introduced myself, and we spoke for a little while. During the match he came over to show me a picture he was pleased with... it's already on Flickr too!
Photo by Hans Splinter, published under Creative Commons, Attribution, NoDerivatives on Flickr.
In the final two rounds of the contest, I finally realised (thanks to Frank's coaching) what I needed to do. Now that I had found how to hold my bow and release my arrow, I needed to find my inner peace while shooting. I tried to practice this in the last two rounds, and I felt much better after releasing my arrows.
Fun fact: did you know that when I release my arrow and it's a 'good' shot (not a good hit), the twang of the bow echoes in my midriff? It's a very weird feeling, but it does show that despite my wonky grip on the bow, I hold onto it very well.
Despite me only scoring maybe twenty points with seventy-two arrows, I am very pleased and happy I went to the contest. There was a lot of laughter and jesting among the archers, the atmosphere is utterly relaxed, and nothing beats running around in medieval garb for a day. I had a wonderful time.
The sound of arrows hitting targets is quite distinctive. It's unlike anything I've heard, unlike the indistinct thuds of larp arrows bouncing off a roleplayer. There's nothing as gratifying as loosing an arrow and being rewarded with a pleasing tchk! echoing the vibrations in the midriff.
NoKey, Keffie and I have quite the reputation when it comes to archery, and now I can say it is wholly undeserved. Shooting a 20 lbs longbow with 28" larp logs is nothing, nothing at all like hefting a 35 lbs taxus and hickory longbow, loosing a 28" oak shaft and missing your target by a meter and a half...
NoKey was shooting in lane three, but I was at the far end in lane seven. I was glad to see a familiar face: Frank of the Raikua, normally shooting a recurve bow but now using a painted longbow and thick arrows with a wicked head. The others from my lane, all men, were as cheerful as Frank and as helpful. After my first round, clutching my painful forearm, they were worried. "It's a new longbow." I explained. "I've never shot with it before."
It took some getting used to. I realised after three rounds (nine arrows, all flying wide to the left of the target) that my longbow was definitely different from my recurve bow. For one, I needed to move my arm bracer further towards my wrist. Meanwhile, Frank unstrung my longbow and twisted the string a couple of twists, so it was shorter and would stay away from my wrist a bit more.
After a round or five I finally had some reward: a single point! Before that, I'd managed to hit the target's legs and wegde an arrow through the blue plastic coating that kept the straw together. It took me a few more rounds but by then I'd managed to grasp the feel of my new bow.
After a lovely and hearty lunch at the cloister, we returned to the range for the second half of the match. Twelve more rounds of archery. In my second or third round I had a lucky shot, hitting the gold center and scoring my first (and only) 9-points arrow!
NoKey's mother joined us at the range and sat to the left of my lane, where she could see everyone shoot. She cheered with me when I hit the blue, red, black or white. During the day, I managed to hit each colour at least once, but often missing the target altogether as well.
And then I saw another familiar face: Hans Splinter. He's one of the photographers in my contact list on Flickr, and he makes gorgeous pictures of the Archeon. I properly introduced myself, and we spoke for a little while. During the match he came over to show me a picture he was pleased with... it's already on Flickr too!
Photo by Hans Splinter, published under Creative Commons, Attribution, NoDerivatives on Flickr.
In the final two rounds of the contest, I finally realised (thanks to Frank's coaching) what I needed to do. Now that I had found how to hold my bow and release my arrow, I needed to find my inner peace while shooting. I tried to practice this in the last two rounds, and I felt much better after releasing my arrows.
Fun fact: did you know that when I release my arrow and it's a 'good' shot (not a good hit), the twang of the bow echoes in my midriff? It's a very weird feeling, but it does show that despite my wonky grip on the bow, I hold onto it very well.
Despite me only scoring maybe twenty points with seventy-two arrows, I am very pleased and happy I went to the contest. There was a lot of laughter and jesting among the archers, the atmosphere is utterly relaxed, and nothing beats running around in medieval garb for a day. I had a wonderful time.
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 08:24 am (UTC)What was the score of Nokey?
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 08:29 am (UTC)The winner in the men's category scored over 500 points with 72 hits (each arrow in the target, missing none!) and really deserved his medal.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 08:37 am (UTC)I remember a match we saw in Reutte (Austria) a few years ago. The archers had to hit an apple and had three arrows to try with.
Only each round the apple was put further away from the archers. That was fun to see and the archers liked it as well. Cheering for each hit the other archers made.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 09:35 am (UTC)On the other hand. I DO have an nice recurve bow, that I hardly even have used. So maybe I will check on the Archeon whether they have something for when I am able to come. It sounds like fun. :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 10:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 02:01 pm (UTC)And it's such a nice one I have!
But we always got Anastaszia's bow. That's a wooden longbow.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 08:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 10:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 10:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 04:33 pm (UTC)and a big YAY for shooting in costume!
I wish I had a bow, but I know longbows and flatbow are quite heavy in lbs. and I'm not so strong ;-)
I always wanted a flatbow. maybe one day... :P
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 06:47 pm (UTC)I'll teach you the technique if you want.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-21 07:50 am (UTC)I had an archery course way back and that wasn't a big succes, but I had quite severe back problems then
no subject
Date: 2010-09-21 06:39 am (UTC)I miss archery, but I don't miss lugging my gear through public transport to train in a basement filled with gun powder dust. I used to train for these kind of contests as the competetion was pretty low locally.
leuk stukje!
Date: 2010-09-21 09:02 pm (UTC)Re: leuk stukje!
Date: 2010-09-22 08:20 am (UTC)*grommelgrommel*