#TBT Waffle Round and Zombies

Ominous clouds = you will get drenched later

Hoo, boy. Well, we had the waffle round last weekend. It was mostly a good time, the weather was dicey, the field well organized and we managed to stay out of trouble (mostly).  Having shot 70 m just once before we went, I had less trouble with 70 and 60 then 50m. Have decided I quite like 60, actually. Right now, 50 m can kiss my you-know-what. 30 m - we're good.  Do me a solid and have a chat with 50? Much appreciated.

Midway through the first day, we got a super soaker. As in soaked to the skin, running down your scalp wet, watching your arrow disappear after 10 yards into gloom. As in not being able to hear your clicker as the rain is so loud. As in being SO relaxed, I totally didn't care. I love shooting in the wet. Then the sun came out and we all dried out more or less. Except for the squelchy shoes.

Had all NYC ladies on my bale, one who had never seen a cow up close before. Or deer roadkill. Culture shock. Nice people and good to shoot with, though. Also nice to be at a shoot where the recurves outnumbered the compounds.  

I had to sort through some bad habits (again) and then also came to the conclusion that I need to do some bow tuning and sort out some replacement bits and bobs as my groups are not where they should be. Lesson learned. Look out States, here we come. Will be more fun as we will know other peeps there. :)

Moi in my hot weather gear. Smiling, so must be lunchtime
or at least post-caffeine :)

The drenching continues.
You will notice I am under the judge's tent where
it's mostly dryish. Matt is mid-way down the line

PS. Just a word to the wise, if you are staying in Sharpsville, PA, avoid the Quality Inn. Run away like zombies are chasing you.

PPS. I may have, just possibly, snuck out out and put some arrows in the bag this afternoon. Shot better than I have in a long time, so not guilty.  :D No States for me this summer. Babying the shoulder, but we're getting there.

Waffle Round and Zombies

Ominous clouds = you will get drenched later

Hoo, boy. Well, we had the waffle round last weekend. It was mostly a good time, the weather was dicey, the field well organized and we managed to stay out of trouble (mostly).  Having shot 70 m just once before we went, I had less trouble with 70 and 60 then 50m. Have decided I quite like 60, actually. Right now, 50 m can kiss my you-know-what. 30 m - we're good.  Do me a solid and have a chat with 50? Much appreciated.

Midway through the first day, we got a super soaker. As in soaked to the skin, running down your scalp wet, watching your arrow disappear after 10 yards into gloom. As in not being able to hear your clicker as the rain is so loud. As in being SO relaxed, I totally didn't care. I love shooting in the wet. Then the sun came out and we all dried out more or less. Except for the squelchy shoes.

Had all NYC ladies on my bale, one who had never seen a cow up close before. Or deer roadkill. Culture shock. Nice people and good to shoot with, though. Also nice to be at a shoot where the recurves outnumbered the compounds.  

I had to sort through some bad habits (again) and then also came to the conclusion that I need to do some bow tuning and sort out some replacement bits and bobs as my groups are not where they should be. Lesson learned. Look out States, here we come. Will be more fun as we will know other peeps there. :)

Moi in my hot weather gear. Smiling, so must be lunchtime
or at least post-caffeine :)

The drenching continues.
You will notice I am under the judge's tent where
it's mostly dryish. Matt is mid-way down the line

PS. Just a word to the wise, if you are staying in Sharpsville, PA, avoid the Quality Inn. Run away like zombies are chasing you.

How to "tournament"

So for those of you who have been contemplating maybe shooting a tournament, here's the inside skinny on what really goes down. Off to the NYSAA FITA Championships this morning, so thought it would be fun for you to ride along.

Night before: shot league, tanked, figured out why, shot better. Tightened up sight screws, retaped finger guard and grip with my vetwrap.

Healthy snackins

Before the shoot: Pack up snacks, flat shoes, GPS map to Outer Regions of Buffalo, NY. I like candied ginger, choco chips and plain almonds. Also bringing some oatmeal cookies for our group for snacks, cause I haven't baked in awhile. 10 minutes to take off... waiting for Matt to get out of the shower...

Arrival: Hugs and kisses for friends that are shooting your line or just coming off of it. Find a spot for your stuff, grab your score card and hit the registration table to get your bale assignment and check in. Hang your target, find pencil and calculator (I hate doing running scoring.)

12:00: Snack, chat and set up equipment, stretch out. Have more cookies. Repeat.

12:25:  Line Judge gives rules with A/B lines and warning lights and whistles. This is a double game tournament, so 60 arrows, with 450 as your perfect score. Compounders have to hit the X for a 10, recurves get the middle circle for a 10. It's nice to have an even mix of the two at this shoot for a change. One of the reasons I like this one.

12:30:  Whistle blows, A line (top) goes up to the line to do the first set of practice ends, we switch and then go pull. Repeat

12:40: Go time. Take a few breaths to steady the butterflies and shoot. Only three arrows. Mark the holes before you pull (which is important if you forget to pull them and then shoot another three - and no, that wasn't me since I know you are asking) If the lines are long, like Nationals, you have a very large space full of arrows smacking the bales - really loud!

Shoot, score, repeat.  There are two people scoring, one person calling the scores and the sheets have to match at the end (hence the running scoring) It's easy to mess it up, not hear the caller right, etc. I usually manage to muck it up somehow. Hopefully you have chill people on your card with you - I usually know at least one person and was lucky to shoot with my friend Inessa on this day.

If it's a really big shoot, they post all the scores out as soon as possible using live scoring or if it's more local-ish, you check back in a week or so to see where you ended up in the pack. Hopefully, you shot your best and didn't run into any equipment failures.

Turn in your cards, pack up. Go home. Enjoy frosty adult beverage. Repeat.