September
2004
GAA State Target Championship
The GAA State Target was held in Conyers on Sept 11-12. There were approximately 50 participants in the tournament and the weather conditions, although somewhat windy, were very nice for the weekend.
Even though the wind contributed to lower scores than nornal, the competition was still close and the tournament was a great success. Thanks to Kenny Compton, Jake Veit, John Stuart and the officials, the competition ran smoothly.
Congratulations to the Kennesaw archers! We had ten competitors there and everyone took home a trophy! A great representation from our club! Thanks to everyone who showed up.
Eric Cero, Mike Sullivan, Jefflyne Potter, Marlina Lovett, Clayton McClure, Kevin Cusack, John Whitney, Don Edwards, Greg Johnsen and yours truly all came home winners!
In addition, in the team competition, the Kennesaw defending champions of last year's tournament, Jim White, Mike Sullivan and Eric Cero, came in third this year. (I told you it was windy conditions, didn't I?)
The full results will be posted on the GAA website soon.
Tournaments in October
Jake Veit said the GAA would try to schedule a couple of 900 Round tournaments in October and November. There is a field behind the Parker Road complex in Conyers where the indoor tournamnets were held that may be available. Keep an eye on the GAA website for mare infomation as it becomes available.
NAA Level II Instructor Course
Jake Veit also said he is working on putting together a Level II Instructor course to be held in the near future; date to be determined. He said he would talk to Rockdale County Parks Dept. about holding it at the Parker Road complex. We will publish the dates as soon as they are confirmed.
The course is a thirty hour in-depth intructor's class that will prepare you for coaching both one on one or groups of students. You will also be certified to teach a Level I Instructor class. If you are interested in being an archery instructor, this is the class you need!
New GAA President
John Stuart was elected President of the GAA at the annual mmeting on Sunday. Jake Veit steps down from that office and takes John's old job as Tournament Director.
Shooting Tip
The competition this past weekend was an exercise in frustration for some because of the windy conditions. The wind gusted and swirled and was very unpredictable. This made for some interesting sighting and shooting adjustments by the archers. If you haven't practiced shooting in the wind (and not many of us do) the wind can cause lots of problems at a tournament.
However, there are ways to compensate. The most common is to simply "hold off" the bullseye by an amount you think is necessary to allow the wind to carry the arrow back into the center. Yesterday, on occasion, I "held off" as far as the two ring at three o'clock in order to hit the gold. Then on the very next end, the wind calmed for a minute and I held back in the center. It can literally change from arrow to arrrow! You have to watch the flags and be aware of changes minute by minute. For some though, this is very hard to do because their brain doesn't like the sight being off the gold when aiming. It takes practice beforehand to make it work.
Another method is to cant (tilt) the bow into the direction the wind is coming from while still holding on the center. This is probably better for those who can't make themselves take the sight off the gold.
And finally, if the the wind is consistently coming from one direction and at a steady velocity, simply make the appropriate sight adjustment to compensate. Stay alert for any changes and be ready to make more adjustments if needed.
The botom line is to practice in the wind (and the rain, too) so you will know wht adjustment is needed when the time comes. Alas, practice is usually the answer to most of our shooting problems. There just doesn't seem to be a way around it, huh? Oh well, just remember, "no deposit, no return" is a good mantra to remember on the road to the ten ring!
Good Shooting,
Jim White