Its been a couple of weeks since my last post, yes I know the idea was for a weekly post, but we all know what happens, procrastination and life always seems to get in the way. So lets catch up and seewhat has happened in the last couple of weeks.
Lets look back at the last 3 competitions I’ve competed in over the last few weeks.
WINDY
CPT
The item that links these 3 events is the wind, first was the Cape of Good Hope on the 11th and 12th August. The first day started with an icy chill in the breeze, but then as it always does the wind picked up with a strong crosswind and lots of wonderful gusts the made the day eventful, however not ideally the best day for scoring.
The following day was also a little chilly and the dark clouds above threaten rain for the whole shoot, the the first of the light drizzle only started as we finished shooting the last arrows of the day. The wind was not as bad on this second day, but for yours truly in was a first weekend of shooting where the wind played a major factor, my scores may not have been great but it was a great learning experience
Durban
Go to Durban they said, now wind they said, perfect place to shoot PB and National records…all i can say is BLAH!!!!
The wind at the Michael Shires Tournament in Durban (25th-27th August) was not as bad as the previous but it did provide its own challenges, the wind directing kept us on our toes especially those of us shooting the longer distances.. the first 2 distance in the 1440 we not my best however the did allow me the time to get used to the wind. the last 2 distances of the first day we much better an only missed my personal best scores by a few points.
Day 2 also saw some wind challenges mainly due to the direction.
Johannesburg
At last a tournament were the weather was suitable for shooting, on the first day we had a slight breeze which was manageable throughout the day, just had to get used to tail winds and a slight cross wind. Day 2 saw a wind that was a little stronger and by the time we arrived at the Eliminations it was a challenge as the gusts were starting to build in strength
THE BAD:
Frst of all the bad was me delaying this weekly update, my excuses are(that’s if you care) Family,Life, Work and traveling.
Second the fact that i spent so much time trying contact lenses and single vision glasses to try and assist my shooting,. All it took was a long outdoor session to discover that my sloooooow progress over the last few months could have been related to the glasses, so after the Cape of good Hope tournaments I decided remove said glasses from my shooting equipment. I find that having the target blurry and the sight pin clear is a better combination for me.
The last Bad Item was the scores at the Cape of Good Hope tournament
THE GOOD
First lets just skip the Cape of Good Hope competition… Score will be uploaded to the site in the
next couple of days.
Durban, whilst i did mention the winds and their effect on scores i do have, on the first day i manage to beat to say i felt very good, took me a little bit of time to get going and find the flow but over all i was very happy with the whole shoot. Missed out on 3 Personal Bests scores by just a few points on each. I did beat my PB and national record for the 720 double round by just a couple of points, so some rewards for the practice put in. Of course i was hoping for more.
On to JHB , again this had perfect weather for the tournament, On the first day i managed to start very well, lots of focus and work was done on my form.
I managed to improve scores at 90m and 50m these still need to be ratified as provincial and national records, also I scored a new PB for the 1440 round.
Sunday was a single 720 round with eliminations. missed my PB for the 720 by 1 point, the eliminations were a challenge as I’ve not shot the format before, i still managed to win a Bronze medal for that
Thank you to Noel for spending the weekend with me while I practiced and competed. My favourite words from Noel over the weekend were “Yes!!” “Nice one adie” “Balance” “expand” and “transfer”
After our chats I’m confident the next evolution in my shoot is about to begin.
I’d just like to say thank you to a few People, firstly MTNza without your support I would not have been able to travel, to these destinations, Rone who is keeping or should i say trying to get me fit, Reinhard for removing all the pain and knots on my back, shoulder and helping me remain injury free. Then there is Sharon from Bowtime who spends a lot of time just watching me shoot and correcting any issues with my form. Then to those who provided me with assistance over the last 8 months.