The bow I am using is one of the club's training bows - the same one I had been using on the indoor range during the course, so I am used to it now. I used a different set of arrows this time, as the set I had been using had only six, whereas I wanted at least one spare. It's as well that I did as one of the nocks broke during the round.
The scheduled round for the afternoon was a Warwick, which is an Imperial round of four dozen arrows, two dozen at each of two distances. The distances for experienced archers were 50yds and 40yds (a Short Warwick) but, after taking the advice of the club captain, I decided to start with a Short Junior Warwick (30yds and 20yds). Now I know that I am not a Junior, but neither have I shot any arrows further than 20yds, never mind 50yds! I am eager to move on to the 'adult' rounds, but I really need to get the feel of shooting outdoors and at longer distances before I extend myself. Besides, all rounds count towards your handicap! As the only person shooting at these distances, I had to move the boss so that I was shooting from the same line as those shooting the longer distances.
The start time soon arrived and the field captain gave a single blast to signify the start of the round, which is six 'sighters'. These shots are used to ensure that your bow is correctly adjusted and for you to assess any factors that might need compensation (e.g. a cross-wind). After the sighters, we were into the round proper and, as you might expect, I made a number of errors that will no doubt be familiar to the more experienced archers in my readership. They included:
- Forgetting to attach the bow sling, resulting in a dropped bow
- Holding the bow upside-down
- Not putting the tab on before nocking an arrow
- Forgetting to write down my sight marks for each of the distances
Although I was the only one shooting at my target, two experienced archers were shooting longbow on the target next to me, and their comments were very encouraging. As this was my first true round, I had decided to see if I could complete it by assessing my own errors and without seeking any advice. On the whole I think it worked, but I am sure there will be situations where such advice would be valuable.
The first two dozen arrows went quite quickly, but the cold weather was starting to play its part. Mrs EA had given me some chemical handwarmers and these were a godsend! After moving forward, shooting from the 20yd line seemed so much easier than it had been during the beginners course. I am hoping that this will remain the case as I move up the distances.
The final end came round even quicker than the half-way point and it ended with the traditional three-cheers for the field captain. After we had finished I had a try of Mrs EA's bow, which was almost fully-loaded with the extras that aid more experienced archers: pressure button, front and side stabilizer bars, heavier draw weight. Her bow is significantly heavier than the training bow I have been using and I found this a little off-putting at first. I managed to shoot a couple of dozen arrows with her bow before the cold got the better of my fingers!
One final error I made was that I managed to sign my scoresheet before checking that it had been totalled, and it was the club Captain that spotted it! I didn't write down my final score before submitting the scoresheet (I will post an update when I get the scoresheet back), but I was pleased with my performance as a first-timer. I think I missed the target a total of six times, which I don't think is too bad. One vital piece of extra equipment I need very soon is an arrow-puller - there is no way I can manage without one!
Next week I think i will try a longer distance....
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