Welcome to the AoW’s June newsletter.
Good news this month for all archers! Archery Victoria has provided some dates for a stepwise resumption of normal activities at clubs, in accordance with the State Government’s guidelines for resumption of sporting activities.
It is great to see familiar faces venturing back to the outdoor range already. In May up to 10 members were allowed to shoot outdoors, under strict conditions and social distancing.
However as of 1st June, 20 club members are allowed to practice on the outdoor range. This number is inclusive of non-shooting spectators (eg. parents, friends). Social distancing must still be practised, and at AoW this will be achievable.
From Monday 22 June it may be possible for AoW to further expand the accessibility of club facilities, and we will be able to use the indoor range once more. Again, the go ahead for this stage is subject to any changes that may be detailed by the State Government between now and then. Please be aware that this advice may change. If that is the case, we will let you know.
We are all looking forward to resuming normal club activities and routines, meeting those we have not seen since “lockdown”, and (speaking personally at least) shooting indoors and out of the cold winds!
Editor
Member Profile: Bethany Medwin
Bethany was born at St Albans, a suburb to the north west of Melbourne.
With her family, she moved to Mortlake about three years ago, & now lives about 10 minutes out of the town.
Bethany was inspired to take up archery two or three years ago, after she read a book by John Flanagan entitled “Ranger’s Apprentice”.
In addition to archery and reading, Beth likes drawing and is very keen on animals, her favourite species being the tiger.
She likes many movies, in particular fantasy and comedy genres.
Her favourite superhero is Spiderman.
She likes to listen to classical and instrumental music, and loves to eat bolognaise.
Beth’s favourite holiday activity is ….. bed!
With still a few years to go before she reaches Senior level archery, Bethany has shown great promise as a Junior. She currently uses a 24 lb recurve bow, with her best indoor score being 244 at 18 metres. Last year she was recognised by the club as the Best Female Junior Shooter, a great personal achievement.
She would be keen to hunt live targets for survival at some stage, and with scores like she has been recording, no doubt she will survive!
CLUB AFFILIATON
Members still have the opportunity to participate in the club’s decision about changing affiliation. Details were provided in April’s newsletter. The AoW committee is keen to hear from any member, to know whether they prefer to affiliate with Australian Bowhunter’s Association (ABA), Archery Australia (AA) or maintain the status quo (3D AAA).
Should you wish to discuss or give your preference, the committee is keen to hear from you:
Mike Clark: president@aow.asn.au
David Reid: david.reid@aow.asn.au
Gerry Mahony: secretary@aow.asn.au
Charlotte Iverach: treasurer@aow.asn.au
Jim Burrell: jim.burrell@aow.asn.au
Denise Burrell: newsletter@aow.asn.au
We welcome your input as we move forward into the coming year.
COACHES, VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS
Are you interested in getting a coaching qualification, or becoming a mentor to new members?
We need additional coaches and volunteers to assist on Saturday morning “Come & Try” sessions (11am – 1pm).
Archery Australia runs free Class 1 coaching accreditation programs, and we encourage members to participate. If there are enough members interested, we may be able to organise training locally.
If you are interested in helping out, please talk with Mike Clark (0422 868406) about what is required.
OUTDOOR RANGE MAINTENANCE – Your Help is Needed
To properly enjoy the outdoor 90 metre range, regular mowing is required. It takes about four hours on the club’s ride-on mower to complete. All member clubs that use the outdoor range(s) have been asked to provide volunteers for the mowing task.
For the last 18 months, the grass on the 90-metre range has been mown by only one person from our club, who is now unable to continue. AoW is looking for volunteers to mow the range on a roster basis. It is hoped that with enough volunteers from each user-club, volunteers would only be required to mow once or twice per year.
If you can help, please contact our president, Mike Clark on 0422 868 406 or president@aow.asn.au .
“ArchANGELS” – A PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE NEW WOMEN ARCHERS
Our club was fortunate to receive some funds from VicHealth to run introductory program(s) for women who would like to try the sport. Special thanks should go to Jim Burrell who submitted the application and is the club’s liaison person with South West Sport.
Jim has also agreed to head up a subcommittee to develop and manage the program, and has been joined by committee members Charlotte Iverach and Denise Burrell. We are looking for other members (especially women) who would like to contribute to this program. If you are interested to get involved, please give Jim a call on 0404 404 554.
COMPETITION NEWS
Club Championship
AoW male and female championship events ( in both junior and senior divisions) will be held on the fourth Saturday of each month. Points are awarded to all competitors on each day. Shooting distances (and target size) will be varied, according to experience. Come along on the 4th Saturday and get involved in the championship competition, 2pm start.
Qualifying Distance Events
As experience and accuracy improves, shooters will want to shoot at greater distances. For safety reasons (and to reduce the number of lost arrows!), archers need to qualify for distances greater than 10 metres.
On the second Saturday of each month, club members have the opportunity to qualify for longer distances, 2pm start.
ARCHERS OF WARRNAMBOOL IN THE NEWS
Archers who were at the range on Saturday 23rd May were captured on camera by the Warrnambool Standard. Subsequently AoW was featured in articles on Monday 25th and Friday 29th May. It is great to lift our public profile.
Photos can be viewed (and purchased) at the Standard office in Kepler St once the Covid19 restrictions allow offices to reopen.
SAFETY ON THE ARCHERY RANGE
Shooting Line and Safety Line
The Shooting Line is the line along which archers line up to aim and shoot at targets. In our indoor range this is a blue line.
Once across the line archers are on the shooting range, and for the sake of safety, no one must cross this line to collect their arrows until given the “all clear” signal from the range marshall. At AoW, you will hear the marshall calling “All clear. Collect your arrows” which is your signal that it is safe to cross the shooting line and approach the targets.
The Safety Line is a line two metres behind the shooting line, a white line on our indoor range. Once an archer has shot all the arrows for the end, they must retire behind the safety line and wait until all archers have finished shooting. After the arrows have been collected, you must return behind the safety line until the range marshall indicates that it is safe to start shooting – “All clear. Shoot when ready”. At this signal, you may step up to the Shooting Line and prepare to take your shots.
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