ARCHERS OF WARRNAMBOOL NEWSLETTER #8
October 2020
Welcome to the AoW’s October newsletter.
Shooting was curtailed last month, although much activity has been going on behind the scenes. Our outdoor range has been mown, sprayed and fertilised, and the second half of our field course has been laid out, with a further 12 targets. Thanks to those members who spend many hours volunteering to improve our facilities.
With Covid 19 restrictions being relaxed across regional Victoria, we can look forward to a summer of archery in (almost) normal conditions – fingers crossed!
Editor
MEMBER PROFILE: Mick Austin
Mick was born in the Wimmera city of Horsham, and
moved to Warrnambool in 1981. He now lives in
North Warrnambool.
He started archery about 15 – 18 months ago, coming
along with his son, Reilly, who was looking for a new &
challenging sport. Father and son enjoy participating in
the sport together.
Archery is the first sport Mick has taken on seriously, and
as well as the physical aspect, he enjoys the camaraderie
of the club, and getting involved through working bees.
Mick uses a Samik Ideal bow, with a 25 inch riser &
32 lb limbs. He uses an AGF sight, and Winners stabilisers.
His archery goals are evolving as his experience increases.
At the moment he is working on improving his technique,
especially the draw and release, without worrying too much about his scores. That said, he’s already qualified to shoot to a distance of 40 metres, although preferring to shoot over 20 and 30 metre distances whilst he is perfecting his form. His best score on the indoor range (18 m) is 171 on a 40 cm target.
Besides archery, Mick enjoys fishing and camping, and likes to use his metal detector. Following Supercars is also an interest, and many Saturdays are taken up at garage and clearing sales collecting “mantique” tools and other farm memorabilia for sale through his stall at the FJ collectables outlet.
Mick is a big fan of BBC comedies (eg. Dad’s Army/ The Young Ones).
His favourite bands are Rose Tattoo and Cosmic Psychos.
His favourite food is a wood-fired pizza cooked in his pizza oven at home, and his favourite holiday destinations are the Gold Coast (annually, subject to Covid19 travel restrictions this year), and more locally camping/fishing trips to Lake Bolac.
It’s always great to see Mick and son Reilly at the archery range – quiet achievers in every way!
RANGE MAINTENANCE & UPKEEP
The outdoor target range needs frequent mowing, but recently other maintenance was done to keep it in tip-top condition. Spraying out the capeweed, followed by fertilising to encourage the growth of the kikuyu grass on the range was necessary, and will ensure a great space over the summer months.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Due to the tightened restrictions with Covid19, our September AGM has been postponed. However it must be held before the years end. Watch this space – and social media too – for details as they fall into place.
FIELD ARCHERY
Thanks to the efforts of some dedicated members, the field archery course is up and running. Those who have been out on the course report that field archery is great fun, and that ours is a great course! Although at the time of writing only “half” the course is available to shoot, the second set of 12 targets have been put in place, and the full course of 24 targets will be available in the very near future.
TUNING YOUR RECURVE BOW
Here is the next instalment from member Peter Hill’s booklet – this month on arrow alignment, for those archers using recurve bows.
ARROW ALIGNMENT
For this tuning, place an arrow on the string and rest. From behind the arrow look to see that it is aligned just to the left of the long rod/stabiliser (to the right for LH archers). The point of the arrow should be just outside the rod.
This will help your arrow flight from release and propel it along a straight line to the target butt.
SAFETY ON THE ARCHERY RANGE
PERSONAL SAFETY
Many archers, particularly those just starting out, can suffer great pain if the bowstring hits any part of the arm after releasing an arrow. If it happens repeatedly it will certainly increase your anxiety and reduce your enjoyment of the sport. It can also cause an archer to adopt an incorrect stance in an effort to stop the string hitting the forearm. Below is a particularly severe injury sustained by an archer when the bowstring hit his forearm.
To prevent such an injury there are a few things you can do:
- Make sure the elbow joint of your bow arm is vertical when at full draw.
- Make sure your bow hand grip is correct, with the bow pressure on the heel of your thumb.
- Don’t grip the bow tightly – bow hand and fingers should be relaxed, with knuckles facing away from the bow.
- Shoulder joint should be in a natural position, not rolled inwards.
- Protect your arm with an arm guard.
ARCHERY ETIQUETTE
Finding Lost Arrows
On the outdoor range and field course, arrows sometimes miss their target and need to be retrieved before shooting can recommence. If an archer has lost an arrow(s), it is good practice to assist him/her to locate the lost arrows.
INTERESTED IN A CAR STICKER?
Car stickers are available from David Reid, for $5.00 each.
You must be logged in to post a comment.