Thanksgiving Day Shoot A Success

Photo by Rocky Vanoost

While many people were out of town this past weekend for the holiday, many archers descended upon the Rancho Park Archery range.

The range put on a Thanksgiving Shoot. It’s first tournament in a while. It was a small low-key event that provided a great opportunity for many to try their hands at competitive archery.

The event had a good turnout. Most were regulars at the range and many, including myself, were tournament newbies. There were definitely some pre-tournament jitters which quickly faded as the event got going.

Alex Kobe, along with several other range volunteers ran the event. The tournament went from 9am-4pm with a break for lunch. It consisted of 20 ends, 3 arrows each.

After check-in time, Alex explained the tournament format and rules. After which we had some warm up time and were given our targets to place on the wall, at which point some chaos ensued with everyone jockeying for space on the target wall. After that, Alex reviewed the score keeping process. We had to do math in addition to shooting? Well technically, not everyone, only a few selected shooters in each lane were designated as scorekeepers.

Once we got started, after the first few rounds, everybody got into a rhythm and things began to move smoothly.

Once the first 10 ends were completed, it was lunch time. We all took a break to enjoy some good conversation and laughs over a great potluck spread and some delicious BBQ–some of which Alex managed to cook in between rounds–so much for burning off those Thanksgiving calories.

Towards the end of lunch some of the Juniors had some additional fun. They got to take a few good whacks at a candy filled Angry Bird. Why didn’t they string up one of the egg stealing pigs?

Actually, what was more amusing than watching the kids, was watching some of the adults rush in for the candy after the Angry Bird’s demise.

With lunch over, we took up our bows again to complete the remaining 10 ends. It goes without saying that some shooters’ performance declined a bit, due to post lunch sluggishness and the occasional excursion to the food table between ends. The victors would be those who not only shot well but who could stay focused and shoot through the post lunch stupor.

Once the last end was completed and the scores were tabulated, we all gathered around for the awards ceremony to bring the event to a close.

Whether you walked away with some shiny hardware or not, I think it’s fair to say everybody had a good experience. It was a great opportunity to try something different and test your archery skills. A fun time was had by all and it was for a good cause. All tournament fees went to the Pink Ribbon charity.

Rumor has it that more tournaments will follow this one at the range. The healthy turn out this past weekend bodes well for similar events. And if the range gets expanded, perhaps the tournaments might get even bigger.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Rancho Park Archery Range Thanksgiving Shoot

The Holiday Season is revving up with Thanksgiving just around the corner. What better way for archers to enjoy the season than with a Thanksgiving shoot?

The Rancho Park Archery Range is holding a post-Thanksgiving day shoot on Saturday, November, 24. This will be a nice way to have some fun and burn off some of the calories from your Turkey day dinner.

Competitors will be shooting for points, trophies and for a good cause. All funds raised by the tournament will go to the Pink Ribbon charity which supports breast cancer research and awareness.

If you’ve never competed in a tourney before, this is a great event to get your feet wet with. There will be plenty of volunteers around to help you out.

Tournament Details

The shoot will take place between 9am to 4pm. Check-in starts at 8am.

Shooting divisions include: Recurve, Barebow, Bowman, Junior and Adult.

The format for the shoot is as follows:

• 600 round, 20 ends of 3 arrows
• Distance 18m using standard 40cm targets.

Fees and Registration

Pre-registration for the tournament is $10. Onsite registration is $15.

To pre-register, download the registration form. Email the completed form to targetbutt@yahoo.com to register and reserve your spot. Payment will be due at check-in time (8am).

Don’t delay! Space is limited so register early.

For more tournament information, email targetbutt@yahoo.com.

Duel in the Desert Trials and Desert Open Coming Soon

If you’re a competitive archer looking for a challenge, there’s a tournament coming up in the Southern California area you might want to check out.

In October, the Duel in the Desert Trials and Desert Open will be held at the El Dorado Park Archery Field in Long Beach.

The event is hosted by the United JOAD and Southern California Archers and is a Star FITA and IPC recognized tournament. It will take place on October 6 – 7, 2012.

The trials are a competition for a spot on the team that will represent California in the Duel in the Desert, an annual team competition between California and Arizona which will take place on November 10 -11 in Arizona.

If you’re not aiming to be on the team, you can still shoot. And, since this is a Star FITA tournament, you can get a special achievement pin from FITA if you shoot a certain score. There are pins starting from 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, and 1400.

For further details (e.g. divisions, rounds, etc.) or to sign up for the competition, visit the State Archers of California site.

2012 Olympics Archery Primer & Resources

It’s Olympics Eve and the games are finally going to kick off tomorrow. For us archers, the main thing we want to know is how and when to watch the competition. Most of you may already know that NBC is thankfully streaming the archery events online.

But it’s also helpful, if you’re not a seasoned archer, to know as much as you can about the sport. The more you know, the better you’ll be able to enjoy the competition.

Archery 101

The following is an excellent video of British archer Alison Williamson giving an overview on the basics of archery.

Useful Sites

Below are some useful links for streaming the archery matches and checking schedules; learning about the competitors, the competition format, equipment, interviews, etc.

NBCs Olympic Archery Site

The London Telegraph news site’s Archery Guide

Word Archery’s media guide for the 2012 London Olympics

Disney/Pixar Brave Youth Archery Tournament in Pasadena

If you have a kid, or kids, who are 16 and under and are experienced archers, there’s a tournament being held this Sunday, June 10^th. It’s the Disney/Pixar Brave Youth Archery Tournament and it will take place in Pasadena Central Park.

Aside from giving your kids a chance to hone their skills, have fun and maybe win some Disney/Pixar prizes, their participation will be helping others. The tournament, which is being put on by the Pasadena Roving Archers and the City of Pasadena Parks and Recreations, will benefit the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House.

The competition will be between 10am and 2:30pm this Sunday. It will be a British Short Junior National Round consisting of 4 dozen arrows at 30 yards and 2 dozen arrows at 20 yards using a 122cm FITA target face with a break for lunch. Advanced registration is required and can be completed online. Participants can also have friend and family sponsor them.

Also, there will be a Beginners Area for those who want to try their hands at the sport. Click here to learn more and sign up.

Source: Pixar