Thoughts on the Subject

A few random thoughts, organized relatively randomly.

Last week, through 6 ends, I had 150 points. This week, through six ends, I had 115 (added up after I gave up on scoring). So I stopped scoring and just started shooting. Once I didn't care any more, among other ends, I hit a 29, missing a 30 by about the width of a vane (maybe 2 widths). Just a mechanical day, I guess.

Range was crowded with back to back to back parties. Same thing coming up this weekend. Anthony put an add in some Boston parents' magazine, and it is more than paying for itself. I'm glad to see business coming to the range, especially in the current economic climate.

I'll be helping that business this weekend. Finally going to complete (?) my set and pick up some v-bars. Probably going to be a Shibuya quick-release block and Doinker bars to match my stabilizer. Will know more after this weekend. Product report next week.

The past few weeks I've taken a couple of trips down to the neighborhood bar to throw some darts. Apparently I like projectiles of all kinds. Archery we all know, and this dart thing is pretty good, too. I've been taking a lefty archer's stance, but I have to throw right handed. I think what I need to do is practice throwing darts aiming with my left eye and throwing with my right hand. Also need to find a good place to throw darts in San Francisco when I get back home. I think the Philosopher's Club has a board. We'll have to see.

Calculating a Problem

Another round and a half on Saturday. Started my first warm up end with a 28, so things looked pretty good. Then I started scoring, and things looked a little more normal.

Here were my first 6 ends:

End #	End Score	Running Total	Compared to 25 Pace
1	22	22	-3
2	25	47	-3
3	28	75	0
4	25	100	0
5	24	124	-1
6	26	150	0

So I'm doing pretty well through 6 ends. Every time I fell behind pace, I was able to catch up. That's when things, for reasons unexplained, started to fall apart.

7	16	166	-9
8	26	192	-8
9	19	211	-14
10	25	236	-14

So somewhere between ends 6 and 7 (during which I did not take a break), everything just fell went downhill. No idea why. Sometimes things like that happen, I guess.

1	24	24	-1
2	22	46	-4
3	20	66	-9
4	21	87	-13
5	23	110	-15

Trying to keep my shoulder strength up, I shot another half round as I slowly make my way back to a full tournament double.

Not the best 5 ends I've ever put together, but for numbers 11-15 on the day, it certainly could have been worse.

After shooting, I was sitting around talking with the guys at the range, and one thought is that keeping track of the numbers on the fly may be causing me to over think my shots and thereby throwing me off. I should probably note here, that when I'm scoring at the range I don't keep track of the pace. That was something I did after I was finished. I do keep track of the individual ends and the running total, though. So, to counteract the problem, I think I will just keep track of the individual ends. If I get my stuff together, I'll make a score sheet and just keep track of the individual arrows, but that's not going to work out, I don't think.

Ignoring the running total ought to be enough to at least test the theory. And even though it won't really prove anything (absence of proof is not proof of absence), As long as I get to (or at least get closer to) my goal, I'll (probably) be happy.

Mechanically Inclined

Only scored half a round this past Saturday. Opened with my usual 23, and the next 4 ends took me to a 113. With no consistency, clearly I was having some problems with my shooting, so I decided to drop the scoring and work on my shot mechanics instead.

And wouldn't know you know it, my grip was wrong. I have had a long standing problem where the way I hold the bow "kicks up" at the end of a shot, sending the arrow higher on the target. I have partially compensated for this problem, but it only appears from time to time when my shots start to slip. One of the range employees watched me shoot, reset my grip on the bow, and it looks like he may have helped my drop the kick-up for another cycle. We'll see what happens this weekend at the range. Hopefully I'll have better scores to record.

On another topic, the range has finally set up and installed a delayed video system. An archer can take a shot, and a few seconds later, the image will appear on the screen. Great way to actually see what you are doing. Instant feedback, as it were. Last weekend it was only set up for right handed archers. Supposed to be set ambidextrous this weekend, so I should have a chance to see what I'm doing. Good times to be had by all. And because the system is in its infancy, I may even be able to use it for free.

Counting to 15

Spent a long time at the range before finally getting set up to shoot. When I got settled on the line, I finally broke my streak of opening-end 23s. Started right on pace at 25, and moved on from there. Finished my first half with a 121, just 4 points behind 250 pace. Had a good size drop off in the second half, but I was able to pull off 110 points for a 231 total. A 4 point improvement on last week.

After a short break, with my shoulder seemingly holding up well, I decided to go ahead and try another few ends and see how it goes. Opened again with a 25, but dropped off significantly after that. Finished five ends with a 111. Not a great score, but the point was more that I was able to shoot 15 ends, and I did not have any lasting effects on my shoulder this week.

Bottom line for the week, solid but not great scores, but I'm finally putting the last six months of limited shooting behind me.