Newsletter. Cranborne School Summer Fayre - Archery Have-a-Go Friday 21st June July Issue 15

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Brian Anderson
5 years ago
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encourage many potential archers of all ages to Have-a-Go.

was gratefully received as we were kept busy from word go to the very end.

more than one go. The young lady on the right of the picture above came back 4 times!

Just to prove it wasn t only the girls trying their hand, Kevin prepares to place the arm brace

1 Newsletter Issue 15 July 2013 Cranborne School Summer Fayre - Archery Have-a-Go Friday 21st June 2013 The annual Summer Fayre took place under blue skies and warm temperatures which seemed to encourage many potential archers of all ages to Have-a-Go. About a dozen club members turned up at various stages of the event to lend a hand and all help was gratefully received as we were kept busy from word go to the very end. Over 100 people tried their hand; the exact number is a bit difficult to estimate as many had more than one go. The young lady on the right of the picture above came back 4 times! Here Andy, Kevin and Nick introduce the next generation of archers to the sport. Just to prove it wasn t only the girls trying their hand, Kevin prepares to place the arm brace on the only young man to have been ca p t u red o n ca m e ra. Many thanks to Lynda Baynham who, as well as the picture above, also took this shot of Saskia Kenworthy guarding the takings.

All change at the School field: Over the course of the summer members will notice a couple of changes to the School which will affect the way our archery is conducted.

2 All change at the School field: Over the course of the summer members will notice a couple of changes to the School which will affect the way our archery is conducted. Due to refitting of the science laboratory a contractors compound has been set up east of the existing mobile classroom for the duration of the summer. The old path is temporarily closed so members must route via the field keeping close to the fence and classroom and being careful not to stray too far onto the field. More importantly, a new mobile classroom is to be positioned on the existing hard standing which we use as our safety area. This means that our operation will have to be moved so that in future we will shoot down the field, It is believed that the existing shelters will also be repositioned but exactly where is unclear at the moment. We have been assured that access to our W.C. will be unaffected by this work but members are requested to take great care when accessing the new shooting area whilst this work is in progress. New safety area, shooting line and shooting direction. Existing hard standing and shooting direction. Temporary contractor s compound. Communication within the Club: The Committee would like to remind members that we have a number of different means of communication within the Club. In no particular order of importance they are: Text and/or alerts: These are generally short term alerts mainly concerning cancellation or modification of shoots due weather. It goes without saying that if you wish to avail yourself of this facility we must have your correct mobile number/ address, so please ensure that Secretary Nick Kenworthy has these details. Facebook: This too has been used for short term alerts but it is mainly used for more long term announcements and positive comment. Please remember that this is a public forum so it is definitely NOT the place for any negative comments or moans that you may have about aspects of the club. We have a private forum for this purpose which can be accessed from - The Club Website: ( As well as being the entry portal for the club forum, the results database, competition calendar and much other useful information about the club, it also provides a rolling news service about events as well as a weather widget showing conditions at the field. It also allows me to distribute the electronic version of - The Newsletter: Now well into its second year, with its monthly publication schedule this journal may not be the quickest way of informing members of news and information but is is probably the most certain since everyone should receive either a printed or electronic version. You will find Committee news, articles, competition reports, Sales and Wants and much else archery related within these pages so please keep those contributions coming in!

All Wrapped Up with Gas Pro Vanes: A few months ago I was chatting to Andy about upgrading my arrows when he mentioned he had a spare set of 10 ACEs that might suit me.

As soon as I started shooting with these arrows my scores began to improve but I did notice a few problems with the fletchings.

3 All Wrapped Up with Gas Pro Vanes: A few months ago I was chatting to Andy about upgrading my arrows when he mentioned he had a spare set of 10 ACEs that might suit me. As luck would have it the length and spine of these arrows was exactly what I needed and so a deal was done. As soon as I started shooting with these arrows my scores began to improve but I did notice a few problems with the fletchings. These were small, bi-colour spin vanes which, although they looked very distinctive in the quiver, I found to be quite difficult to isolate when surrounded by other arrows in the target when scoring. They were also difficult to fix securely mainly due to there being very little for the anchor tape to grip. Finally, due to their small size, I found them to be quite unforgiving of poor releases, so probably too good for my standard of archery. But what to replace them with? Some research was required. Gas Pro: No, not the man who comes to fix the boiler but a relatively new design of spin vane from Italy. There are four different versions within the range in various degrees of stiffness depending on proposed use and bow weight. The design also includes quite lengthy tags at either end for the anchor tape to grip. After due consideration I decided on a set of medium stiffness Field Efficient vanes which are designed to stabilize the arrow immediately after release. Eight colours are available which, with contrasting nocks, might be sufficient to make arrows fairly distinctive but I wanted something more, which led me to consider arrow wraps. Socx Arrow Wraps: Wraps seem to be the Marmite of archery; some archers love them, others can t see the point. No matter which wrap you choose, they will all make the arrow more distinctive. Some are shrunk onto the arrow, others are made from self adhesive vinyl. The Socx Comfort wraps are of the latter type, designed to fit specific arrows and come with accurate fletching lines printed onto the wrap thus making fletching and refletching very simple and quick. They come in six solid and five fluorescent colours, so with the possible colour combinations of the vanes and nocks it should be possible to come up with a pretty distinctive combination. I finally settled on a version of the club colours; fluorescent red wraps with black vanes and nocks. Having shot this combination for a few weeks I can say the wraps certainly make the arrows stand out in the target and they make it very easy to spot any errant shots that finish in the grass but the jury is still out on the black nocks. Stylish, but not easy to spot through the scope at longer ranges. Wrapping and Fletching: From top left clockwise; Arrow wraps, double sided fletching tape, anchor tape, nocks, Gas Pro vanes, all sitting on a Wrap Application Pad ( otherwise known as a mouse mat!) and below, a home made fletching jig. The two photos above show all the bits needed to wrap and fletch arrows. The fletching jig isn t absolutely necessary when using pre-marked wraps but you will need something to hold the arrow steady while applying the vanes. I made mine from Plasticard, a material I use in my other hobby. Without ready access to such material it would probably be cheaper to buy a commercial jig. The first task is to thoroughly clean the shafts of all traces of the old fletchings and glue or tape, both physically and then with a

de-greasing agent. To my mind the best of these is 100% acetone, NOT nail varnish remover which is not only diluted but contains additives which you don t want on your arrows.

If you were to leave the shafts soaking in acetone for a few months then I m prepared to believe there might be some softening of the carbon coating but a quick wipe with some acetone on a soft cloth

Health and safety warning; acetone is a highly flammable liquid and you really don t want to breath the fumes too much so, as with anything else, just use some common sense when handling it.

Before you begin to apply a wrap do read the instructions otherwise you might position the arrow and wrap the wrong way round and run the risk of one of the fletching lines being obscured by the

4 de-greasing agent. To my mind the best of these is 100% acetone, NOT nail varnish remover which is not only diluted but contains additives which you don t want on your arrows. The use of Acetone with carbon arrows is another thing that seems to split opinion within the archery world. Some swear by it, others say it will melt your arrows! If you were to leave the shafts soaking in acetone for a few months then I m prepared to believe there might be some softening of the carbon coating but a quick wipe with some acetone on a soft cloth will not cause any damage. Acetone is so volatile it will have evaporated long before you can wipe it off. Health and safety warning; acetone is a highly flammable liquid and you really don t want to breath the fumes too much so, as with anything else, just use some common sense when handling it. After de-greasing the shafts try not to handle them more than is absolutely necessary. Before you begin to apply a wrap do read the instructions otherwise you might position the arrow and wrap the wrong way round and run the risk of one of the fletching lines being obscured by the overlap. Don t ask me how I know this! Remove the nock as this might cause the shaft to rotate eccentrically as you roll it onto the wrap. Carefully remove a wrap from its backing paper and lay it, sticky side up, on the mouse mat with the nock end of the wrap to the left. Continue to roll the arrow onto the wrap maintaining a firm pressure on the shaft to expel any air bubbles. A final smooth down of the overlap and that s it - job done. Align the end of a clean shaft with the left side of the wrap and ensure the shaft is parallel with the long side of the wrap. Gently begin to roll the shaft towards the wrap checking it remains parallel to the long edge until you just see it start to pick up the edge of the wrap. Stop rolling and do a final check that all is square and the end of the shaft and wrap are aligned. Now for the Gas Pro vanes: As before, I advise you carefully read the instructions but this time I suggest you file them in the bin and ignore them! The official way to attach a vane to a shaft is to apply the double sided tape to the vane and then try to stick this onto the shaft. Personally, I believe that is asking for trouble bearing in mind the shape of the vane and the difficulty of holding such a light, springy piece of plastic firm enough to apply the tape in the correct position. Far better, I think, to apply the tape to the shaft along one of your fletching lines and then offer up the vane held in a suitable clamp i.e. a bulldog clip.

Take a pre-marked shaft, either via a jig or from using the Socx wraps and, if using a

The orientation is not important at this time as you will be fletching to the marked line

Place the shaft in the jig or whatever you are using to hold the arrow steady and arrange

along one edge. Offer the vane to the tape Apply the tape along the line.

the nock. Carefully align both the end and the edge of the vane to the marked lines.

It is quite easy to pick up two together as they are so thin and light.

5 Take a pre-marked shaft, either via a jig or from using the Socx wraps and, if using a fletching jig, insert a nock. The orientation is not important at this time as you will be fletching to the marked line and not to the nock position. Place the shaft in the jig or whatever you are using to hold the arrow steady and arrange for one of the fletching lines to be positioned so that you can apply the double sided tape along one edge. Offer the vane to the tape Apply the tape along the line. The wrap also has a line around the shaft to give a consistent distance for the vane from the nock. Carefully align both the end and the edge of the vane to the marked lines. Carefully remove the backing paper. Separate one vane from all the others. It is quite easy to pick up two together as they are so thin and light. I found that an old fashioned bulldog clip made an ideal tool to hold the vane whilst I aligned it with the tape. Ideally I would have used a slightly larger clip but I couldn t find one at the time, but the small one I used was perfectly adequate. Smooth the edge of the vane down onto the tape.

For a belt and braces approach you can, if you wish, apply the merest smear of superglue to the overlap of the anchor tape.

Finally twist the nock to give maximum bow clearance for the two rear vanes. Remove the clamp - one down, two to go.

Take a piece of anchor tape long enough to wrap around the shaft at least twice. Carefully apply to the shaft trapping the ends of the vane as you wrap the tape around.

Even if you are not using the particular arrows that the Comfort wraps are made for (X10, ACE and Navigator shafts i.e. ACGs), if you want to customise your arrows to make them more distinctive there are many other wraps to consider.

The first time I used the new Gas Pro vanes I scored 272 followed by a 258 and a 264 on the next two occasions.

6 For a belt and braces approach you can, if you wish, apply the merest smear of superglue to the overlap of the anchor tape. This does ensure that it will not unravel in use but it also means that repair or re-fletching is just a bit more difficult as the tape will have to be carefully cut away. Finally twist the nock to give maximum bow clearance for the two rear vanes. Remove the clamp - one down, two to go. Rotate the shaft so that the next fletching line is presented to you and repeat the process. With all three done it s time to attach the anchor tape. Before and after. Take a piece of anchor tape long enough to wrap around the shaft at least twice. Carefully apply to the shaft trapping the ends of the vane as you wrap the tape around. Repeat for the other end of the vane and that s it. Only the rest of the set to do! Was it worth it? From an appearance point of view the arrows are certainly different. Even if you are not using the particular arrows that the Comfort wraps are made for (X10, ACE and Navigator shafts i.e. ACGs), if you want to customise your arrows to make them more distinctive there are many other wraps to consider. From a performance aspect my top score at 50 yards over 3 dozen arrows with the old fletchings was about 235. The first time I used the new Gas Pro vanes I scored 272 followed by a 258 and a 264 on the next two occasions. 50 yard ribbon in the bag so yes, I definitely think it was worth it. The arrows seem to stabilise almost as soon as they leave the bow and certainly fly straighter. They make me feel much more confident about my ability to make a decent score and as about 70% of archery is in the mind (see Andy s article in the last issue) that has to be a good thing.

7 Lytchett Owl shoot: On the 30th June team Bracken attended the annual Lytchett Owl shoot. This year was one of our smallest teams with only 5 archers competing plus Adam keeping a beady eye on our performance. We were lacking in Lady entrants as Rosie had to pull out at the last minute. However, the rest of the field was packed with entrants from as far afield as Andover, so overall it was a very well attended shoot with 36 targets on display and four archers to a target. The round was a Western round consisting of 4 dozen arrows at 60 yards followed by 4 dozen at 50 yards. Team Bracken arrived early at the field, which is located on the edge of Poole Bay near to Holton Heath. We were greeted by glorious sunshine, a vast expanse of targets and the smell of bacon butties sizzling. Needless to say that was like a red rag to a bull for Bracken members. After setting up the new sunshade, applying liberal sunscreen, getting our kit together and finishing our bacon butties we had a little while to relax as shooting did not begin until 10:30. As the morning progressed most of us were itching to get started but the infamous Lytchett breeze was beginning to pick up and was gusting nicely across the field. As shooting commenced it was clear that the gusting breeze was turning into a challenge. Most of us struggled to keep on centre with most groups ending up left of centre. Windage was moved to the far left and we managed to pull the arrows back towards the centre. The halfway point took us to about 1pm and most of u s w e r e m o d e r a t e l y h a p p y w i t h o u r performance but it was already clear that there were some other teams that were on very good Club News: Congratulations to both Adam Brown who successfully completed his Level 2 Coaching Course recently and also to Steve Pritchard who passed his final Level 1 Coaching assessment last Saturday during the intermediate training day. Well done Guys! In order to reduce the quantity of paper that Steve Pritchard, the club s new Records Officer, has to deal with, there is now a Ribbon Award Score Sheet available to download from the club website. Only fully completed and signed sheets with all three rounds for a particular distance should be handed to Steve who will then process the award Regular readers may remember that last year Bracken signed up for Archery GBs club form. Chris Grubb from Bournemouth was a clear contender. However, that didn't stop some good friendly competition happening on the targets. Steve Pritchard and Kevin Edge were having their own little competition and were neck and neck at the halfway point. Nick Kenworthy was trying to pull his socks up by chasing down a newly qualified compound archer and Andy Fisher and Ralph Wood were looking quietly confident and keeping their heads down. Adam couldn't resist doing a bit of coaching, as a struggling, newly qualified Lytchett archer was seeking some advice and Adam stepped into the breach. After a couple of ends the archer was then doing better than Nick! The heat was on! At the end of the competition Ralph put in a very respectable score of 608, Kevin was "edged" out by Steve with scores of 612 and 621 respectively. Nick picked up at the end and managed to pass the compounder with a score of 668 but top of the Bracken pile was Andy Fisher with a very respectable score of 688 (max possible score 864). This gave Bracken a team entry of 2589 points. However, on the day it wasn't good enough. The 3rd place team entry won with a score of just over 2600 and the top spot was just over The top 3 lady recurvers had scores in excess of 679 and the top 3 gents recurve archers all had scores over 760 with Chris Grubb (Bournemouth) topping the leader-board with 776. The day didn't finish till 6:30pm and we all returned home with a few aching muscles, a bit of a suntan but no silverware this year. However, we all enjoyed the day. Nick Kenworthy development programme OnTarget. Once on the scheme clubs are encouraged to work towards one or more of three Specialisms - Community, Young People or Performance. I am pleased to report the Bracken was recently assessed for, and has been granted, Community Specialism status. There will be further reports in future issues as to what this development will mean for the club and its members At the recent Have-a-Go session fletchings were falling faster than confetti at a wedding! Many of the arrows are now totally bald. If you think you could re-fletch a few of these arrows at home before Ellingham this would be greatly appreciated. As these are just the Havea-Go arrows absolute precision is not necessary; a good eye rather than a jig will suffice. See Pete for a supply of arrows and fletchings.

The Bracken Coaching Initiative Continued: The third session of the intermediate training program took place on Saturday 29th June with about a dozen archers present to receive more expert coaching

It was another full on day with scores of arrows being shot and many areas for improvement being highlighted by two very experienced and knowledgeable coaches.

I didn t, but I do now and my grouping has improved as a result.

8 The Bracken Coaching Initiative Continued: The third session of the intermediate training program took place on Saturday 29th June with about a dozen archers present to receive more expert coaching from Pauline Pillans and Malcolm Fleet. Unlike the first two sessions the weather was sunny and dry which prompted Pauline to remark how different we all looked without our waterproofs! It was another full on day with scores of arrows being shot and many areas for improvement being highlighted by two very experienced and knowledgeable coaches. Who knew that moving the string from the tip of the nose to a side anchor would compensate for being a bit short in the upper arm and thus bring the back muscles into play more readily? I didn t, but I do now and my grouping has improved as a result. Lunch was the usual excellent spread with burgers and an excellent Guinness cake from Adam and another beautiful Dorset Apple cake from Patricia. Thanks to all who brought food and a special Thank You to Pauline and Malcolm; we must do it again sometime! Patricia receives one to one coaching from both Pauline and Malcolm whilst even old hands like Andy benefitted from the tuition. Reminder: It is the Club s FITA 70 competition on Sunday July 28th and we need all the help we can get, both throughout the day on Sunday and also for setting up on the Saturday. This is Bracken s big day so lets have all hands to the pumps. Names to Adam or Andy please. For Sale: Sarah Harding has the following junior archery equipment for sale which may be of particular interest to some of our new young beginners. All items were purchased from Quicks in July 2011 and have hardly been used: Junior Back pack style bow and equipment carrier Short Rolan Riser, Small adult, (Red) 66 x 14 lb limbs Right hand rest Dacron string 60 x 10 Right hand A&F tab (junior) Rod arm guard Junior sight Bow stand Bow stringer Plus assortment of finger tabs and bracers Sarah writes We paid nearly 200 for the above and would like to ask 100 ono for all the equipment. However, I am more than happy to negotiate on all or part of this offer. I am also happy to bring the equipment up to the field for viewing and for prospective purchasers to try out or alternatively it can be viewed by arrangement at my home address. My contact number is or mobile ALL members are warmly invited to submit contributions for inclusion in the Newsletter. Items can be either ed to arthur.budd@talktalk.net or handed directly to me.

St George s Archery Club BEGINNERS COURSE SESSION RUNNING ORDER PLANNER

St George s Archery Club BEGINNERS COURSE SESSION RUNNING ORDER PLANNER SESSION ONE Lead SESSION THREE Lead Bow Selection Freestyle Shot Refresher Arrow Selection Warm-up Bracers & safety check Adjusting