= BOARD NEWS M A R C H 2 0 1 6 FUTURE TOURNAMENTS 2017 2017 National Youth Archery Championships - Morwell, Victoria 2017 Australia Open - Brisbane, Queensland 2017 Para and VI National Championships, Tuggeranong, ACT 2017 National Crossbow Championships - Adelaide, SA 2017 Australian Field Open - Tuggeranong, ACT 2017 National Indoor - Various locations 2017 National Championships - Perth, Western Australia 2018 2018 National Youth Archery Championships - Morwell, Victoria 2018 Trans Tasman - Australia - Host to be determined 2018 Para and VI Championships - Tuggeranong, ACT 2018 National Crossbow Championships - Host to be determined 2018 Australian Field Open - Tuggeranong, ACT 2018 Australian Open - Perth, Western Australia 2018 National Indoor - Various locations 2018 National Championships - Host to be determined Archery Australia are seeking Expression's of Interest to host a number of National Championships which are yet to be allocated. Interested parties should contact the Archery Australia Office at info@archery.org.au for an information pack.
Page 2 2017 International Events 2017 World Masters Games Auckland, New Zealand 21 to 30 April 2017 World Cup - Shanghai, China 2 to 7 May 2017 World Cup - Antalya, Turkey 6 to 11 June 2017 World Cup - Salt Lake City, USA 20 to 25 June 2017 World Cup - Berlin, Germany 8 to 13 August 2017 World Para and VI Archery Championships - Beijing, China 12 to 17 September 2017 World Target Archery Championships - Mexico City, Mexico 1 to 8 October 2017 World Youth Archery Championships - Buenos Aires, Argentina 15 to 22 October 2017 Australian Open The 2017 Australian Open has been awarded to Samford Valley Target Archers, Queensland. This is the same venue that hosted the Australian Open this year and is on the outskirts of Brisbane to the north west about 30 minutes from the city centre. The dates chosen for the Australian Open 2017 are practice on Friday 3 rd March, with ranking rounds and match play competition on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th March 2017. Please mark your diary for this important event, Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th March 2017. Online entries will open in the near future. 2017 Australian Field Open The 2017 Australian Field Open has been awarded to Tuggeranong Archers Club, ACT. The dates approved for the 2017 Australian Field Open are Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th March 2017. Tuggeranong are offering two separate courses, one unmarked and one marked. B O A R D N E W S
Page 3 2017 Para and VI National Championships The 2017 Para and VI National Archery Championships has been awarded to Tuggeranong Archers, ACT to be conducted from the 24th to 26th March 2017. In 2017 the Para and VI Nationals will also include an Indoor event. 2017 National Youth Championships The 2017 National Youth Archery Championships has been awarded to Twin City Archers, Morwell to be conducted from the 8th to 13th April 2017. The 2017 National Youth Championships will also include a new event, the National Youth Matchplay Championships. Longbows Following the submission of a motion to change the shooting rules for longbow and subsequent feedback, the Board approved to change the round to be shot for target archery for some longbow divisions at National Championships. To bring this into effect the Board approved a new round to be called the AA50/1440 with the following distances 36 arrows at 50m on a 122cm face 36 arrows at 40m on a 122cm face 36 arrows at 30m on a 80cm face 36 arrows at 20m on a 80cm face This will mean that the rounds shot will be Men Open Longbow WA60/1440 round i.e. 60m/50m/40m/30m Women Open, Masters, Veteran, Veteran 70+ Longbow Men Masters, Men Veteran, Men Veteran 70+ Longbow AA50/1440 i.e. 50m/40m/30m/20m This shooting rule change and new round will come into effect from 1st January 2017.
Page 4 New Judges Online Diary The Archery Australia IT Committee is pleased to announce the rollout of its new Judges diary. This has been created in conjunction with the Archery Australia Officials Committee and will allow Judges to keep their own records much more easily and will also streamline the Judge reaccreditation process. It is envisaged that this system will also be able to be used for other areas of the sport in the near future. The Archery Australia Board wishes to thank the two Committees for their work on this system and is pleased to see them working so closely together. Para and VI Team Selection The Archery Australia Board has approved the Para and VI Selection policy for the 2017 Para and VI World Championship to be held in Beijing China, CLICK HERE for a copy of the policy. The 2017 World Para and VI Championships will be conducted in Beijing, China from the 12th September to 17 September 2017. This policy provides the process established by Archery Australia for the selection of archers to represent Australia at the 2017 World Para and VI Championships. The principal aims of selection for the 2017 Para World Archery Championships are: To send a combined Para and VI Team to the 2017 Para World Championships, the main purpose of attendance at these championships is experience and exposure to international competition. Attempt to qualify teams to compete in one of the team events. Our elite Para archers can strive for medals and Paralympic selection. Archery Australia can nominate up to 3 archers in each of the following categories Recurve Individual Women Open Recurve Individual Men Open Compound Individual Women Open Compound Individual Men Open W1 Open (Recurve/Compound) Women W1 Open W1 Open (Recurve/Compound) Men W1 Open Vision Impaired V1 Vision Impaired V2 and V3 The recent 2016 National Championships held at Waverley City Archers provided valuable pointers to a shadow team composition, it is expected that the 2017 National Championship in the ACT at Tuggeranong will refine and increase the number of archers available for future selection. B O A R D N E W S
Page 5 Inclusion of Para and VI at National Indoor Championships The Archery Australia Board has agreed to incorporate Para and VI Archery in the 2017 National Indoor and the Para and VI Committee with the Boards help are working towards implementation and integration in the shooting rules to allow this to happen. It is expected that the 2017 Para and VI Championship on the 24-26 March 2017 at Tuggeranong ACT will add to our knowledge base, gained from the successful completion of the National Para and VI Championships held in 2015 and 2016 at the Waverley Club in Victoria. Tuggeranong have scheduled the first National Indoor Competition for both Para and VI archers for the Saturday of competition and we expect that this will provide a template for their inclusion in other competitions. 2017 National Matchplay Series Following on from the success of the 2016 National Matchplay Series the Archery Australia Board agreed to support this event for 2017. We do want to start qualifying events early to spread them out during the year so RGB and Clubs will be asked to considered hosting these from September this year. The final location or the final is still be negotiated but it is hoped to be held in May 2017. 2017 National Club Challenge The National Club Challenge was successfully held during March with 24 clubs participating and over 250 archers. Individual results can be found on Archers Diary CLICK HERE medals are being sent to the winners clubs. The Club Results 1 Moorabbin Archery Club 2 Twin City Archers Gippsland 3 Bunbury Archery Club For full Club Results CLICK HERE The Archery Australia Board have agreed to conduct the National Club Challenge in 2017 although some rules are being reviewed. B O A R D N E W S
Page 6 DRAWING AND SHOOTING A BOW IN AN UNSAFE MANNER Introduction In recent times there has been growing concern over how archers draw and shoot a bow and the safety issues this practice can create. This concern has resulted in World Archery introducing rules to ensure archers always conduct themselves in a safe manner. Rule 12.9. The Director of Shooting shall be advised if an athlete, when drawing back the string of his bow uses any technique which, in the opinion of the Judges, could allow the arrow, if accidentally released, to fly beyond a safety zone or safety arrangements (overshoot area, net, wall etc.). If an athlete persists in using such a technique, he shall, in the interest of safety, be asked by the Chairperson of the Tournament Judge Commission or the Director of Shooting to stop shooting immediately and to leave the field. There are two main areas of concern - 1. Archers drawing the bow with such a technique that would allow the arrow to overshoot the target (high draw) or to shoot excessively right or left of their designated target (drawing out of line) if accidently shot. This action could cause the arrow to stray outside of designated safety zones. 2. Archers drawing or shooting the bow and allowing their equipment to enter the allocated area of another archer; e.g. the stabiliser or the bow may enter the allocated area of the archer next to them during the draw or release. This action can quite easily create a distraction which can quickly become a safety issue. Coaches, Club and Tournament Officials must always be on the alert for such practices to ensure arrows are not shot out of bounds creating safety hazard and injuries. This hazard can be caused by - 1. An archer who has not had adequate instruction by a trained and `qualified Archery Australia Instructor or Coach. 2. An archer uses a poor shooting technique 3. The most common reason an archer shooting a bow with a draw weight far beyond their capabilities (over bowed). B O A R D N E W S
What Steps should the Coach, Club/Tournament Official or Judge take to correct this safety issue? When an archer is observed shooting in a suspect manner (or a complaint may be received from another archer) you must ensure that the archer in question is truly shooting in an unsafe manner. For example they may appear to be drawing high but they may be using a low poundage bow which requires them to aim higher to reach the distance. In this case it would not be a safety issue. Be aware of the distance they are shooting as shooting 90m will require the bow to be raised higher than is shooting at 30m. HIGH DRAW High draw relates to an archer while drawing the bow allowing the arrow to rise to such an angle above square or out of line with the target that if accidently shot the arrow would travel beyond the targets and possibly any safety zones creating a possible hazard. Even at venues with adequate overshoot areas such practices should be corrected as a warning and training exercise. The recommended steps to take are - 1. Stand to the side of the archer (3 to 5 target lanes) at a sufficient distance to observe the angle of the bow when they shoot and the arrow hits the target. Always best to observe more than one arrow. 2. Next step is to observe the archer as they raise the bow to draw. 3. As they commence to draw that is to say as they apply pressure to the string and commence drawing the bow observe the angle of the bow, the bow should be pointed at the target (square) and not above square. 4. If the angle of the bow is above square and in particular above the angel they required to aim the bow at the given distance then the archer is "high drawing" and they are unsafe. 5. Ask another person to also observe the archer to confirm you observation. 6. If both people agree that the archers is drawing the bow in an unsafe manner, after the archer has finished shooting that end approach the archer and bring your concerns to their attention asking them to modify their technique. If the archer is part of team that has a Team Manager and/or Team Coach do not approach the archer but always approach a team official and raise your concerns requesting the official to deal with the issue. 7. If the archer s fails to modify their technique you should warn them at least two more times after which you can ask them to withdraw from the competition.
WHY IS HIGH DRAW A SAFEY CONCERN? A recent test carried out by World Archery demonstrated the risks of high draws. The bow was drawn back to almost peak weight and released at various angles to demonstrate how far an arrow will travel. Test conditions: Clear, sunny skies; tail wind (6 knots) Archer: 6ft 2" tall Bow: Hoyt Pro Comp Elite Measured Draw Weight: 57.9# peak weight Arrows: Navigator 430, 30.75" long, 120 grain point, 2" vanes TEST #1 5 degree angle, Distance 90.00 meters TEST #2 6 degree angle, Distance 113.50 meters TEST #3 10 degree angle, Distance 147.40 meters TEST #4 15 degree angle, Distance 204.00 meters TEST #5 20 degree angle, Distance 259.00 meters TEST #6 25 degree angle, Distance 305.00 meters
EXAMPLES OF HIGH DRAW Image 1 Image 1 - Archer is drawing 14 o above their full draw aiming position which if release could send the arrow up to 200 meters past the target butts. Image 2 Image 2 Full draw aiming position Image 3
Image 3 demonstrates another example of High Draw where the archer may have started the drawing process level with the target but as he comes into anchor he dramatically lowers his drawing hand creating a very unsafe situation. DRAWING OUT OF LINE The arrow is now at an angle of some 15 o above square. Drawing out of Line relates to an archer drawing the bow with such a technique that during the drawing process the arrow is pointing off line from their target. If accidently shot the arrow could travel a number of lanes from their target. This drawing or subsequent release action may allow the archers equipment or parts of the archer s body to enter the allocated area of another archer touching the archer next to them or causing a distraction. This can become a serious issue if the archer in question is shooting on say the second or last target and their action could cause a miss-shot arrow to travel out of the Field of Play into designated spectators areas to the side of the competition field. Even if an archer is position in the centre of the Field Of Play such practices should be corrected as a warning and training exercise. The recommended steps to take are - 1. Stand directly behind the archer behind the Waiting Line and observe the archer drawing and shooting a number of arrows. 2. As they draw the bow look down the line of the arrow and front stabiliser, observe where the arrow and stabiliser is pointing as they draw the bow. If the arrow/stabiliser is not pointing toward their allocated target but you observe the arrow/stabiliser pointing either toward another target or the stabiliser (or other part of the bow or parts of the archers body) is encroaching in the allocated space of the archer next to them then that are drawing the bow in an unsafe manner. 3. Also observe the bow after release, if the follow through action allows the stabiliser or any part of the bow to encroach into the allocated space of the next archer they are shooting in an unsafe manner. 4. For confirmation ask another person to also observe the archer to ensure they concur with your opinion. 5. If both people agree the archer is drawing the bow or releasing in an unsafe manner, after the archer has finished shooting that end approach the archer and bring your concerns to their attention asking them to modify their technique. If the archer is part of team that has a Team Manager and/or Team Coach do not approach the archer but always approach a team official and raise your concerns requesting the official to deal with the issue.
6. If the archer s fails to modify their technique you should warn them at least two more times after which you can ask them to withdraw from the competition. EXAMPLE OF OUT OF LINE DRAWING Image 4 Image 5 Archer on the left is shooting on target 35 but drawing on target 27 which is 8 targets out of line at an angle of 27 o out of alignment. For this event with the lane widths this translates to drawing 20 meters out of line. The archer s equipment also intrudes into the next archer s lane during both draw and upon release as part of the follow through, refer Image 6
Image 6 The red line indicates the boundary of the allocated shooting area, in this case clearly make by a white lane marker. Upon release the archer s equipment clearly intrudes into the next archer s space. Fortunately the archer is nocking the arrow for the next shot but if they were at full draw the intrusion into their allocated space would case a distraction. SHOOTING FIELD ARCHERY Field archery poses special issues related to High Draw, World Archery have specific rules related to drawing the bow when shooting Field Archery. 28.5 When drawing back the string of his bow an athlete shall not use any technique which, in the opinion of the Judges, could allow the arrow, if accidentally released, to fly beyond a safety zone or safety arrangements (overshoot area, net, wall, etc.). If an athlete persists in using such a technique, he will, in the interest of safety, be asked by the Chairperson of the Tournament Judges Commission to stop shooting immediately and to leave the course. The athlete must aim and draw up at the target only. DOWN HILL SHOTS Down hill shots are of particular concern for this reason World Archery rules very specific rulers in that the archer must aim and draw at the target only. Archers are not permitted to draw high and lower the bow onto the target they must only draw while aiming at the target.