NFAS National Champs

JohnK

Well-known member
Well, that was an experience!

35 target course on day one, with 496 scored. I shot very well in patches, but whenever there was a significant delay (or a stupid marshal shouting "Can I walk through?" when I was at full draw) I let it get to me.

Second day, 36 targets, and about 50 points dropped for a total of 950. I am told that this wasn't a bad score at all for my first nationals, but without a leaderboard (broken printer) I have no idea where I came in the rankings. It was a difficult course (24 and 25 on the Y course were ridiculous targets!) and stamina became a real issue. However, I finished it, met some great people, and I'm happy :)

The reason the first course I shot (X) was dropped to 35 targets was because of a freak accident. An arrow skipped off the top of a boss, sailed through the trees, across the trade and assembly area (over the head of Kevin from Wales Archery) into the other half of the wood to bury itself just below the front of the left shoulder of an unlucky archer! The fellow was occasional AIUKer - Oncea. Naturally the shoot was stopped while he was taken off the course and ferried to casualty. He had a couple of stitches and came back, informing the marshall's he intended on finishing the course, which he did. Good for him :D

I saw the retired target in question, and it really was one of those things no one could have predicted. That arrow must have flown over 120 yards through some pretty dense woodland to find him. Still, it's good that he's okay and even has a scar to show off to people in the future. ;)
 

oncea

New member
HI john

Hi john yes it was eventful and nfas as asked me to standing in for the 3d champs as target 36 sadly i decline lol but i will enjoyed the weekend and will be there next year as and archer not back stop hehe.
Shaun
:cake2::duck:
 

JohnK

Well-known member
:rotfl:

Was good to meet you Shaun. Glad you're doing okay and taking it with good humour. :) See you again I hope.
 

clickerati

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
We were discussing this accident at my club yesterday, but I had no idea it was an AIUKer! Glad to hear you're ok Shaun. We have a couple of members in the club who have been impaled during NFAS shoots due to ricochets, including one who got it in the neck but lived tell the tale.

Well done for finishing the course. Now take care of yourself! :cake: :beer:
 

NeilM

New member
Shaun, fair play to you.

I was half way round Y course when the accident happened, and we were all very concerned for all involved. Not a nice situation for either of the archers involved.

This was my first Nats, and I have to confess I found Y course a bit of a trial. I know Gary and the crew had to rebuild the whole affair at very short notice, and I think they did a good job all things considered, but I was a little disappointed. X course flowed a lot better although there were a lot of short targets.

Overall I shot with some very nice folk and had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. I also came away with a lot of little bits of technique I must work on. Like JohnK, I'll have to wait until the full results come out, but I was within striking distance of the top three, so I am encouraged by that.
 

Field Archer

Well-known member
We were discussing this accident at my club yesterday, but I had no idea it was an AIUKer! Glad to hear you're ok Shaun. We have a couple of members in the club who have been impaled during NFAS shoots due to ricochets, including one who got it in the neck but lived tell the tale.
Shaun, nice to have met you on Saturday evening at the Kings Head and very glad that you were OK. Your attitude to the incident does you credit.

Someone being hit by an arrow during field shoots is very rare. There was an article in one of the recent NFAS newsletters, in which, if I remember correctly, only 2 incidents had been reported in the last five, or ten years. Any talk of others can only be considered rumours, which are not going to help our sport.

Where and when did these incidents happen? Were these incidents reported to the organisers?
 

clickerati

The American
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
American Shoot
Where and when did these incidents happen? Were these incidents reported to the organisers?
If you like, I'll contact the people in question and get more details. They're in their 70s, so it may have happened more than 10 years ago, but those who've been in my club all know of the incidents and one of them has shown me his scar. He's one of the best longbowmen in Surrey.
 

JamesR

The American
American Shoot
Ruth, I think you used up an entire month's allocation of smilies in one post there! ;)


2) Practise hitting small orange weasel things which have a scoring zone approx the size of a sausage before the next shoot. Until I can nail them in the inner kill. Every time! I missed each one of them :thumbsdow
You see, you should have taken a shot or two at that squirrel when you were getting your sightmarks last Wednesday. :raspberry
 

masapwood

New member
Oncea,
Sorry to hear of your adventures at the weekend :eye-poppi but so very glad to hear that you are Ok,:thumbsup: and top marks to you for finishing the shoot.:applause:
Did they award you with the broken arrow medal ? & did you keep the arrow ?

NeilM,
Glad to hear you done OK, there are a lot of very good archers in your class so I am happy for you, look forward to seeing you soon to hear all about it. :wave:
 

NeilM

New member
Alan, I'll tell you all about it at the weekend.

I'm still not sure where I came, but I was not a million miles behind.
 

Field Archer

Well-known member
If you like, I'll contact the people in question and get more details. They're in their 70s, so it may have happened more than 10 years ago, but those who've been in my club all know of the incidents and one of them has shown me his scar. He's one of the best longbowmen in Surrey.
That won?t be necessary Leigh, if these incidents were from a long way back.
I was just worried that as there had been no recent reported cases, that this could have been the start of a rumour that would inevitably get embellished and distorted as it grew.

........... Back to topic
Well done to all the AIUK NFAS virgins, RuthMC, Ferret, JohnK, Oncea and NeilM, did I miss anybody out? Sorry, I didn?t get to meet you Neil.
I hope to see some of you at the Scottish Champs at Easter and the 3Ds in the spring.
 

NeilM

New member
Sorry, I didn?t get to meet you Neil.
You probably DID get to see me.

I was the poor unfortunate who could not hear the tannoy on Sunday morning :uvula:

I was just up from the announcer, but all I could hear from where I was standing was distorted noise.

If work allows, I will be in Scotland, so maybe we'll meet then.

Neil
 

JohnK

Well-known member
And well done to you Shel for your silver medal, hot on the heels of first place :)

And thanks to Ruth and Shel (and Ken, a non-AIUKer) for their company on Sunday evening.

I still think I let myself down a bit in places. Still, it's all good experience, and I look forward to seeing where I come in the grander scheme of things when the results are published. I can't make the Scottish Champs and if the 3Ds are always on the second May Bank Holiday they're out for me too, sadly. I'll just have to make sure I keep in practice and do a few other two-day shoots between now and next year :)
 

oncea

New member
Arrow

Hi masapwood
No i didnt get the broken medal award but i did keep the arrow. I reckon that if I have the arrow with my name on then i am safe as it will never be shoot it again so it cant get me again hehe
And well done to Shel for coming 2nd in his class
:cake2::duck:
 

Raedwald

New member
Hi masapwood
No i didnt get the broken medal award but i did keep the arrow. I reckon that if I have the arrow with my name on then i am safe as it will never be shoot it again so it cant get me again hehe
And well done to Shel for coming 2nd in his class
:cake2::duck:
That's a Baldrick comment if ever I heard one!!!!

Glad you're ok, and glad the shoot went well. There were a few from out club there (including a junior) but haven't heard any feed back as to how they shot.
 

FlightyRachel

New member
Fonz Awardee
Sorry to hear of your frightening incident, Oncea, sounds very scary! I hope you are fully recovered. Are you not from the 100 Yards club? Maybe you need to build a 100 yard exclusion zone around yourself. ;)

Well done to everyone who made the effort and took part, it sounds a challenging but exciting weekend! :)
 

oncea

New member
Hi flighty Rachel
Yes i am from the 100 yd club in scunthorpe that would have been a good idea next time i have some plate armour that i will take on the next nationals just to be safe
:cake2::duck:
 

SammiG

New member
Hi Oncea

Glad you are ok, I was one of the ladies that dashed off the course to see if I was needed and had a good look at your body!. I must apologies as I didn't recognise it was you, even Ady didn't say it was you, just said it was one of his customers. Glad you could make it back to continue.

Well done Shel for you medal, sorry I didn't see you to say goodbye.

Also well done to all the champs virgins, didn't realise there were so many AIUK archers there, sorry I didn't get to say hello
 

grimsby archer

New member
Hi flighty Rachel
Yes i am from the 100 yd club in scunthorpe that would have been a good idea next time i have some plate armour that i will take on the next nationals just to be safe
:cake2::duck:
Did you get any photos?
Did they have to surgically remove the - no dont go there
Didnt this close brush with death give you the wobblies? did your whole life rush before your eyes - and would it have made a good movie?
Havent you sold your story to the papers? They love a good blood and guts sensationalism! "Lincolnshire Archer skewered in NFAS bloodbath" (need a good smiley for this)
 

NeilM

New member
The one who had the willies put up him was Ian Weller. He was standing by Kevin's car when the arrow whizzed over his head. He told me that he had to go and sit down.

By the time the blood had started circulating again, it was apparent that poor Shaun had been on the receiving end.
 
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