Not my cup of tea

Bitzenburger

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At a recent NFAS shoot i attended i noticed that the majority of archers present were fairly old, i was wondering if this is normal. In fact there were so many coffin dodgers i thought i had wandered on to the set of the walking dead, except that zombies move faster and are generally beter dressed. But seriously, how can field archery survive into the future when the participants are mostly incapable of navigating a real field archery course. And how will the NFAS continue without making itself more attractive to a younger generation of archers. I think the problem lies in the pace of shooting and that needs to be addressed, people who take three minutes just to flick through a set of picture cards and then another 3 minutes to shoot should not be tolerated. That, compounded by money grabbing clubs who overfill a course is ruining the sport.
 

dvd8n

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I must admit field competitions can be torment, whether NFAS rules or AGB. Eventually all of the groups bunch up behind the slowest. That's the main reasons that I prefer fun shoots or shooting on my own.

But I don't think that the age of the shooters is an issue. Neither is it the fault of that other popular scapegoat, the compound archer.

The thing is that some people just take way more time on the pegs than others. They are shooting for a record or a medal or are just way more serious than other competitors.

We have discussed ways to even this out but have never come up with anything practical within the rules.
 

dvd8n

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Oh and I think that there is an age demographic thing in archery but I put it down to the older archers not dropping out the way that people do in higher impact sports.

Once you have been an archer for five or six years you are an archer for ever.
 
The problem is that us old guys have the time and the money to do things.
Also you're old for far longer than you're young.
 

jon.lewis666

New member
The only discipline that's attracting kids in big numbers is WA indoor and target and that's mainly because of the college, NASP and JOAD programs here. Without parents being shooters I'm not sure kids have any way of discovering the sport there. In fact is was almost the opposite when I was there, clubs almost paranoid about secrecy, fearing government interference.
I don't think compound bows have anything to do with it, if anything the opposite, kids like techy stuff more than old school wood bows. It would certainly help if 3D shoots went to 1 arrow, things move along better but in the end it's introducing kids to the sport that keeps it growing.


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geoffretired

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When I was a little kid my mates and I made our own bows and arrows and played outside with them on our own. It was a fun thing to do and was in keeping with the Robin Hood hero stuff; and cowboys and indians as shown at the cinemas. Joining an archery club, as an adultm was like a step up into a grown up version of our play.
I think the childhoods of current young folks are very different and I guess that might have something to do with the way archery is viewed by those who have no connection with it through their own families. It won't jog childhood memories.
 

bimble

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What is the time limit to shoot in field archery?
In World Archery there's a, not usually enforced, limit of 3 minutes to take your shot. In NFAS it seems to be as fast as you can (by the claims of "I get two rounds done in the time of a WA shoot")
 

jon.lewis666

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In World Archery there's a, not usually enforced, limit of 3 minutes to take your shot. In NFAS it seems to be as fast as you can (by the claims of "I get two rounds done in the time of a WA shoot")
World Archery is 1 minute to take your shot in 3D and 2 minutes for 3 arrows for indoor. I don't think the NFAS has any time limits.


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dvd8n

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In World Archery there's a, not usually enforced, limit of 3 minutes to take your shot. In NFAS it seems to be as fast as you can (by the claims of "I get two rounds done in the time of a WA shoot")
At the Scottish champs in Oban they imposed the limit and warned a few people that got extremely close, possibly over it. Nobody was disciplined though.
 

jon.lewis666

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At the Scottish champs in Oban they imposed the limit and warned a few people that got extremely close, possibly over it. Nobody was disciplined though.
Is that the NFAS Scottish champs or the Border independent one?


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bimble

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At the Scottish champs in Oban they imposed the limit and warned a few people that got extremely close, possibly over it. Nobody was disciplined though.
I've had a written time warning before!! :D I've found that judges sometimes go through spells where they decide to enforce the rule, but the idea, outside of the world champs, is that it's really only to be used to hurry up groups that are slowing the shoot down. We've all been to shoots where you get to one target and discover one group shooting it, another waiting to shoot it... or been on a full course and seen no-one for half-a-dozen targets...

The rule states;
24.7. When an athlete, or a group of athletes, is causing undue delay for that group or for other groups during the Qualification and Elimination Rounds, the Judge observing this shall warn the athlete or group with a first written warning on the scorecard.
And as it says in the WA Judges Handbook about timing at field events;

A1.6 Applying the Time Limit
Generally speaking, World Archery never intended to officially time field events. If they had, they would have had an official timer accompany each group in as much as all shoot at different times. This time allowance rule had to be imposed some years ago because some very slow competitors were causing a bottleneck and slowing down the competition. Do not think that you as a Judge have to stand and time every athlete who passes through your assigned position. The rule is there to help you maintain control and avoid a slow competitor or
group disrupting the competition. Use your authority in this matter sensibly.
 

TJ Mason

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In World Archery there's a, not usually enforced, limit of 3 minutes to take your shot. In NFAS it seems to be as fast as you can (by the claims of "I get two rounds done in the time of a WA shoot")
It's sometimes enforced! Earlier this year I saw Chris Horam get a verbal warning off a judge over taking too long (though I didn't think he was). We spent the rest of the round looking out for judges.
 

RMH

Member
I have been following this thread since the first post and felt as an NFAS archer/member I should have my say.

"At a recent NFAS shoot i attended i noticed that the majority of archers present were fairly old, i was wondering if this is normal. In fact there were so many coffin dodgers i thought i had wandered on to the set of the walking dead, except that zombies move faster and are generally beter dressed".

I would be interested to know which club/shoot you attended? I have been shooting NFAS for several years now and regularly compete in groups with archers from 7 to 70 years of age. Thankfully we are free to dress as we please, to suit the conditions on the day and/or what we feel comfortable in.
But seriously, how can field archery survive into the future when the participants are mostly incapable of navigating a real field archery course.
I think you will find that the majority of us are more than capable at navigating a field archery course, in fact not only NFAS but EFAA and IFAA courses/competitions both here and in Europe with more than a handful placing.
And how will the NFAS continue without making itself more attractive to a younger generation of archers.
I am a committee member of one of the largest NFAS clubs and we like other clubs make every effort to encourage new archers both old and young to the sport, like most clubs in the NFAS we offer reduced annual rates for family memberships to actively seek younger members, after all they are our future and the NFAS has always tried to promote a family atmosphere.
I think the problem lies in the pace of shooting and that needs to be addressed, people who take three minutes just to flick through a set of picture cards and then another 3 minutes to shoot should not be tolerated.
I would have to partly agree with you on this one, as an instinctive archer I do find it frustrating having to hang around while an archer spends time flicking through cards, adjusting sights, another flick through to check and then a bit more sight adjustment before shooting. I have been unfortunate enough to be in a group behind 5 of the afore mentioned but this has been a rarity. The majority of unlimited archers I have shot with are very considerate and mindful of this and its been a joy to shoot with them. Having said that, I shot with a group of recurve BB archers in Austria this year at the IFAA Europeans whose shoot times were way longer than most compounders lol
That, compounded by money grabbing clubs who overfill a course is ruining the sport.
You will find that most clubs in the NFAS have a maximum number of entrants to a shoot dictated by the number of targets 36 or 40 or 2 x 18 or 2 x 20, it is generally kept to a maximum of 5 archers to a peg, more often than not 4. Safety is taken very seriously with risk assessments being undertaken before a shoot taking in to account the amount of archers booked in etc.
The last thing I am saying is the NFAS is perfect and free from issues, show me an association that is! What I am saying is though, please do not judge the NFAS based on a couple of bad experiences. I have shot a great many of the NFAS courses up and down the country and have also had a couple of nightmare days out and chose not to return for various reasons. There are over 160 NFAS clubs dotted here and there who all have comps during the year so try another, you never know you may just enjoy it!
 

steve Morley

New member
A complainer who doesn't do anything about the problem, sounds like you will fit right into the NFAS. just kidding :raspberry

You're not at work, in a beautiful woodland setting, really what's the rush to finish?

Archery is for everybody young and old, most of the young people cannot afford to travel unless parents take them. The kids in our club only shoot Indoors and a maybe do little target/Field archery and even then we arrange a bus to get them to tourneys. The only regular kids are the ones who's Parents also shoot.

If you have room in your car maybe a few Teenagers in your club would be thankful of a free ride to tourney.

The only problem I saw at NFAS shoots was the professional complainers who never lifted a finger, not accusing you of this but if you feel it's a problem do something positive to makes things better, you will also feel better for it.
 

chrisgas

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In golf, if a group is holding up others they quite often let the faster group through, it is good manners, seen as being thoughtful and also takes tension out of a situation. Could this not be adopted?
 
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