Yesterday was my very first 3D archery contest. I shot many (fake) animals, but didn’t forget to take pictures inbetween!
We woke up early in the morning to drive over to the location. Seeing as the drive would take two hours and we’d start early, we made sure to have everything ready the night before, so we wouldn’t have to get up even earlier.
My fiance’s dad’s friend drove and once we arrived, I knew I’d have a good day.
I mean, who wouldn’t at a location like this? With great weather too!
My fiance, his dad and I joined three others we didn’t know yet and that was our group of the day. There were 28 targets and every group started at a different target, so we’d all be able to start at the same time.
We would all have two shots at each target from two seperate spots. I took a few shots from a little closer, because my bow isn’t really strong. Taking shots from further away requires me to aim much higher, which means I need a lot of free space above. Something you don’t always have inside a forest!
I took most shots from the normal spots though, because I wanted to see how I’d do!
My fiance did a great job and so did his dad ofcourse!
For the (lack of) practice I’ve had so far, I felt I did alright too.
The targets were all 3D animals (fake ofcourse). There was a wide variety and even a few not-so-real ones, like a dinosaur!
Some targets were easier than others. This turkey was definitely an easier shot:
There was also a target where you had to shoot across the water. The target was at the edge of the water on the other side. Some people missed their target here and hit water instead.
After finishing, we went back to the gathering point, handed in our point count, had something to drink and waited for the results to come in. My fiance’s dad usually wins a prize, so he has to stay until the end!
The results were in and they started handing out prizes. There are many different categories, so there were plenty of prizes to hand out. I had asked my fiance’s dad about my points and how I hoped I wouldn’t be close to a prize, because I had taken a few shots from closer. He said it would be fine.
My category came around and this happened:
Second place! I felt a little weird accepting it, because of taking a few shots from a little closer, but my fiance’s dad assured me I did really well with the light bow I was using and I just wasn’t able to take those shots from further away with that bow. So, I’m happy and I know I need stronger arms to get a heavier bow!
My fiance’s dad won first prize in his category and his friend won first prize in another category. My boyfriend didn’t win a prize, because shooters with a compound bow with visors(?) need an excellent score to have any shot at winning. He did do great though!
So at the end of the day, we headed home with a bus filled with prizes and tired people.
I wasn’t very much looking forward to this day, because I didn’t want to carry around heavy equipment all day long. It wasn’t as bad as I had thought though and the environment made up for any inconvenience. The only thing I hated was the toilets! And the mosquitoes (one got me real good)!
Overall, the day was better than I had thought it would be and now I might actually want to join an archery competition again. At the very least, I’ll join my fiance for any competition he joins and if I’m there anyway… why not just participate aswell!
This article was written months ago and shared on my Steemit blog. Sharing it here now to catch up!
Playfulfoodie 