Bellville Sunrise Tournament, 2018 (WA) – 1440 + Dbl 720
held at Bellville Archery Club
Saturday 6 January + Sunday 7 January 2018
First tournament of the year 2018. As usual the earlier than normal start brought it’s own challenges. I made sure that everything was packed and ready, with the exception of refreshments. And then a flat tyre decided to complicate my morning. Fortunately it did not delay me to such an extent that I delayed start of the day’s shooting. It was interesting that in the middle of the WC drought, we considered a weather report that said we might be facing some rain. Day one presented itself with a cloudy start, which burnt off after the first distance – and then the heat showed up.
It was also great to see Fanie on the line. Trust he will do great things in this neck of the woods. There was a lot of chatter around his Blue Bulls shirt, but no blood was spilt. It was indicative of the tremendous spirit among all the archers. But although there was chatter, the focus was there and some good arrows made their way down range. A few learnt the hard way that not practicing for an extended time is not a good thing. But – so we learn.
It was also good to have George on the range as the candidate judge. He grows in confidence each time and it showed in his interaction with the archers and how they accepted his calls and replies. Well done. To be honest, there was not much to rule on either day. A few line calls, a serving that came loose and scores entered on the wrong sheet. Some nice questions that ensure that we know what faces us on any range. One or two newbies came somewhat unprepared. Clubs and coaches need to school their archers as to how to conduct themselves during competition. Should not be for the judge to do as if never told.
Day 2 was almost a total opposite of day 1. There was no sun, and just soft constant rain – and wind at times. And to everyone’s credit all stayed up to 4 ends to go when 1 archer said enough. I must pay respect to in particular Phillip de Lange who said, this is not pleasant, but I need to figure out the best technique for shooting solid in these conditions. This as opposed to most archers that bemoan their fate for being expected to shoot in these conditions. Figure out the best technique to excel – no matter the circumstances.
So after the smooth conclusion of the event, presentations were made and all made their way home to get dry and contemplate their training to iron out the bugs.
Till the next time we see each other on the line, Golden arrows to all.
Alfredo
There were seven archers that were eligible for the Most Improved Archer trophy. To be eligible, you had to compete over both the days of the event fully, both this year and the preceding year, over the same distances / category. Four of those seven archers showed an improvement.
2018 Score 2017 Score Improvement
SWANEPOEL, Arrie 2579 2364 215 Most Improved Trophy winner
VAN DER VYVER, Kobus 2116 1994 122
POTGIETER, Werner 2438 2341 97
DUWE, Manfred 2042 1976 66
Download the results
