Cape Provincial Tournament 2015
7th and 8th February
The excitement for outdoor Nationals (WA) is building, and there was great hope for a good weekend of shooting to be had at Bellville. The entries were lower than expected, but that would not mean that the rivalry would be any less. Day 1 of the tournament showed the return of a couple of old hands that somehow got side-tracked by acting as fish while diving. It was good to see the Hurns on the line and the hope is that some other of the old hands will put in a more regular appearance.
For the most part, Day 1 was perfect. That is to say if you prepared well and had enough water to stay hydrated in the heat. It hit a blinding 39.8 when I got home. Otherwise it was a good day. We did our own little trick to provide shade over the timer face that worked well, if the feedback is anything to go on, and it did not cost an arm and a leg.
There was little for the judge to do as there were no equipment failures or other matters that might slow down the progression of the day. One archer just did not pitch up and was totally uncontactable to see what might be the matter. Another archer seemed to have some difficulty focusing and stepped away from the line often to collect his thoughts before returning to the line.
What worried me most was the load shedding and how it would influence my ability to recharge the timers for Day 2 and the double 720. Fortunately it was not to bad and I got a good charge in on the timers.
Day 2 dawned and we set off to the range a bit amused as there was a thick blanket of mist for most of the way to the range. The range was bathed in clear hot sun light on arrival. The range was quickly filled with the sound of warm-up and because all archers were present, we decided to start a little earlier.
The two 720’s were quite different as the first one was bathed in scorching sun, while the next one reminded us that in the Western Cape we have our friend, the wind. This challenged the archers as to how clean their technique was. Also, although most said that the conditions would reduce the possibility of excellent scores, they stayed and proved their mettle. Well done for your perseverance.
Day 2 was also over without much drama although one or two arrows obviously did not attend the team talk and seemed to have a mind of their own.
I will remember the weekend for a few things. One of which was that the event ran smoothly and there were no logistical trouble. One minor problem was a dog that made it’s way onto the range. Thankfully it was not during shooting, so we simply caught the dog and secured it till the owner came to collect the dog after we phoned her about it.
It was a tired bunch of archers that attended the awards presentations. Even then the future shooting opportunities were being spoken of. It can always only get better, and that is why I love this game. There is always a core group that find reasons to compete, irrespective of the conditions – competition is the air they breath. I like that.
Till the next time we meet on the line, Golden Arrows to all.
Alfredo
Download a copy of this weekend’s results
