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| Howdy to Hyo Jung Kim We all had a pleasant surprise at the A Shootout this year when a South Korean woman recurve archer appeared on the line. Over the three day event she proceeded to hold a clinic on form and style, and scored the highest FITA and FOR scores despite the windy conditions. She is a joy to watch, both due to her consistency and the relaxed way she shoots. There is a good chance that she will make A her permanent home, so we hopefully can look forward to enjoying her company at future events.  Hyo Jung Kim is from Suwon, South Korea and began shooting in the 5th grade. Interestingly, in Korea, the day you are born, you are 1 year old. Kinda like credit for time served, with an extra three months added for good behavior, I guess. So in Korea she would be 25 but here she is 24 years old. Archery is in Korea what baseball is in the U.S., with inter-school competitions, regional and national competitions just like football or soccer. She was able to win a national title at 17, and was then picked to join the Korean national team. That same year at 17 she participated in the world competitions in Italy where she set a 70 meter world record of 345 which only recently fell to another Korean (348). She stayed on the team for a number of years, winning several medals. As a member of the team, she attended the University of Kangnam and received a degree in Literature. This last December she retired from their team. Hyo Jung and her mother are here visiting her cousin, Mrs. Toya Creighton, who lives in South Lake , A and actively working on getting their citizenship and making A their home. During the recent Shootout's FITA portion (where 36 arrows are shot at each of four distances), Hyo Jung Kim turned in a score of 319(70m)/320(60m)/324(50m)/340(30m), for a total FITA score of 1303. Considering that she had not trained since December and was shooting a new bow setup that was literally only days old, it is surprising that she still managed to finish a full 40 points ahead of the nearest (past US Olympian) competitor. During the Olympic Round she narrowly edged Janet Dykman by 2 points for another first place, sweeping the women's recurve division. She earned the first place at the Gold Cup in New Jersey and will participating in the California Cup, the A State Target Championship(July 6) as well as the NArchival Archery National Target/Grand Prix in Canton at the end of July. Clearly Korea's loss is A' (and the United States') gain. Be sure to give her a friendly A Howdy and welcome. |
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| New Jersey Gold Cup, or "How Even The Best Laid Plans Can Go Astray" The Gold Cup, a US NArchival Archery "Ranking" event for USAT points and USOC ranking, was held during the Memorial Day weekend. It attracted a great number more archers than last year. The remainder of this article has been removed at the direction of the President. He wishes it to be known that he did not approve the original article that A.Ron Carmichael posted. |
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| A View To A Shot I have learned in my four short years of educating myself about archery that there are a few keys to archery, but far more locks. Some are relatively easy - making sure your equipment is in good repair. You always mount your sight the same way (extension for example). Your brace height from the throat of your grip to the string is the same each time you assemble the bow. You twang the bow string once, or shoot one arrow, to "set" your limbs before you measure your brace height. The nocking point is set properly with regard to height. (see Tuning For Tens). The arrows are long enough to be safe, and the fletchings are oriented properly so they don't hit the rest. The centershot of the bow is properly adjusted by using the plunger to set this, and you have the right spring inside it. You have good sturdy shoes<G>. These are but a few of the high points for the hardware, which of course includes the nut behind the bow. You cannot shoot your best unless the hardware is reliable, but it need not be top of the line, nor exotic. The hardest part is you. You have to be able to repeat everything. over and over. Exactly the same. Repeat that shot. For a good result in archery you have to make good groups and in order to make a good group your shot has to be repeatable. How? It's the "EXACTLY, WHENS" : when you can stand exactly the same way, with your feet aligned "properly", you can repeat your shot. when you keep an image of your center of gravity low down, behind your belt, you can repeat your shot.. when you stand straight and tall with your breastbone up and out, you can repeat your shot. when you hold the bow in your bowhand exactly, directly in center, then you are in your neutral point and you can repeat your shot. when you are in alignment, when hold your bow out before you exactly the same way, with your bones in alignment from your wrist through your radius and ulna, through your humerus, through your shoulder assembly to your spine so that you use minimal muscle and maximal bones to handle the stress, then you can repeat your shot with less fatigue. when you can pretend to lean against the bow in exactly the same way each time, instead of gripping it, you can repeat your shot. When your bowhand is placed so that it doesn't act like a cockeyed spring when the arrow is loosed, you can repeat your shot. when you take a deep hook on the bowstring so that your finger creases for THREE fingers are on the bowstring, then you don't trap blood in your fleshy fingertips, and the pain will be less, and you might be able to repeat your shot. when you raise the bow and sight in on the target BEFORE you draw, inhaling as you raise (raising expands your rib cage and makes inhalation easier), then you will have more time to repeat your shot before oxygen deficit and the shakes set in. If you can loose the arrow quickly and smoothly before the inevitable shakes set in, then you can repeat your shot. When you draw back on the string in a way with your string arm that keeps the aperture ON the target more or less, you will be more or less relaxed because you won't be fighting the bow but rather merely expanding it, so you can repeat your shot. As your string hand comes back, if you can keep your head upright, your neck relaxed, and you are watching the target with both eyes before you transition to the aperture, then your anchor, your point of contact hand against chin will be gentle but firm so you can repeat your shot. If you keep your string hand as vertical as possible then you will avoid imparting torque to the bow and you can repeat your shot. If you can put your string hand onto your face so that the initial point of contact is the same every time, and you only need to move your hand an infinitesimal amount before click happens, then you can repeat your shot. If you are using the muscles between your spine and your shoulder blades (both sets of them) then your framework (arms, shoulders, chest) can continue expanding through the click and you will be able to repeat your shot without becoming easily fatigued. If you teach yourself to not hear the click, but rather to know it, then your release will be as snow slipping from the bough of the tree, and you will be able to repeat your shot. If you put the bowstring on the tip of your nose at the time you reach anchor, and you keep your head up and your neck relaxed, AND you keep your bow arm in neutral position, then you will be able to create a triangle of force to the target which the arrow can follow and your shot can be repeatable. If you know your draw well enough to know when you near the click, then you can watch the clicker begin to slide DOWN the tip of the arrow, at which time you then refocus on the aperture, and IF you have drawn your bow neutrally the same way each time then the target will appear into focus, and the click will ensue with no change in your effort, so your shot will be repeatable. If you never stop the motion of drawing then your shot will be fast and you must trust your subconscious to find the center of the gold for you so your shot can be repeatable. If your string elbow always moves back and it is in a straight line of force from the target THROUGH the bow then your shot will be repeatable. If your bow is not too strong then you will be in balance with it, and you will find you can relax as you shoot, in which case your shot might be repeatable. If you keep your bowhand up and let the bow move where the unleashed forces take it even as the arrow hits the target, then you will be able to repeat your shot. If you read the book "Golf is not a game of perfect" substituting the word "archery" for the word "golf" then you will begin to think about archery and how your mind controls everything. It may not help you repeat your shot but you will enjoy archery more. Oh yes, and ignore the parts about "laying up". If you read McKinney's book and Archery Anatomy you will understand better all of the above, and you may enjoy archery more. If you focus on your body and expand your awareness, you may be able to repeat a shot. If you attend tournaments you may not win and you will not always shoot your best, but you will discover kindred spirits that are willing to help you, as you are willing to help them, to be better archers. If you have that, you may not care if you don't always repeat your shot. If you only pay attention to your personal best and no one else's score then you will be focused on the right goal and you may better be able to repeat your shot. You may not, will not, always exceed your personal best, but if you teach yourself to repeat your shot then you will at times set a new PB. If you recognize that while you are not a machine, your body is a mechanism that you can understand and control, you may approach repeating your shot. By now you should have the idea that the hard part is being able to repeat your shot, no matter what. No matter how the wind blows, how you feel, how hot it is, how bad your last shot was, nor how much you want an "x". WHEN you first repeat your shot, and you see that second arrow tunnel into the target "upsides" your first and hear the slap, you may then spend HOURS trying to again repeat your shot. As soon as you stop trying to repeat your shot, is when you are most likely to repeat your shot. That sweet feeling, though, will keep you hungry for another and can carry you over the valleys between your repeats. |
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| Deadlines Approaching! The summer outdoor season is upon us in A, and soon all over the country. Now that kids are getting out of school, and family trips are being planned and executed, you need to keep an eye on your tournament registration deadlines. For the TEXAS shoots, including the INFORMAL FITA (the deadline is roughly 60 seconds before shooting begins), the A Youth Open (aka the A Top Gun) the deadline is JUNE 14th. For the combined super event, the A Senior Target, the A JOAD Target, and the NArchival Archery Gulf Coast JOAD Regional Target championship in Victoria on July 6, the deadline is June 28th. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Archival Archery is not cashing ANY registration checks for events until the day after the deadline. You can register online for these events now, send your form and check in, and we'll simply hold the check so the money will NOT come out of your account till then. If you cancel before the deadline, you get a full refund (we simply tear up your check). It helps the tournament director PLAN for a better event if he knows who is coming. So register soon and register often! Other tourneys of note are the National JOAD Target Championship , with a deadline of JUNE 10th.(This one, by the way, has a great website going and looks to be VERY well organized) The NArchival Archery National Target Championship and Grand Prix's deadline is JUNE 28th. They have not put a website up yet for this event. Check the NOCK NOCK for the current information. |
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| Collegiate Archers Raising Funds The US Collegiate team chosen to represent the United States in Bangkok, Thailand is currently in a very tight race to raise money for the travel expenses. If you went to college you can recall how difficult it would have been to suddenly come up with nearly $2000 for anything, especially at the start of the summer when you haven't yet gotten your summer job going. Each archer won a place on the team by virtue of her or his performance at the USIAC in Chula Vista recently, and now must come up with just under $2000 in order to travel with the team to the World College Championships. We sent out an email for them recently, and a number of you responded with your wallets, donating your money to help these US athletes, some of whom will undoubtedly be tomorrow's US OLYMPIANS. More is still needed. Please consider giving any amount to help them. Here are some letters from an archer and their team captain: 5/22/2002 Dear fellow archer, I'm writing this letter to you in order to ask your help. Wait - don't stop reading this yet - please. This last week in Chula Vista, California the United States Intercollegiate Archery Championships were held. USIAC is a tournament that is held each year in order to crown the best of the collegiate archers. This year it not only did that, but also served as trials for the World University Archery Championships (WUAC) that will be held in Chonburi, Thailand this summer. I'm pleased to tell you that of the 12 archers (3 from each of the 4 divisions: men's and women's recurve and men's and women's compound) chosen for the WUAC team, 8 of them are Texans! That is wonderful news!! The Texans to make the team are as follows: Vic Wunderle, Guy Krueger, Chris Shull, Dawn Chudy, Lorinda Cohen, Eric Zahn, Mary Zorn and Amber Dawson. Archers from outside of A that are going include Megan Bowker, Adam Wheatcroft, Caleb Heller and Ashley Kamuf. What a great representation A AND the U.S. will have in Thailand! The part that we need your help with is finances. These archers are all collegiate, as I stated above, which means that they don't have much money. A second thing that makes it difficult for them is the fact that they only found out on Saturday night (May 18th) that they made the team but have to confirm their ability to go on the trip by this Friday, May 24th, just 6 days later! They are being given less than a week and they need to come up with between $1400 and $1700 a piece. This is an athlete-funded trip. The NArchival Archery doesn't provide any financial support except to pay for the tournament entry fee for each archer. The airfare varies depending on where in the United States they live, but in talking to the travel agent today, I found that it will be between $1100 and $1400 per archer. The cost of room and board (3 meals a day included) is $45 per day per archer, for a total of $270 per archer plus their airfare. As you can see, the need for financial help is tremendous. These archers truly want to shoot and to represent A and the United States, but they need your help to do it! This is an opportunity of a lifetime for them and we're asking your help to make the dream come true. I have faith that if given the chance, these archers will bring much recognition and a wonderful sense of pride to the state of A. If there is any way possible that you could help these kids out, it would be very much appreciated. I guarantee that the sense of pride you will receive from helping them out will be well worth any monetary contribution you can make. The reason that the deadline is so immediate is that Thailand is requiring a list of names and partial payment right away. Also, the longer they wait to buy their plane tickets, the more the tickets cost. I am serving as Team Leader on this trip and my way is already paid (all of your donations will go toward funding of the collegiate archers), but I will be glad to help coordinate donations. If you can help these kids out - please let me know at ehrich@mail.utexas.edu as soon as possible. Any donation at all will help them. You may specify which archers you'd like to help or contribute to the "group" as a whole and it will be evenly disbursed. Please send your donation, large or small, right away to: Kristine Ehrich, Team Leader 2601 Scofield Ridge Pkwy, Apt. 926 Austin, TX 78727 Thank you very much for stating your belief in the college age archers of A and the US. I KNOW that they will make you proud!!! Please let me know if you have any questions. --------------------------------------- and from one of the archers: Guy writes: "As many of you know it is difficult for college students to raise such a large sum of money in such a short period of time. I strongly believe that these archers have earned their way to this tournament, and it would be a great disappointment for them to not attend such an event due to lack of finances. There is no greater experience than representing your country against the world. As Americans, I believe we can do a great deal for our country not only through competition but through support as well. A great number of you will receive this letter, and you will probably ask yourself, "How can I help?" The truth is that each one of you can make a difference. Every donation would be of great help no matter how large or small. Not only will the financial assistance go a long way, but the remembrance of the support we receive from you will stay with us for the rest of our lives. On a personal note, two years ago I attended my first World University Championships in Madrid, Spain. This was my first international tournament, and I amazed many people by bringing home the gold medal from this event. Before this tournament, I wasn't sure of my capabilities as an archer, but this tournament gave me an opportunity to do something I had never done before. This was an amazing experience that changed my life forever, and I hope everyone selected for the team can share a similar experience. I am strongly asking for your support. The friends and experiences we share last a lifetime." Thank you, Guy Krueger TAMU Target Archery President -------------------------------------- From the webmaster of the AA: We will extract a pledge from these archers to provide us with a good writeup of their event, including pictures. But this only happens if YOU dig down and help your fellow archers out. Not wanting to sound TOO melodramatic, but it's true: This is a time when our country and our values are being assailed around the world, and we are of course fighting a war against terrorism on all sides. Now, right now, some of our youth want to step up and represent the United States in an event that is half a world away, and is indeed "out there" on the world stage. This competition, even the trip itself, is not without physical risk, and they still want to be our representatives. They deserve our support both morally and tangibly. The US Adult Archery Team was enroute to China for the Senior World Championship back on 9-11 and of course never made it, and one result was the US and the American flag were not at that world championship. Every donation YOU GIVE will help this team of young Americans (and Texans) to hold up our flag and wave it for the world to see. In this difficult time our kids are asking us to help them step up and do the right thing. Now what is THAT worth and how do we say no to that? |
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