First, most desirable method of contributing is PAYPAL, which charges the Archival Archery 2.9% of any contribution, plus 30 cents. NOTE THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO JOIN PAYPAL TO SEND A DONATION!

IF YOU ARE READY TO CONTRIBUTE, CLICK ON THIS LINK

The Archival Archery will not keep any money - 100% of what we receive goes to this project - it is a volunteer effort in keeping with our non-profit status and our mission to promote archery. And this is one way you can support your troops who are in a bad place and a bad time. Frankly, it beats spending 5 or 10 bucks on a magnet to stick on your car. Take a minute to donate - it's fast, easy, secure, and effective.

If you cannot use PayPal and your credit card to donate but wish to help, please send your check or money order (NOT CASH) made out to the AA:

US Archery Club of Iraq
c/o Archival Archery webmaster
2703 Cornell Cove
Lago Vista, TX 78645

In support of our troops, I thank you for your help. And I challenge each and every Archival Archery member to make a donation, today. It doesn't have to be a lot, but every bit will help. The next issue of the newsletter will report on the response to this project. Be a part of it!

MORE PHOTOS

If you are at least 50 years old, here's a great opportunity for you to have a fun shoot this fall.

The A Senior's state finals will be held in Austin Sunday September 25th at the UT Intramural fields. For more details please visit their website.
By the way residents of the 7 counties surrounding Travis do not have to qualify at a regional. They may compete directly at the state finals. For more information check out their website.

The camps are coming!!

Well, the time is drawing near for the camps, anyway. They are scheduled throughout the summer, and in an effort to make it more reachable by more archers, the USA Archery will hold them in three different locations: in Lake Placid NY, in Colorado Springs CO, AND in Chula Vista CA. One is surely accessible to you.

And, they've CHANGED! USA Archery has SERIOUSLY revamped the camps to insure that any archer attending a camp will receive worthwhile instruction and guidance in improving her or his archery skills. Much more emphasis will be placed on the best methods of proper form and technique, and for the duration of the 7-day camp the archers will focus on target archery!

And for the "open camps", ANY USA ARCHERY/NArchival Archery MEMBER CAN ATTEND! But for the JOAD camps, there are eligibility criteria. Excerpted from the USA Archery website:

USA Archery will provide skill based instructional archery training for archers ready for a fun and rewarding camp experience. Campers reside on-site at one of three Olympic training centers for seven days, including two travel days; course participants must provide their own travel. The course fee of $400.00 covers room and board at the OTC and shuttle service between the airport and the OTC. These camps are staffed by USA Archery/NArchival Archery level 3, 4 and 5 coaches.

The gold camp is for members of the 2005 Jr. U.S. Archery Team and for archers who have achieved the Gold Olympian level within the last 12 months, prior to May 1, 2005.

The silver camp is for archers ranked between 11 & 20 on the 2005 Jr. USAT recurve list, and between six and ten on the 2005 Jr. USAT compound list, or for archers who have achieved the Olympian or Silver Olympian level within the last 12 months, prior to May 1, 2005. Please visit the NAA's USAT page for Jr. USAT ranking.

The bronze camps are designed for any JOAD recurve or compound archer wanting to enhance their current skill level. (and I think these will be the most valuable for the younger archer and for those with less experience.

The open camps are for any archers, regardless of age or bow type, wanting to enhance their current skill level. These camps, and indeed, ALL of the camps, are an excellent way for ANY archer to get expert advice and training in the stimulating environment of the US Olympic Training Facilities. The archer will experience the programs that create and support our Olympic Athletes, and likely will meet some of our Bejing hopefuls. All meals are included in the price, and they will dine in the Olympic Training Facilities' cafeteria.

I have been to ARCO a number of times, and I am always impressed how the atmosphere somehow changes when you are given admittance through the security gate, and begin to see what the OTC has to offer to our best young athletes in the way of training resources. This is not a plush resort hotel, but a very reasonable and comfortable exotic destination in it's own right. Don't pass up a chance if you can help it!

Given that transportation to and from the airport, room, board, access to the OTC facilities, AND FIVE DAYS of specialized, focused training are included, the $400 fee is a VERY good price for such value. If you wish your JOAD archer to continue to enjoy archery, you can hardly do any better than insuring that he or she is improving in skill and technique. And if you are an adult shooter, you could learn how to shoot with more efficiency, accuracy, and have a remarkable vacation experience yourself!

If you have specific questions, please email Terri Waller or phone or (719) 866-4576. And there are registration requirements - Use this link to access the registration form and to see other general information on the camps.

Equipment inspection? No, I'm not talking about the FITA-required equipment inspection you receive from the judges before competitions. That is more rules related. What I am talking about here is common-sense related - a self-inspection to preserve the integrity of your score and yourself as well as your fellow archers' and bystander's safety. While target archery is one of the safest sports of all, a little common sense and alertness will insure it stays that way.
(Editor note: please see past newsletter about safety in archery and other sports)

First, let's start with the bow. We know to inspect the string and serving for fraying and then the limbs on a recurve and compound for cracks and splits. But we also need to check the other hardware such as sight screws, rest, limb bolts, string loops, peep sites and stabilizers. Finger tabs and release aids need to be checked to make sure their mechanical integrity is still good. You should do this every time you take the bow out of its case.

What is often overlooked by the archer is inspection of arrows, arguably the most important part of your equipment and the most likely to influence your score and your safety. I remember one archer telling me that during the National Target Championships one year he shot three consecutive ends at 90 meters with 5 arrows being an 8 or better and the sixth being a miss. After the third miss, he took a close look at the missed arrow and noticed it was cracked.

Recently at the State 4H indoor match here in A, a cracked arrow had much more serious consequences. During the practice ends, the archer was shooting 6 arrow ends to get warmed up and confirm his sight settings. He was shooting very well and his group size was very small, in fact too small for a single spot target. When the match began he picked the best three arrows. About half way through the first round he had one arrow that didn't group with the other two so I suggested he place that arrow in "time out" and replace it with one of his others. On his third shot on the next end the compound bow exploded. The archer stood there with a shocked look on his face and a large welt on his bow arm. The string broke, the lower cam was bent and the bow was in multiple pieces. The arrow was down range.

After making sure there were no extra holes in the archer we turned our attention to the missing arrow. We found two pieces downrange. Here is a picture of the two pieces.
Apparently during the practice ends, the archer had put two of his arrows against each other and damaged one of them. There was a very small blemish on the broken arrow about the size of a pencil eraser right where the arrow broke. The bow ended up sustaining significant damage and required new cams and strings. Fortunately the archer (and the other archers on the line) did not sustain any serious injuries, but that is not always the case. One can find examples on the internet of damaged arrows that have gone through the archer's hand or arm. This link is not for the squeamish, but accurately shows what improper use of archery gear can result in.

This 4H archer has become a believer in inspecting his arrows. Recently he brought me two more that he found in his collection of arrows. The first one is another carbon arrow out of the same batch that broke before. Notice the ding on the unibushing and the crease on the first inch of the arrow.

This is not a case isolated to just one brand of arrow, any arrow by any manufacturer can suffer damage in normal use over time. In addition, just so you don't think this can only occur with carbon arrows, here is another arrow from the archer's aluminum shafts. He noticed this split near the nock after destroying the nock. The nock was replaced to highlight the crack, but was wisely never shot again.

Editor Note: If you cannot view the pictures in your email software, you can use this link to view them in a higher resolution. There is also an extended message thread dealing with a shattered carbon shaft impacting a hand.