Footloose and Injury Free

The X10's only natural enemy in the jungle.

Sometimes an event comes along that delivers a teachable moment and we have one for you today. So, lets set up the background .. the Rules of Shooting states the following:

307(b) Dress Regulations - Footwear that fully encloses the toes and front of the foot must be worn at all times when shooting.

This rule has been questioned many times during hot summers. "Why can't we wear sandals or flip flops?" judges are invariably asked. The reply is pretty solid in its logic .. "in case an arrow has been shot into the grass and is lying at a shallow angle. You don't see it and you walk into it impaling your foot". This triggers a lot of whining i.e. "I would know my arrow was in the grass and I wouldn't walk into it" but the rule is there for good reason as we will now find out.

The sad remains

John was shooting in the Scottish Archery Tour Stage 3 on Saturday 26th July. During the ranking round he somehow put one of his X10's into the grass. As he walked up to collect his arrows, distracted by some archery banter or gossip, he forgot completely about the arrow in the grass. His foot intersected with his arrow .. which was .. anyone? .. buried at a shallow angle in the grass! Wearing sturdy footwear, John was safe from impalement unlike so many of Vlad the Impaler's victims. A win for AGB Rules of Shooting you would think .. well, John might not be thinking that.

His size nine's did a number on his X10 leaving it in more pieces than it was when originally shot. Given the cost of X10's, John might have preferred a perforated foot if it saved his pricy X10. Irony of this arrowcide was just the previous day we published an article on the X10 listing one of its weaknesses as the fact they weren't indestructible which often came as a shock to archers. The pic we used to illustrate this was the previous X10 that John broke. One that gave the poor dear trauma flashbacks. And then the next day he has it happen all over again. The trauma is indeed real and explains John's current sad expression .. as opposed to his usual sad expression.

So to sum up ... no sandals/flip flops, X10's aren't indestructible, watch where you put your feet and broken arrows makes archers sad.