Innumeracy in Archers

Arithmetic is where numbers fly, like pigeons, in and out of your head - Carl Sandburg

Its either a PB or I just disproved the existence of the universe!

Archery is fantastic for improving yourself physically and mentally. For physical activity it engages the arms, shoulders, back, core, and legs increasing cardiovascular activity, coordination and promoting muscle growth. Possibly more importantly are the mental benefits. Mentally, to shoot is a very centering act. It quiets the mind, promotes self-awareness and grounds the archer in the moment. Worries slip away with this focus promoting relaxation. These changes in your mental state benefit mindfulness, improved happiness, productivity and alleviation of anxiety. So with all these mental benefits, why is it the second a person picks up a bow, their ability to do simple arithmetic flees like a vegetarian at a pig on a spit BBQ?

Let us explain. Archery appeals to a wide range of people. Normies, historical types, live action role players, athletes of a sedentary or elderly nature, people who hate golf and those of us who know the fall of civilization is coming and want to be ready for the whole mad max aesthetic. Many many many will be perfectly numerate when adding subtracting dividing and multiplying. However, put these people anywhere near an archery score sheet where they need to add three numbers of one or two digits together and all hell breaks loose. It doesn't matter if they hold degrees/masters/PhD's in mathematics, statistics, physics, accountancy or can calculate a yankee accumulator bet on the horses in their head .. when faced with an archery score sheet they will collapse like a bunch of broccoli!

On the face of it the process is simple for the scorer. For each archer ... Add three numbers of one digit (or occasionally those sweet sweet 10's) together per end. Add the end total into the running total. At the end of the shoot add all the end values together to get a number that SHOULD equal the final running total. But this can go horribly wrong even for the most educationally numerate. Why should this be?

Suspected numerical terrorism!

Firstly, during the round the archer is under pressure. Not all the time as its ok when recording the individual arrows .. archers call their scores quite deliberately. Lots of time to get those numbers down (yes, accidents still happen .. this is the reason for the judge-ly red pen!). However, once the arrows are scored, and the next end beckons. You have a limited amount of time to get the totals tallied for all the archers on your boss. That's normally four. You need to start adding, walk back to the line usually while counting AND get ready for the next end. If you are second detail this end, then its not so bad. That's two minutes to get those numbers sorted out. However if you are first detail, the pressure is mounting and its already becoming a toss up between getting ready to shoot or counting.

Thirdly .. Sorry .. Secondly, at the end of the shoot you have to check all of the maths perpetrated during the round. This is where things get worse as the issues from earlier are compounded. Your kit sits unattended as the company* packs up. Everyone is tired, irritable from less than stellar performances or dealing with prima donna archers and want to go home. So you are under unspoken pressure from the organizers and your uncaring peers to get the scores checked and signed off asap yet very little seems to tally. Checking 240 arrows equal your 80 end totals which equal the running total totals which equals the total of all the ends is a lot even with a calculator.

Fortunately your addition is between you, God and whichever archer you are currently abusing the score of. Judges only get involved in the scoring of arrows so fixing totals can be done sitting against the Wall of Gloom, on your own, in a little puddle of misery.

Finally, once the Herculean task is finished, you will have up to four score sheets each with a total you are "certain**" is correct. You now need to get each archer in question to sign these travesties to the memory of Hubert of Liège, the patron saint of mathematicians. You may be bailed out by an archer who kept score during the round with a scoring app. Here will either be instant validation of your score keeping prowess or you will be met with a withering gaze that delivers an instant condemnation of your lack of numeracy with a side order of "you tried to cheat me out of what is rightfully mine!" If there is no corroborating app, just make them squiggle their name at the bottom as quickly as possible and move onto the next victim. The second you can drop those signed score sheets on the tourney organisers desk, the pressure is off and you can return to packing kit and gossiping about the PB that got away.

Penalty for getting score sheets wrong is a pointed rebuke.

However, the scoring nightmare has not ended, just passed to another. The tourney organiser will now be frantically checking everyone's maths looking for one thing and one thing only .. error inflated scores. If an archer signed a score sheet that undervalued their score, then that's on them for not checking and the competition does not care. On the positive side, unlike golf, an inflated score just gets reduced to the actual score with no consequences. You don't have your club tie (if we had one) cut in half or club blazer de-sleeved - golfers do be cruel.
Please note: You won't hear about it directly but mess up scoring and your name will be cursed by the tourney organizers at their monthly coven sabbaths. Voodoo effigies may be involved.

Hopefully you should now be fully appraised of why being a scorer is such a stressful job at a competition, be much more understanding of their apparent numerically challengedness and will thank them for doing a thankless task! (Is it possible to thank someone for doing a thankless task? Ed). To be honest, its a miracle the poor sods can shoot effectively with the pressure of being a scorer but its all part of the rich and depressing tapestry we call archery!

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* Collective nouns for archery are a little vague
** Within an understood degree of uncertainty.

Blackboard Image by Adrian from Pixabay
Voodoo Image by Tracy Lundgren from Pixabay