Archery pictures tend to be a little boring. Usually taken from the side when that archer is at full draw, it gets a bit repetitive. Just do a search on international archery pictures and its the same picture time and time again. In issue 150 of Bow International, some really good ideas were showcased for how to use framing, angle and even non shootie moments to capture something a little different. However this website has a slightly different take on what makes a good picture … we’re looking for comedy, irony, pathos … even anguish as long as its archery related and will get a grin.

So with that in mind, here are a few moments in time caught this summer …

   
An archers tan. We can be pretty sure the rest of this archer is a translucent white unless as a scot, he is a pale blue colour due to the freezing summer temperatures.
This happened to his draw hand because of long sleeved compression tshirts and the fact we shoot facing the north (sun to the rear at all times). There is also a risk of redneck … yeehaa!    
 

 

This pin point accuracy at 60m from the club chair would be so much more impressive had he had been aiming at the strapping instead of 2 feet lower.
(admittedly he’s now doing the same at 90m)

 

 

This very sad archer had just shot back to back 300+ scores to win her 252 badge. Normally a happy moment for any archer BUT on this occasion the keeper of the badges hadn’t packed the things. We suspect next time he’ll have the badges but the archer will have forgotten her offering to the archery gods. Queue photo op #2

 

When the frustration gets a little much for the average archer, rude words are said. When you get a frustrated OCD archer, it can get a bit frisky with bows and tantrums thrown. And then there is our Vice Chair. When he turned the corner on what had been a very substandard outing at 70m, thanks be was given to the goddess of archery Bo-Bae of Ki.   

 

Sometimes archers can hit that perfect shot. It might be in the middle of a miserable end, it could be the first sighter of the day flies straight and true or even the last arrow before packing up in a huff is god tier. This archer found that shot ending the life of this face’s spider. We have submitted this image to the Oxford English Dictionary to illustrate the definition of the word “Smug”. 

 

We’ arent exactly sure about wither to title this one “Dances with Badges” (note arrow with medal ‘scalps’) or “Ghengis Dave”.
We have thought of getting him a tennis umpire’s high chair … all the better to survey his domain!

 

 

World No1 Brady Ellison being defeated by a Glasgow Archer in the World Cup (before realizing he’s hasn’t studied for an exam … and he’s naked!). 

 

Not the same arrow. These were shot 4 days apart by the same longbow archer on target 4 at the same distance (70m). Art of Repetition indeed!
(proof: the bosses have different coloured strapping)

ps: If you can finish the movie quote the title of this post begins … have 50 GA merit points. (stumped? Try shaying it in a shcottisshh accshent! ;o) 

One of the great advances for archers (who are often numerically challenged ;o) is the scoring app for your phone. Essentially a formatted spreadsheet front end with the scores stored in a database and some analysis tools, these apps have made scorekeeping (and addition) so much easier and reliable than using the trusty scorebook and pen.

The advantages are pretty plain. You enter each end’s score either numerically or plotted on a face. The software totals up your score as you shoot the round giving you 100% accurate (IF you entered the right numbers) ends/half dozens/dozens/final score. In many app’s toolboxes are instant calculation of round and cumulative handicap, round classification and they track pb’s. Other features can involve storing sightmarks, collating statistical data on your shooting over time, scatter diagram summary of arrow hits, field locations including links to maps and being able to track the scores of multiple archers shooting the same round. In most, your scores can be emailed to your home email or in one case, to a bespoke club account accessible by the club record’s officer. So what’s not to like?

Well, the very feature ridden nature and real time calculation of scores by the apps are the problems. With multiple running totals prominently displayed, you can put pressure on yourself to make or exceed end/dozen/round scores. You can become overly focused on what your score currently is and analysing your performance mid shoot distracting from your shooting. The more functions, the more distractions … like archers don’t already have attention issues! That said, they are very powerful tools to aid you in your shooting IF you can stay away from playing with the things during a round. Lets take a look at four our editor has on his iPhone:

Archery Scoresheets: Currently our editors favourite scoring app, this one has a great many features if not exactly perfect. While it can be a little difficult to find all of the features included within the package, such as note book pages for sight marks and kit configuration details, they are all there. All of the fundamentals are competently covered and add face plotting scoring, graphical charts and line graphs of your shooting. Exportable spreadsheet compatible score sheets and PB tracking are also available. Scores in rounds can be tracked over a week, a month, a year and if anything, this falls into the category of too much information! (Never thought we’d hear our editor say that!) The orange theme of the app is a little yuck and the alternate scheme is not really practical but these are minor quibbles. This is a solid scoring app delivering a great deal of functionality.
Free app available on iPhone and Android although functionality on Android isn’t as good as the iPhone version.

Archer’s Toolbox: This app is not particularly feature heavy as yet although there are plans to expand its functionality. Simply enter some personal data including your club to register. Select a round and its status. Enter the numerical values and your scores will be displayed, totalled and stored for you. Where this app is pretty great is it gives you the opportunity to have the score verified and then you can submit them to an account in your clubs name (remember you need to register!). The club records officer (currently Catherine at GA) can access these scores from the club account and the software assigns official classifications and handicaps if you get the scores verified. This makes it great for badges and tracking all that classification information that at times seems it requires a statistics degree and a Cray supercomputer** to crunch. Classifications and Handicaps are great ways to see how you are improving. Not the best app for day to day score tracking at present but definitely worth using simply for allowing you to copy across and submit specific scores (i.e. good ones! ;o) to the club for recording. Glasgow Archers will be using this app for our record keeping and badge tracking.
Free app available on iPhone and Android with a background article and their Home page with FAQ.       

iArcher: In 2011 this was the daddy of scoring apps.  However since then, this piece of software has been surpassed by several others in terms of functionality. That’s not to say its a bad scoring app. Quite the contrary, its a solid piece of software, proven over time, supplying all the major requirements of a scoring app. The round breakdown is second to none (see right). A comprehensive list of rounds are available including the 252. Indoor and outdoor. Imperial and Metric target. NFAA and Clout. It can send those scores via email in a spreadsheet compatible format. You can create your own custom rounds and it will store your sightmarks and email them for safe keeping if required. All very solid and useful but today, when all the possible features are considered, its functions do feel a little sparse when compared to those delivered by other apps.
Its not free costing £4.49 which is a little steep when you consider many of its competitors are free. Its web page is to be found here and is only for iPhone.

IANSEO Scorekeeper: IANSEO is software for the managing of results from an archery tournament. It was developed with funding from Italian Archery Federation’s who released it to the European federations. There are scoring screens available for indoor and outdoor target, field and even 3D archery! What you download is not a traditional scoring app but more a portal to the server on which your competition has been set up by the tournament organizers. This might be accomplished with a local WiFi connection (wireless router) to a laptop running the IANSEO software OR via an account on the IANSEO website. If you aren’t shooting in a formal competitions, the organisers of which are using IANSEO, there is no reason to have this app as it has no useful functionality on its own. That said, it has been successfully used for remote shooting such as for winter “postal” leagues during covid. Also there did seem to be an upswing in interest from clubs running normal competitions as it reduces all the faffing about post competition when people want to go home. In the world of covid, the move to having less vectors of contamination ie shared bits of paper, might see this app becoming way more popular. 
Free app available on iPhone and Android with the server software available here. 

There are many other apps out there such as MyTargets Archery on Android (which we’ve been told is worth a look) and Bow International reviewed a few others back in 2018. Prices can range from free to $17(perhaps more!) and functionality can (but not always) follow cost. Our advice is shop around, pick one you like and stick with it to build up a library of scores. Archers Toolbox would be a good secondary addition simply for the ease of being able to submit scores to your club’s records officer should it be used by your club. At GA we would recommend having it available because we are using it for our record keeping and its super easy to submit a score. 
Remember, these apps are distractions but only if you let them be. Plenty of time to obsess over those averages, binomial distribution curves and exponential trend lines post round!

** Did You Know … that the 1979 Cray-1 Supercomputer’s processing capability was surpassed by the humble PC in 2001 with the introduction of the Pentium 4 chip so we are obviously talking about a much more modern Cray for crunching those classifications! ;o) 

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Maths formulae by athree23 from Pixabay 

Currently, we are still finding our feet and drying out having just returned indoors after 18 months in the very moist Glasgow climate. One archer however, decided “fast start, best start” and raced to a 271 Bray 1 score in pursuit of a gold indoor badge!

Oksana bagged her gold with a score that, for a lady archer, is ranked as a B class score. If she does it twice more it will make her the highest ranked archer in GA!

There were lots of congratulations on the score but we suspect a couple were through gritted teeth and there might even have been a bit of tension in the tone of voice! ;o)

One thing our kit obsessed editor looks forward to in his mailbox every month (other than the cease and desist orders from Ki Bo Bae’s lawyers) is the newsletter from Alternative Sports with their newest arrivals. This months update listed something he got quite excited about (or as excited as he gets). A rather good looking and well priced 23″ riser from Kinetic called the Scopus. 

Now why should this small riser from a lessor known company be of interest to our over 6 foot, Win&Win fanboi editor who is in a thoroughly monogamous relationship with his CXT riser? Its because this is a good looking, light, anodized, 23″ riser with a wooden handle and that’s a pretty rare combination. Its always a struggle to find such risers to recommend to smaller ladies and juniors.

Coming in at a light 1078g, this CNC machined aluminium riser has all the features: Adjustable limb alignment, 3 bushings for stabilizers (top, bottom, long) and an extended clicker plate. Normally risers at this price are painted with rubberized handles but this one is anodized with a wooden handle colour matched to the riser. This gives it a very attractive visual similar to bows at least twice the price. Even rarer, it comes in left and right handed versions which is anything but common at times. The range has 10 colours (admittedly we’re not sure about “Ghost” and “Tactical”) but there’s bound to be a colour you could love. The red is a quite nice shade and appropriate for GA club colours.

Currently in store at Alternative, the £104.09 is a very small price for a lot of bow … especially for someone requiring a smaller, lighter riser. And if the apparent quality is indeed there, we suspect this might be a very good seller indeed.

While we haven’t seen any of these risers as yet, the majority of the Kinetic range seem really well priced. They have all the functionality you would expect from a higher priced riser with some pretty nifty features like wooden handles and an anodized paint job. All of them appear worth looking at for a first riser. 

You can check out the bow in many of its available colours on this link to Alternatives website.

Friday the 24th September saw the departure from Glasgow Archers of an old friend. He had been with the club for 30 years or so. Been there for the club through the best of times and the worst of times. Always supportive. Never unavailable but now it was time to move on. Our day to day container had to be replaced.

Truly a multiskilled and multifaceted feature of the club. Not just a storage container but a shelter from the weather, a workshop, a range for bow tuning, a romantic rendezvous, reading room with large foam recliners and our editors summer home. 

 

Not dissimilar to Doctor Who’s TARDIS where the inside is more capacious than the physical external dimensions would indicate. Its truly amazing what fitted inside.

Unpacking done, the field party relaxed … aka the sun patio at an old folks home and soup kitchen for archers down on their luck/classifications!

Then it was sadly time to say good-bye… but also the time for “Hello and welcome to Glasgow Archers. ps: Sorry about the Scottish climate!” 

More pictures of what the scottish climate does to Corten steel (designed to resist the elements) can be found on our Facebook page.

Glasgow archers are about to do something we haven’t done in 18 months … we’re going indoors. We have a hall and by jiminy we are going to shoot in the warm and the dry! Indoors, where its a shorter walk to collect your arrows, its never soggy underfoot and there’s even MOAR BADGES to be won! (There can also be chocolate in the Chocolate Challenge competition .. where the rules change faster than our vice chair can shoot 3 arrows!!!!)

Indoor times:                        Saturdays 1 – 3 pm                   Wednesdays 7 – 9 pm

Indoors however brings a few issues. We need to follow indoor protocols such as being masked when not shooting. We need to be aware our newer archers have never shot indoors before. And we need to be aware that our kit is stored outside and requires to be moved into the hall.

So on Wednesdays/Saturdays please come a little early to help get set up and stay a little later to help clear up. Please don’t flee the hall at the end of the evening like a foiled bank robber OR arrive late/leave early to avoid helping set/clear up because you will be noted. Remember to book your session and wearing indoor non marking footwear like trainers or squash shoes would be a good move. Here are a few other thoughts about shooting indoors. Sunday mornings will remain outdoors for the hardy, the stoic and the 252 badge obsessed.

Below is the current guidance from the SAA and we will no doubt get further guidance from H@PP so lets all be relaxed about the indoor rules we need to follow and have a good indoor season!

For too long there has been a style of archer in our midst who has no classification badge to strive for. No way to measure their participation or degree of their commitment! We’re talking about the Fair Weather Archer (FWA).
We all know them. The mysterious call offs, the no shows, the vague illnesses, the emergencies … always when the weather turns a little less clement than perfect. 

So it is that we at GA humbly make this proposal to AGB/World Archery. An award for all archers indicating just how insane or timid they may be in the face of our ancient enemy … weather! A classification which even Fair Weather Archers can wear proudly … those days they actually turn up. And to be fair, we’ll mock the All Weather Archer as well!

FWA AWARDS

To qualify for an award: you have to attend at least 3 sessions during a season, be noted as present by either judges or the clubs committee and shoot at least 1 dozen arrows at each …….. (at each session, not at the judges or committee! :o)

A – Fair Friday Archer:   Here the archer faces all weathers with a stiff upper lip (probably frozen), flooded quiver and numb extremities. Two feet of snow, cloudburst, Texas trailer-park totalling tornado … nothing phases this archer. Likely to have extremely waterproofed boots, milspec scope and a complete change of clothing including underwear in their pack. Does not own waterproofs or warm weather clothing except where skin-tight so they don’t interfere with their shot cycles. Otherwise does not bother with such contrivances. Combination of polar bear and duck with the stoicism of granite.  

B – Inclement Archer:   When the Judges call “Inclement Weather” and most archers flee to their tents, this archer remains on the line like a soggy Greek god. Likely to argue rounds cannot be concluded early due to weather because of Record Status. Openly mocks those who race from tent to line, shoot quickly then back to the dry. Only carries an umbrella because papier-mâché score sheets are irritating to write on. Owns the best waterproofs available as the cost will be spread over SO MANY days shooting in a year. Has never had a cold or damp related ailment in their lives. 

C – Scotch Mist Archer:   Precipitation falls from the skies yet this archer shoots on. Prepared with brolly, waterproofs, handwarmers and tent, they always pack a towel to dry their bow.  Unhappy their archery is affected by weather but willing to soldier on in the conditions. They shoot till their tab is soggy and their grip slippery before calling it a day. Less concerned about the discomfort till it starts to interfere with their form. Likely to be a veteran archer who really doesn’t feel the need to prove themselves anymore. Note: The bow will get use of any tent – the archer stands in the rain.

D – Cloudy Archer:   No level of cloud puts this archer off. White and puffy or grey and overcast. As long as all their weather apps report the chance of rain is <10%, they will be down the field decrying the faint of heart. Slightest spot of rain will trigger a panic with weather apps consulted after each end. Messages will be regularly checked in case an “emergency” has developed at home necessitating they pack up. Should rain suddenly fall they will teleport instantly into their own or whoever’s tent/gazebo is closest and gossip/drink caf till the rain stops or the sessions ends. Skittishly, always has one eye on the heavens.  

E – Taps Aff Archer:   The appearance of this archer heralds a perfect day’s shooting. They bring low winds, dry warm weather and a degree of sun that mandates sunhats and shades. This is known in Glasgow as “Taps Aff” weather. Seeing their name on a COVID track and trace booking list generates feelings not unlike seeing the first Swallow of Summer. However, should they suddenly call off, it’s likely their preferred weather apps have recently updated in a less that positive way. Never had to dry their bow and don’t own waterproofs other than a cheap collapsible brolly. If caught in the rain on the field, the meltdown would make our editor look well balanced.

F – Scorchio Archer:   The ultimate Fair Weather Archer appears on the field only a few times a year. Owns a UV protective umbrella that wouldn’t last 10 seconds in Glasgow rain. Their gazebo exists simply to shield them from the sun and has all the durability of a dandelion in a hurricane. Shooting attire is sunhat, shorts and tee-shirt with designer label trainers for footwear. Owns no other shooting clothing. On the grounds of comfort, decries rule 307(b) outlawing flipflops but possible arrow in the foot? Nary a concern! Pack contains complete set of top of the range sun screen but no waterproofs. Increased attendance in any year used by scientists to track climate change. These archers melt if they get wet.

No specific archer is being mocked or outed by this article. Any resemblance to actual archers dripping on the line, sheltering under their brolly or hiding in their tent is entirely coincidental. If you see yourself in the above …..  ;o)

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Sun image by Ana_J from Pixabay

If you were starting your archery journey in late naughties/early-mid teens, its likely Sebastian Flute (SF) risers/limbs would have been recommended to you. An entry to intermediate level brand from Win&Win, its quality and price were fantastic. There were SF fan bois, new kit was hotly anticipated and easily half the bows on any line would be SF. Then in 2017 the brand ended! So let me tell you the tale …

Frenchman Sébastien Flute won Olympic gold in the Men’s Individual competition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. On his way to the medal he defeated three South Korean archers.
Three! .. South Korean! .. Archers! Well … damn!
He retired from International competition after the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Now around 2005-ish Korean bow maker Win&Win saw an opportunity in the market. In partnership with Seb, over the next 10 years or so, they created the SF range of archery kit specifically targeting the entry/intermediate level. FABtastic value, the brand was a great success. Everything from risers to chest guards. Stabilizers to sights. Limbs to buttons …  although to be honest that button was a travesty! So good was some of this kit that by 2016, the top riser and limbs were arguably better than some W&W kit and far better priced.

Then on 1st April 2017 Win&Win announced that the SF brand would be renamed WNS (pronounced wins) and their relationship with Seb had run its course. Initially thought to be an April Fool joke, this was surprising because at the time the SF range had never been wider or more loved. Its been speculated that W&W wanted a more integrated product range with WNS and W&W kit each occupying their own niche. There was a lot of duplication between SF and W&W items where SF often undercut the equivalent W&W product. Also it was a long time since Barcelona and some felt Seb’s name recognition had fallen … ignoring the fact that “Sebastian Flute” had become a mainstream archery brand in its own right. Thus SF kit like the SF Forged Plus riser slipped from the catalogues and onto ebay where they became one of those items where bidding gets “frisky”.
Thus SF is no more? Well yes ……. but then again, no!

To very little fanfare, in late June 2021, a phoenix has risen and gently slipped onto archery store webpages. A range of limbs and risers under the brand name Sebastian Flute has appeared. The SF brand and logo (see top image) is probably still owned by W&W but you can’t trademark someone’s name. Our editors fav archery store, Alternative, were carrying this range but for some reason their suppliers have terminated their relationship and the line is being phased out by Alternative (see statement below). Their stock level status announce: Discontinued. Available whilst stocks last. However lets take a look at the bows…

NEO Riser : Seb’s entry level riser is limited to 44lbs draw weight or less. Its a 25″ riser weighing in at a reasonable 1200g making it towards the lighter end of 25″ risers preferred by ladies or juniors. A fairly attractive, slightly more curvy riser than the others painted in standard colours. Its nothing ground breaking where other brands have started anodizing their entry level kit but it looks to be a reasonable first bow where cost or weight might be important. Approximately £100 which is a fair price although it will find itself in competition with Kinetic’s 23″ Scopus. There is a reveal video to be found here

EVO Riser : The more intermediate, “first bow” suitable riser in the range, the EVO has quite striking angular looks with some bright anodized colours to chose from. Again a 1200g riser putting it on the lighter end of 25″. Likely to be the riser that stands a good chance to become the spiritual successor to the much loved SF Forged plus.  Well priced for an intermediate riser at around £190. 

ISO PRO Riser : More towards the top end for an intermediate riser, the ISO PRO is marketed as a stable riser with vibration dampening built into the limb pockets. Touts an easy adjustment system for the limbs. A definite step up from the EVO it appears with these innovative limb pockets. Slightly softer looking design than the EVO, again weighing in at 1200g with an anodized coat. There is very little superfluous metal apparent in the design. A more expensive intermediate “first bow” or upgrade riser coming in around £285. 

ASCENT Riser : The flagship riser for Seb is the Ascent. Quite a striking riser harking back to the more angular design of the EVO. A little more heavily built at 1320g for stability, the riser comes with top, bottom and handle rod positions and a classy wooden handle. The limb pockets, similar to those on the ISO Pro are said to be quite innovative and easy to adjust. Definitively not a first riser and aimed at the more serious archer. One to be on your radar when thinking of upgrading your kit to a more experienced level. Its angular anodized good looks will catch the eye on the equipment line so expect a few questions about it if you splash out the required £500ish.

There are no independent reviews of these risers or the performance of the associated limbs at present so the above is based on their looks and some basic information currently available. Seb’s partner is GK Archery from Korea and its reported there will be a range of ‘innovative’ accessories coming soon. There is some info floating about that 15 Korean international prospects have been using the kit but as yet no real confirmation. Check out the bow porn pics on Alternative in the links above or this link for Quicks and see what you think. 

All in all its good to see the Sebastian Flute brand back on the market however, we’ll leave the final word to the man himself … Seb Flute introduces his new range of bows.

References:

GK Archery Facebook page with some information and pictures on the new Sebastian Flute brand.

Statement by Alternative: “Our suppliers are no longer working with the Sebastien Flute factory and all remaining stock is being phased out. All affected customers have now been contacted. We apologise for any inconvenience.” promo email dated 1/12/2021

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All images used for the purposes of review and reporting. Ownership remains with the copyright holder.

Now that the archery is done for this Olympics, the results are in the books and the celebrations/commiserations are over … what can we takeaway from this showcase of our sport?

Korea’s 4 Gold Haul: In the main this was the An San show. Dominated ranking with a new Olympic record. Disposed of pre-competition favourite Deepika Kumari 6-0 in the quarters. Won a shoot off in the semi’s verses America’s Mackenzie Brown then won another against the Russian Elena Osipova for the Individual ladies gold. In the ladies team event Jang Minhee, Kang Chaeyoung and An San were beyond dominating to take the team gold. Finally, in the mixed team event An San and Kim Je Deok took the gold with some resistance from the rest of the world but gold still went to Korea. An delivered a superlative performance over the entire event. Totally money and unflappable when the chips were down.
In the gents team, Japan gave the Koreans a run for their money but in the end the three Korean men were just too strong collectively where individually they were a little lacking against the best of the rest of the world. Disappointment no doubt it wasn’t 5 golds but the Koreans still go home job well jobbed! Note: Everyone came home with a Gold!  

China: Pre competition we marvelled at just how much effort the Chinese were putting into selection. 20 days continuous competition to select the team! It was unprecedented. These archers must have ice in their veins and be stoic lumps of granite! But the Chinese seemed to burn out or perhaps wilt under the pressure. Was too much pressure brought to bear in the selection process leaving them mentally exhausted? Hard to say but the Chinese will be extremely disappointed in their performance which may require a major rethink. Something to watch come World Cup time next year.

Journalists: Pre Olympic hype had Deepika Kumari all but enthroned as the Olympic champion before an arrow was shot. It was the story that journalists wanted to tell – rags to riches, success rising from a chaotic federation, husband and wife Olympians compete together – it looked like Pulitzer Prize winning material. This conflicted rather obviously with the bookmakers odds that had all three Koreans ahead of Kumari. She looked strong early on ranking 9th but lost her quarterfinal match in the women’s individual event to top seed An San 0-6. Lesson we can take away from this … journalists don’t know as much about archery as bookies. (Ed: Am going to head down to BetFred later for some coaching! ;o)

Hoyt: After the failure of the bottom limb (perhaps twice) of Finn Antii Vikstrom, Hoyt have a PR situation on their hands. Normally any success in a big competition would be used as part of a major ad campaign … “Hoyt congratulate xxxxx on their medal win using our kit”. However if they try to celebrate their archers successes at the Olympics, the limb failure is going to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind and no doubt raised. That would be uncomfortable. How Hoyt deal with this will be interesting. Open and transparent OR head in sand til incident forgotten? Any analysis of the delaminated limb would be required reading by bowyers. Was it fatigue, external influence like heat/damage or was it design/manufacturing flaw? I doubt we mere peasants will ever see anything of that commercially sensitive information unless it completely vindicates Hoyt!
Update: Hoyt seems (as far as we can see) to have taken the silence route with little advertising out with their usual awareness ads. 

And finally …
How does the Olympics affect we archers/members of AGB?: Its going to be all about did the UK do as well as was anticipated? If we did as well as expected or better, future funding to AGB will be either the same as before or higher. If we didn’t make expectations, funding will be cut. That’s the reality of Olympic funding in the UK. Its a harsh but very effective strategy witnessed by our 65 medals at Tokyo (22 golds, 21 silver, 22 bronze). If funding is cut AGB fees will go up to try to cover the short fall. Post Covid this could be a disaster as archer numbers are already falling and raising the price of “admission” to clubs would be suicidal. However the funding for the elite team needs to be found somewhere and public money is tight in our pandemic affected economy. Something for us all to watch and be aware of in the coming months or indeed year.

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Images used for the purpose of reporting. No ownership is implied.

Hoyt Archery: We were deeply saddened as we witnessed Antii Vikstrom’s limb break during his match today. At Hoyt, our mission is to produce the highest quality equipment to match the excellence of the world’s best archers. We sincerely apologize to Antii and Team Finland.

While leading 5-3 in the 5th set of his 1/32 round match against Khairul Anuar Mohamad of Malaysia, Antii Vikstrom of Finland suffered catastrophic failure of his bow’s bottom limb. As you only get 20 seconds for each shot in a head to head round and there are no do overs or make up shots for equipment failure, Antii never had a chance to recover and so lost the set. Likely very shaken, he went on to lose the subsequent shoot off to Mohamad.

Apparently this was the second incident to strike Vikstrom at these Olympics. His lower limb failed during the ranking round according to this horribly translated, we assume by google translate which can be extremely unkind, Finnish news article. “Olympic games (for him) ends in tears” (many thanks to Ose Marviner for correcting the title’s bad translation)

While there are no guarantees against equipment failure, such incidents are in the main rare. Usually they are brushed over as unfortunate flukes and in our editors case (when cracks appeared in his top limb) the dealers replaced the limbs without quibble. However, for a Hoyt limb to let go on the biggest stage of all … and apparently not just once … well that’s embarrassing and questions will no doubt be being asked right now in Hoyt’s Salt Lake City, Utah centre of operations.

Why would this be worrying for them? Given that Hoyt have an extensive Pro-Staff of top archers including recurve archery household names such as Ellison, Deloche, Kaufhold, Oh Jin Hyek,  Loginova, Duenas and Valladont all sponsored to shoot Hoyt kit … any doubt about reliability could cause these archers to consider their positions and that would be terrible PR for Hoyt. Hoyt is a company that has built its reputation on great archers being great using their kit. Its going to be all about Risk Reward … is the risk of limb failure possibly during a competition worth the reward of sponsorship.

Potentially a rough time for Hoyt and one hell of a brutal disappointment for Vikstrom.

Original breaking of the story with pictures and reactions from many archers from around the world are to be found on World Archery’s facebook site