FITA Field World Championships

[James Park]

The selection event will be at Sherbrooke on 15 and 16 June. Unmarked round 15 June, marked round 16 June.
We do not yet know how many competitors there will be as the date for pre-selection has not yet arrived. There is, however now no possibility for those who have not qualified to do so - we have conducted our last trial.
Those who have met the qualifying score have only a few days now to get their forms in to the National Coaching Director, and following that we will find out how many will try for the team.
The team can be at most three archers in each of open/junior, male/female and compound/recurve/barebow. That is, potentially the team could be 18 open plus 18 junior (but I suspect we do not have a full complement of juniors who have qualified). We probably do have more than sufficient seniors qualified, so some will miss out on a place in the team.
Quite a large number of Victorians have qualified for the selection, so some at least should make it into the team.
Promises to be quite a strongly contested selection event, and I would expect some exceptional scores.
Robert Halley-Frame tells me he will try to make it possible for spectators to watch the event.

[Kuru]

James let me know if the spectators idea works out as I'd love to come down and have a look

[Bruce]

I hope the sherbrooke course is completely altered .

I have been there afew times to shoot over the years and I am suprised at how well some people know that course it is crucial that the course be a totally new one in lay out and design to make it a fair competition for all the archers concerned .


I believe that they should have used somewhere like ballarat or geelong that doesn't get as much use and is not as well known .

[James Park]

Yes, the course will be changed a lot (not by me as I plan to compete).
It is always a problem in selecting a course for this type of event, but my experience is that the top archers are very good at gauging distances, so they will not be easily tricked, no matter where it is.
For example, on the toughest course I have ever seen (World Archery Championships 2000, in Cortina, Italy), I scored 348 and did not make the cut of 16. One archer shot 358.
What AA should really do is to always use the Nationals as the selection event, rather than obliging most of the archers to travel yet again interstate. I don't know of any of the archers being happy to have a separate event.
Most of the time we Victorians have had to inconvenience and expense of having to travel interstate for these event, this is the first one I can remember in Victoria.

[Bruce]

You make a good point Jim.

Surely the best archers are goingto be at the nationals and therefore the results of the nationals should form the base of any team being selected

[Marcus]

When I was a junior the Nationals was a given as being the selection event. Makes sense and is a better use of people's resources.
Any idea how many are expected to the shoot?

[James Park]

By my calculation, at least 13 Victorians have qualified for the selection shoot.
I would guess we will get something like 30 competitors in total.

I have for a while been pushing to have the Nationals always used for such selections, but so far no success. I am well aware that the top archers would just about all prefer it to be the Nationals, but AA keeps on having it separate. In my experience, the Nationals is a high pressure event, and easily challenging enough for a selection process (I suspect some of those who say it is inappropriate have never got near the top in the Nationals). I have travelled interstate many times now for such events and it is always a great pain (and expense) when it could just as easily have been the Nationals.

[Marcus]

" (I suspect some of those who say it is inappropriate have never got near the top in the Nationals)"

That's exactly right. There are quite a few decision makers in AA who wouldn't know a decent shot it they had a diagram. That's why they meddle with he sport instead of actually doing it.
We shot field on a golf course in Townville for our Jr Nats and while the course was easy the fact is everyone is in the same shoot and thus you have to shoot even better because you can't afford a mistake.
Cost of living is too high to make people travel interstate 3 times in one year.

[Kuru]

I shot my best ever field scores there ! :p That really was a joke of a course

[mike]

I can't wait for the trial, I reckon it will be a really good shoot.

I am competeing in it for the "Steven Bradbury factor" that is, I want to be good enough to lurk in the background in case the top guys stuff up!!!

I am very glad that it is at Sherbrooke as that course has some tricks up its sleve for the uninitiated!!!

Not that I have a home ground advantage or anything -- as Jim said, the top archers are rarely fooled by anything.

[Robert Halley-Frame]

There will be spectator area's for the World Field Trial, and we would encourage everyone to rock up and see some of our best archers competing for a place in the Australian Team.

Event will commence at 10.00am each day.
Unmarked on the Saturday, Marked on Sunday.

:D

[mike]

Has any one got a bloody clue as to what guaging will be allowed and what wont at the selection trial. Can I use limb-tip or do I have to buy a new scope so that I can do it that way...

Why the bloody hell would you ban limb-tip and not also scope guaging. they amount to the same thing - guaging. (just as knowing what trees etc on your home field course can give you clues)

I have heared that the judges at the nationals said that limb-tip guaging would be "dubious" at the selection trial. What does that mean?

Do these same Judges live on the same planet as us? The judges judge on the basis of rules. They had better dredge up a rule or two on this and formulate an agreed interpretation before the bloody trial because I have paid $25 to be in it and I don't want to be disqualified because a particular judge is having a bad day and decides there and then that guaging is not allowed.

Sorry, but the ambiguity about guaging has gone on for too long...

[Marcus]

Best thing would be to just ignore them and shoot as normal. Ask them to show you the rule that states you can not rest your bottom limb on your leg and look at the target before you shoot your first shot. It's been a problem in AV for the last 12 years (at least). Judges who make up rules on the day and can't back them up.
If you use your top limb, THEY CAN'YT PROVE IT'S GUAGING! :) They can't see what you do.
Drawing up, letting down and changing your sight is obvious, but using the limb is not.
I agree, something has to be done about these judges. They are out of control and need to be bought back into line. Best way to not get burnt by them is to know the rule book better than they do. (so look at the cover and you are there. :evil: )

[mike]

Agree, but then you must also consider, will the trial be shot under AA or FITA rules (as they differ with regards to guaging).

Silly question, the judges probably don't know the difference any way :P

I am going to print out copies of both with regards to guaging as well as the explanatory notes on the FITA website (specifically on guaging) and carry them with me for the trial, that way, I can give coaching to the judges if they question what I am doing!!!

:-?

We should stop being horrible to the judges, some of them are fine.

[James Park]

I am not clear what interpretation will be used, so I am going equiped to use several gauging methods (limb tip as used by Michael, and the view through the scope as covered in Accurate Sights). I did the same for the Nationals.
If you are doing something the judges question then the standard excuse is "no I am not gauging, I am just stretching my elbow joints prior to shooting so that I will not get tendonitis". This proved absolutely effective in the past.
Hence, I would advise: be prepared with several ways, and know what to say if you have too.