Competitive shooting

Is it for you?

If you are interested in competitive shooting Malvern Archers offers an unusually comprehensive route to bring them into the whole business of competitive shooting in easily manageable steps.

What do we mean by ‘competitive shooting’

Competitive shooting just means shooting a recognised round and recording your score, and comparing that score with some standard. Archers only really compete against themselves, so theoretically all scoring is the same. But, in reality, the pressure and atmosphere of, for instance, a formal tournaments makes it quite different. Once you have shot a score, remember to enter it in your ‘Golden Records’ account (see ‘Submit a score’)!

What do Malvern Archers offer?

We recognise that taking the plunge to leave the familiar surrounds of our ground, and enter an ‘open tournament’ is a big step, and quite daunting. So we have devised a series of steps to move the archer gently from one level to the next. You can find more details on these offerings by selecting the relevant items in the menu.

What are these steps?
  • Shooting rounds in practice. Archers should shoot the occasional round in their normal practice sessions. Once a week, once a month, whatever suits. It gets you used to the discipline of shooting a round, practices scoring & gives an indication of your progress. No formality is required, just decide on the round & start scoring. If you don’t have a scorepad then there will be scoresheets in the shed that you can use.
  • Shooting a ‘252’ round. The ‘252 round’ is designed to ease novice archers into scoring & improving. It is only 3 dozen arrows, so quick to complete. You can do them on any practice session.
  • Club Target Days. These are slightly more formal, as the round will be decided for you, there will be a set start time and a ‘Field Captain’ to control the shoot. But it’s still a club shoot, so the surroundings & faces will all be familiar. There’s no external competition, so there is no external pressure. They will be on the club calendar, and are open to all members irrespective of ability.
  • Club competitions. Malvern do a few of these – ranging from the Winter ‘Frostbite’ shoots to the Club Championships & ‘The Captain of the Horn’ in the Summer. Now we have a bit of a competitive element, as the results will be ranked and published.
  • Inter-club friendlies. These are arranged with other local clubs. Some will be at Malvern, some hosted by the other club. Either way there will be a large number of familiar faces, along with archers from the other club. The emphasis is on enjoyment.
  • Open Tournaments. Most clubs run an ‘Open Tournament’ or two during the year. There will, therefore, be a number of nearby events to chose from when you decide to make this step. At this point you will need to deal with entry forms and other such formalities, but there will be plenty of help from other club members if you require it. Malvern run a couple of Open Tournaments every summer, and you can come to these – either as a competitor or a spectator. Or a volunteer to help with the running!
  • Higher-status tournaments. You will often see additional terms added to Open Tournaments. These may include: UKRS (UK Record Status) WRS (World Record Status) ‘Rose’ (eligible for Rose awards) or FITA Star (eligible for FITA Star awards). These will be somewhat more serious (and probably more expensive) and be overseen by a team of official Judges. But, in essence, no different to any other Open Tournament! Malvern run five UKRS shoots every summer, which will be well publicised.
Conclusion

By taking small steps any archer interested in competitions can make the transition to shooting tournaments easily and painlessly. Remember, there is plenty of support available within the club, so please ask if unsure.