Perspective is a fascinating beast.
Have you ever heard a thought so nonsensical that you tilted your head as if the angle of your brain might make it seem more sensible? Kind of like a dog does when you talk to them 'I have no idea what you're saying but if I tilt my brain maybe it will be in dog language'. I've tried tilting my head... it doesn't work any better for me than it did for my dog. I'm sure the owner is convinced it was an insightful and meaningful expansion of grey matter. It's all about perspective.
The folk who ask for your opinion and then disagree with the answer because despite their acknowledged and complete ignorance, they know better. Their reason for asking in the first place, when they apparently think they know the answer, likely makes more sense in their own heads. Perspective.
My cats see the paper bag under my bed as prime real estate to be fought over at every opportunity. Highest props go to the fat furry butt that gets to grace said real estate. I see it as the most annoying noise on the planet at 4am and a reason to put fat furry butts outside...and maybe it's a bit cute...only a bit...
One of my friends sees cooking as a torture designed by tight arses who won't buy her dinner and cook worse than she does. My boyfriend sees it as a step to getting fed. I see it as my fav way of showing how much I love my friends and family. I would much rather bake you a cake or cook you dinner. I suck at presents.
A hunter sees archery as a vehicle for hunting. A long bower sees it as a link to the past. Some folk don't see the bow at all. I see it as head space and calm. Many see only a target and maybe we all try and fit things to what we want rather than what is truly offered. It's all about perspective and sometimes no amount of head tilting will change the way we see things.
But this is my world, so I make the rules. It's my perspective.
It isn't about the coffee cup being half empty or half full. It's about the caffeine people. So clear head, perfect score, great physique, awesome shot, dead deer...it's all archery to me.
Just shoot the damn arrow.
And on a side note...
Waiting on a Pro Comp Elite and a Spyder. Everyone cross fingers they arrive before I head to Berlin in mid December. I'm hoping to have enough time to set up the PCE for Berlin, but as Martin put it I'll be fresh off a 40 hour trip and jet lagged as all hell so maybe getting a new bow set up is the least of my worries :D But he's the one driving us from Denmark, so me and my jet lag can sleep on the way there.
Life has been busy and as usual getting in the way of things I want to do so not a whole lot of shooting going on. I have posted a new video with a view to trying something new. A little show and tell of good technique compared to bad. I'm hoping it will be a useful vehicle for showing what really can't be explained in with words alone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHXbfqDVUZw
Friday, November 16, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
More of a challenge...
It's the weirdest concept. How often I hear someone say 'I shoot (insert appropriate bla bla here) because it is more of a challenge'. But they aren't World Champions, they aren't National Champions... They're average... Often below average achievers.
So how does one define a challenge? When there is a bench mark and you haven't gotten there one would suppose one is still 'challenged'.
In Barre they often say if you find this easy then try this and challenge yourself. Archery hasn't struck me as any different. The guys who hold the world records don't say oh that's easy I give up... They usually step up and push for the next challenge. Someone asked Clint Freeman what he would do if he shot 1440 and he said he would probably complain it wasn't a perfect X count... May be just a rumour..I've never asked Clint if it was true, but it sounds good :)
And often the one's who say this bow is more challenging than that... Never achieved all that high with either... Medals in a division of one or where the level is so poor as to make amateur an exaggeration. Or backyard braggarts who can shoot a legendary score in their own company, but never seem to pull it out when it counts. Always gives me a giggle when some braggart as naive as any brash child steps up and shoots a ten first arrow at ten metres and announces 'this is easy!'. Oh child let me show you the error of your ways...imagine the Olympic sprinter had given up running after winning their first race and so never makes the Olympics... How many wannabes became never was-es after announcing 'it's too easy'. So easy they never achieved anything.
So I say step up or shut up. You get to say it's easy when you have achieved all there is to achieve. Before that you're making excuses and seeking the easy option where you don't feel pressured to show achievement because it's 'harder'...otherwise you're doing it because you just enjoy that option more and are too spineless to stand by your choice. I don't find much easy. I'm smart but not that smart. I'm coordinated but not that coordinated. I find everything presents challenges if you want to be good.
So glad I'm a girl. I get to shoot because I like shooting and don't need to make excuses for it :)
In Barre they often say if you find this easy then try this and challenge yourself. Archery hasn't struck me as any different. The guys who hold the world records don't say oh that's easy I give up... They usually step up and push for the next challenge. Someone asked Clint Freeman what he would do if he shot 1440 and he said he would probably complain it wasn't a perfect X count... May be just a rumour..I've never asked Clint if it was true, but it sounds good :)
And often the one's who say this bow is more challenging than that... Never achieved all that high with either... Medals in a division of one or where the level is so poor as to make amateur an exaggeration. Or backyard braggarts who can shoot a legendary score in their own company, but never seem to pull it out when it counts. Always gives me a giggle when some braggart as naive as any brash child steps up and shoots a ten first arrow at ten metres and announces 'this is easy!'. Oh child let me show you the error of your ways...imagine the Olympic sprinter had given up running after winning their first race and so never makes the Olympics... How many wannabes became never was-es after announcing 'it's too easy'. So easy they never achieved anything.
So I say step up or shut up. You get to say it's easy when you have achieved all there is to achieve. Before that you're making excuses and seeking the easy option where you don't feel pressured to show achievement because it's 'harder'...otherwise you're doing it because you just enjoy that option more and are too spineless to stand by your choice. I don't find much easy. I'm smart but not that smart. I'm coordinated but not that coordinated. I find everything presents challenges if you want to be good.
So glad I'm a girl. I get to shoot because I like shooting and don't need to make excuses for it :)
Monday, October 1, 2012
She's so lucky. Yeah me and Brittany.
I heard a thing the other day...'you're so lucky'. I've heard this before and one has to wonder... am I?
Now don't get me wrong, my life is pretty awesome....My family loves me, I'm well educated, my boyfriend is cuter than a bug's ear and the nicest guy I ever met, I like my job, I've won a few gold medals and shot a few records in my chosen sport, I haven't had a pimple since I was a teenager, my friends are great people and I'm not ugly. Who could complain?
But is it lucky? I adore my family, I studied hard, I strive to be a good person, I work hard days and long hours, I practice archery as much as I am able, I make effort on my appearance and I try to be a good friend. Is that all just luck? Can I drop the ball and stop trying and keep all this luck? Will my job just do itself and I'll still get paid? If I spent every cent on cigarettes and alcohol would my savings plump themselves up? If I sleep instead of studying all night will the knowledge just manifest between my ears at will?
Well I already know I can't miss practice and expect to hit the target and when I don't study I fail exams. And I know that peppermint tea and wishes won't make my pancreas work (no joke some well meaning nut job tried to tell me this in earnest once... said if I still died it was because I didn't want the tea to work strongly enough...obviously, why didn't I think of that?)...I know I'll get fired if I don't rock up to work, and the government campaign - 'Every cigarette is doing you damage' is less effective on me than 'every cigarette costs a few dollars that you could use to buy some new shoes' (and shoes don't smell half as bad)....And if you don't treasure your friends and look after them... one day you just don't have any.
And if I'm so damn lucky, did it run out when God was handing out pancreases (or is that pancrei?). Hands up who would trade a gold medal or two for their slightly used but fully functional pancreas? Some might view diabetes as less than lucky. Do I run around pointing at random people and accusing them of being lucky because they can drink the maple syrup? Well maybe somedays when I think I'm being funny, but I think I have better things to do with my time than coveting pancreases and cursing the lucky bastards who have good ones. Unlike grass which may now and then prove greener (but just as likely not) other pancreases are almost always in better nick than mine and the wanting of them improves me none.
So I call shenanigans on 'luck'. I don't know anyone that I would call lucky. People earn their 'good luck' with hard work. The crappy thing about bad luck is that it's a lame excuse. Everyone has their lot in life. And no matter how crap you think yours is there is always someone who got shafted worse who probably complains less.
And apparently luck isn't doing me any favours today. No practice for two weeks and a week in Thailand and I can't hit the proverbial standing inside with the doors shut. I think by accident I should have hit more gold. But I also think the bow shoulder is holding :) and if you have paid any attention in the last 4 years, you will know that is worth a smile.
Bangkok was a melting pot of corruption and pollution. We got kidnapped by taxi drivers, cheated by restaurants and rained on everyday and I'm pretty sure that wasn't just water falling from the sky and at least one of the boys came running out of a massage looking a little wild about the eyes when the massage came with more than expected. But a flotilla of 65 tuk tuks through the city and a trip to one of the royal temples would rate pretty highly on my list of must dos. And chilli... lots of chilli :) most awesome ingredient ever besides chocolate.
And now I'm home (well in my usual hotel), the air is clean, the rain is water and the sky is actually blue. Shenanigans or not there are worse kinds of luck.
Now don't get me wrong, my life is pretty awesome....My family loves me, I'm well educated, my boyfriend is cuter than a bug's ear and the nicest guy I ever met, I like my job, I've won a few gold medals and shot a few records in my chosen sport, I haven't had a pimple since I was a teenager, my friends are great people and I'm not ugly. Who could complain?
But is it lucky? I adore my family, I studied hard, I strive to be a good person, I work hard days and long hours, I practice archery as much as I am able, I make effort on my appearance and I try to be a good friend. Is that all just luck? Can I drop the ball and stop trying and keep all this luck? Will my job just do itself and I'll still get paid? If I spent every cent on cigarettes and alcohol would my savings plump themselves up? If I sleep instead of studying all night will the knowledge just manifest between my ears at will?
Well I already know I can't miss practice and expect to hit the target and when I don't study I fail exams. And I know that peppermint tea and wishes won't make my pancreas work (no joke some well meaning nut job tried to tell me this in earnest once... said if I still died it was because I didn't want the tea to work strongly enough...obviously, why didn't I think of that?)...I know I'll get fired if I don't rock up to work, and the government campaign - 'Every cigarette is doing you damage' is less effective on me than 'every cigarette costs a few dollars that you could use to buy some new shoes' (and shoes don't smell half as bad)....And if you don't treasure your friends and look after them... one day you just don't have any.
And if I'm so damn lucky, did it run out when God was handing out pancreases (or is that pancrei?). Hands up who would trade a gold medal or two for their slightly used but fully functional pancreas? Some might view diabetes as less than lucky. Do I run around pointing at random people and accusing them of being lucky because they can drink the maple syrup? Well maybe somedays when I think I'm being funny, but I think I have better things to do with my time than coveting pancreases and cursing the lucky bastards who have good ones. Unlike grass which may now and then prove greener (but just as likely not) other pancreases are almost always in better nick than mine and the wanting of them improves me none.
So I call shenanigans on 'luck'. I don't know anyone that I would call lucky. People earn their 'good luck' with hard work. The crappy thing about bad luck is that it's a lame excuse. Everyone has their lot in life. And no matter how crap you think yours is there is always someone who got shafted worse who probably complains less.
And apparently luck isn't doing me any favours today. No practice for two weeks and a week in Thailand and I can't hit the proverbial standing inside with the doors shut. I think by accident I should have hit more gold. But I also think the bow shoulder is holding :) and if you have paid any attention in the last 4 years, you will know that is worth a smile.
Bangkok was a melting pot of corruption and pollution. We got kidnapped by taxi drivers, cheated by restaurants and rained on everyday and I'm pretty sure that wasn't just water falling from the sky and at least one of the boys came running out of a massage looking a little wild about the eyes when the massage came with more than expected. But a flotilla of 65 tuk tuks through the city and a trip to one of the royal temples would rate pretty highly on my list of must dos. And chilli... lots of chilli :) most awesome ingredient ever besides chocolate.
And now I'm home (well in my usual hotel), the air is clean, the rain is water and the sky is actually blue. Shenanigans or not there are worse kinds of luck.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Home again, home again jiggety jig....and spring cleaning it is :)
So home... where the heart is...well not really...that's on the other side of the planet lately enjoying way better weather than me... home is where my bed and my kittens are so close enough I guess :) and I get to be home for a whole week and a half.
So stage one of this important and rare event (being home) is barre class, treadmill and food diary. We're off to Thailand for work in 10 days and you can never work out enough pre bikini opportunity. Oh please let there be opportunity to lounge and photosynthesize! I spent my summer doing archery stuff and freezing my butt off in deepest darkest Denmark all in the name of love... what silly creatures humans be... and will likely spend my next summer doing the same...all I need now is new shoes to match my party dresses for conference and we're prepared for Bangkok and warm weather :)
Stage two is conquering the bows... my recurve is much neglected. So shot a bit of recurve on the weekend. Have ordered a new Titan recurve scope and a clicker extension so I can play with draw length a little more. Only shot maybe 40 arrows, but technique and strength were not as bad as expected.
The weather was heinous and foul so I shot a grand total of 4 ends outside with compound. Still have the odd shot through paper that can't be explained, but otherwise the bow seems good. So going to ignore the random unexplainable paper tear and drag out bow number two for an overhaul. It's quite possible that the random shot is purely my lack of arrow fitness biting me on the butt. So arrow fitness first. We will address fine tuning again when my fitness is up. You'll have to excuse the latest vid as a bit random. I gave my mum a lift home from the archery field on my way to indoor and managed to leave my trigger and finger sling on the table... hence using my Atension for the day and one of the shoelaces from my runners for a sling :D and occasionally wondering what on Earth I did with my spare Target 3, for once not in my handbag.
Rant:
And on the topic of boring old dad stories that go know where... I never made dad sit through 10 hours of Thomas the Tank engine a day (as my nephew loves to do), so I'm not even obliged to sit through his stories beyond being a nice daughter let alone those of total strangers... so just in case anyone wondered what happened to the 50 posts a day I get from boring prats giving the same old my bow is better than your bow drivel that seems to be an obsession within the traditional class against the rest of the archery world... it's boring. Really boring. Up there with my PC is better than your Mac tripe and my iPhone is better than your Samsung...Or I guess in reality my bike is better than your evil modern car...So along with arrow to the knee jokes and comments just lacking in basic civility, there will be a lot less of them getting through the comments filter.
I am mortally dependent on insulin, readily available due to modern science, you'll have to excuse me if people ranting about how everything was better in the good old pre scientific invention days doesn't interest me. Traditionally I would have died a slow and horrible death by now...so tradition really isn't the greatest selling point with me. I'm just fine with modern conveniences like smart phones, compound bows and recombinant insulin... oh and the internet for that matter. Not that using any of these would be hypocritical if the old ways are the only good ways....no not at all...
End Rant.
But most of all just glad to be home :)
So stage one of this important and rare event (being home) is barre class, treadmill and food diary. We're off to Thailand for work in 10 days and you can never work out enough pre bikini opportunity. Oh please let there be opportunity to lounge and photosynthesize! I spent my summer doing archery stuff and freezing my butt off in deepest darkest Denmark all in the name of love... what silly creatures humans be... and will likely spend my next summer doing the same...all I need now is new shoes to match my party dresses for conference and we're prepared for Bangkok and warm weather :)
Stage two is conquering the bows... my recurve is much neglected. So shot a bit of recurve on the weekend. Have ordered a new Titan recurve scope and a clicker extension so I can play with draw length a little more. Only shot maybe 40 arrows, but technique and strength were not as bad as expected.
The weather was heinous and foul so I shot a grand total of 4 ends outside with compound. Still have the odd shot through paper that can't be explained, but otherwise the bow seems good. So going to ignore the random unexplainable paper tear and drag out bow number two for an overhaul. It's quite possible that the random shot is purely my lack of arrow fitness biting me on the butt. So arrow fitness first. We will address fine tuning again when my fitness is up. You'll have to excuse the latest vid as a bit random. I gave my mum a lift home from the archery field on my way to indoor and managed to leave my trigger and finger sling on the table... hence using my Atension for the day and one of the shoelaces from my runners for a sling :D and occasionally wondering what on Earth I did with my spare Target 3, for once not in my handbag.
Rant:
And on the topic of boring old dad stories that go know where... I never made dad sit through 10 hours of Thomas the Tank engine a day (as my nephew loves to do), so I'm not even obliged to sit through his stories beyond being a nice daughter let alone those of total strangers... so just in case anyone wondered what happened to the 50 posts a day I get from boring prats giving the same old my bow is better than your bow drivel that seems to be an obsession within the traditional class against the rest of the archery world... it's boring. Really boring. Up there with my PC is better than your Mac tripe and my iPhone is better than your Samsung...Or I guess in reality my bike is better than your evil modern car...So along with arrow to the knee jokes and comments just lacking in basic civility, there will be a lot less of them getting through the comments filter.
I am mortally dependent on insulin, readily available due to modern science, you'll have to excuse me if people ranting about how everything was better in the good old pre scientific invention days doesn't interest me. Traditionally I would have died a slow and horrible death by now...so tradition really isn't the greatest selling point with me. I'm just fine with modern conveniences like smart phones, compound bows and recombinant insulin... oh and the internet for that matter. Not that using any of these would be hypocritical if the old ways are the only good ways....no not at all...
End Rant.
But most of all just glad to be home :)
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Youtube Invade London
And that would be that. 6 videos over six weeks for Youtube's Invade London initiative. They had been aiming for 25 million hits and apparently achieved 40 million. I don't know realistically how successful it was, but folks saw archery videos and that was the goal for me. Thank god that's over. A video a week is harder than it sounds.
'Invade London' was a focus group initiated by youtube to show themed content over the duration of the Olympics. And my channel was chosen as archery is an Olympic sport. A number of the archers featured were at the Olympics, including the Aussie lass in the final vid and the Mexican girls in the first two vids.
My videos featured people/friends we all know from the World Cup circuit. Martin and Reo for example are huge names in target Compound. The Canadian team are big characters on the field and great archers etc I was trying to give a little feel for the people that make up our world. It's not easy to explain to people that this is our whole world, our friends and our family. The announcer on the first two vids is George Tekmichov, designer of the x10 arrow and voice of international archery...we always miss that voice when he's not there.
Fascinating stuff seeing how other creators approach youtube and their respective audiences. And what goes viral and what totally tanks. Even seeing it is sometimes still totally mystifying.Big thanks to Youtube for the project and big thanks to the folks who helped out. Martin, Sherry, Duncan and everyone who stood in front of the camera (not as easy as it looks) :)Those of us with real jobs find it very hard to train enough as is without extra projects on the side. It's been a long, sleep deprived 6 weeks and my treadmill has been much neglected as a result of too much travel and too much youtube stuff. So last night I settled in on the treadmill with Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles on the iPAD and hopefully life will be a little quieter from now on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_c7ZGCThYs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcXYzLvOao8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm-ncrYWDsM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9SWS8dF0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT0g9V2fdFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNOaQJgN0uE
And tonight we'll see if the draw length adjustment is a true fix or just beginners luck again :)
'Invade London' was a focus group initiated by youtube to show themed content over the duration of the Olympics. And my channel was chosen as archery is an Olympic sport. A number of the archers featured were at the Olympics, including the Aussie lass in the final vid and the Mexican girls in the first two vids.
My videos featured people/friends we all know from the World Cup circuit. Martin and Reo for example are huge names in target Compound. The Canadian team are big characters on the field and great archers etc I was trying to give a little feel for the people that make up our world. It's not easy to explain to people that this is our whole world, our friends and our family. The announcer on the first two vids is George Tekmichov, designer of the x10 arrow and voice of international archery...we always miss that voice when he's not there.
Fascinating stuff seeing how other creators approach youtube and their respective audiences. And what goes viral and what totally tanks. Even seeing it is sometimes still totally mystifying.Big thanks to Youtube for the project and big thanks to the folks who helped out. Martin, Sherry, Duncan and everyone who stood in front of the camera (not as easy as it looks) :)Those of us with real jobs find it very hard to train enough as is without extra projects on the side. It's been a long, sleep deprived 6 weeks and my treadmill has been much neglected as a result of too much travel and too much youtube stuff. So last night I settled in on the treadmill with Terminator: the Sarah Conner Chronicles on the iPAD and hopefully life will be a little quieter from now on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_c7ZGCThYs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcXYzLvOao8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm-ncrYWDsM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9SWS8dF0w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT0g9V2fdFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNOaQJgN0uE
And tonight we'll see if the draw length adjustment is a true fix or just beginners luck again :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The mysterious paper tear...
Now I would generally caution compounders about paper tuning. Too many archers think it will show arrow spine/rest issues, but don't realise it will also show nasty bow hand habits which can obscure results. And a bad paper tear can still come from a bow that groups. So not the be all and end all of tuning.
But in HD video we could see a really nasty arrow flight that we couldn't tune out of the bow. So took it inside and shot through paper to see what we could see. Tuned for bullet holes... Had it down to a 2cm tear, but could see a bit of variation in nock position... ie left, right and or high with no consistency. And every few arrows a 3inch horizontal, nock right tear that neither myself or Martin could repeat on purpose even massively torquing the bow in either direction.
We filed half the cable guard out (don't do this at home folks, I am not recommending it as it is messing with factory spec and there's a high risk of breaking something or your self) and managed to improve the arrow flight and lessen the weird tear, but it was still at least 2 inches.
So we put it down to archer error and I started putting a lot of arrows through paper to see if we could tune me instead of the bow and get some consistency. 600 arrows (over a week) later and no improvement and no real idea where the shot came from. On Monday night I was feeling a little cramped in the draw and more than a little pissed off with the whole thing. So lengthened the D-loop a little in sheer desperation and low and behold...bullet holes. 36 arrows and not a single bad shot.
So lesson learned. Paper tune is not totally useless... it can show you a thing or two... and total wow I never realised just how much bad draw length can queer the shot. And I gotta start listening to myself when I'm not comfy!
So Mr Damsbo has gone home :( and now we start planning for either Berlin or the F2F... not sure which yet. But the bow is at least tuned for paper and I'm slowly getting arrow count up again. Now maybe we can start worrying about score again :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9SWS8dF0w
Now I would generally caution compounders about paper tuning. Too many archers think it will show arrow spine/rest issues, but don't realise it will also show nasty bow hand habits which can obscure results. And a bad paper tear can still come from a bow that groups. So not the be all and end all of tuning.
But in HD video we could see a really nasty arrow flight that we couldn't tune out of the bow. So took it inside and shot through paper to see what we could see. Tuned for bullet holes... Had it down to a 2cm tear, but could see a bit of variation in nock position... ie left, right and or high with no consistency. And every few arrows a 3inch horizontal, nock right tear that neither myself or Martin could repeat on purpose even massively torquing the bow in either direction.
We filed half the cable guard out (don't do this at home folks, I am not recommending it as it is messing with factory spec and there's a high risk of breaking something or your self) and managed to improve the arrow flight and lessen the weird tear, but it was still at least 2 inches.
So we put it down to archer error and I started putting a lot of arrows through paper to see if we could tune me instead of the bow and get some consistency. 600 arrows (over a week) later and no improvement and no real idea where the shot came from. On Monday night I was feeling a little cramped in the draw and more than a little pissed off with the whole thing. So lengthened the D-loop a little in sheer desperation and low and behold...bullet holes. 36 arrows and not a single bad shot.
So lesson learned. Paper tune is not totally useless... it can show you a thing or two... and total wow I never realised just how much bad draw length can queer the shot. And I gotta start listening to myself when I'm not comfy!
So Mr Damsbo has gone home :( and now we start planning for either Berlin or the F2F... not sure which yet. But the bow is at least tuned for paper and I'm slowly getting arrow count up again. Now maybe we can start worrying about score again :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo9SWS8dF0w
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Beginners luck?...
So forever and a day my elbow has been high and I've fought with getting comfortable on draw length. So spat the dummy this week and made a big change in draw to see if I can just make it work. Added half an inch in total and am currently feeling really good with the new draw length and anchor. All the lines look much improved and my bow shoulder isn't hitching and I'm not catching my arm every shot. So now everyone cross fingers that it's not just beginners luck (that luck that makes every new piece of kit awesome for a week) and that i never need to have this conversation with my bow or body again :D
Also just ordered a treadmill for home. My broken body prevents running and winter makes long walks somewhat uncomfortable... so bring on the tready! Need to get my cardio back up, I'm going stir crazy. So Erika is a happy camper this week. And feeling super positive about the world.
Mr Martin Damsbo arrives in 16 days for his first visit to Australia.... not that we're counting... So I can run all the changes past the expert when he gets here :) and of course introduce another Danish boy to Australia. Looking at the current flirts on the international archery line, we're all following in Mary's footsteps :)
Also just ordered a treadmill for home. My broken body prevents running and winter makes long walks somewhat uncomfortable... so bring on the tready! Need to get my cardio back up, I'm going stir crazy. So Erika is a happy camper this week. And feeling super positive about the world.
Mr Martin Damsbo arrives in 16 days for his first visit to Australia.... not that we're counting... So I can run all the changes past the expert when he gets here :) and of course introduce another Danish boy to Australia. Looking at the current flirts on the international archery line, we're all following in Mary's footsteps :)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
You might be thinking that an archer would be totally buff and awesome at pushups.... but reality is archery uses more back muscle and not so much arm... so me and push ups are not friends. But now after 6 weeks of Barre and pushups every class I can do a whole 20 push ups instead of just half of one :) yay me :)
I've been adjusting my draw length bit by bit for some weeks. So new vids are all me looking at draw length. I've been adding a twist every week to the cables. Feeling less cramped, but the draw weight has been edging up with the draw so had to take a turn off the limbs. So aim is floating a bit and feeling like a retarded toaster on crack.... but all the push ups and sit ups I've been doing on my Saturdays are making my abs and arms sore as on Sundays and I think that's as much an issue as anything...but loving Barre class...and the accuracy is settling again. Now I just need to be home long enough to practice... life would be simpler if hotels didn't freak about shooting in their hallways.
The indoor nationals is coming up so really want to drag out my recurve. It's tradition don't ya know :) Lets see if I can tune her up and look somewhat competent with no practice :D
My brains have officially rotted with my nephew's discovery of Thomas the tank engine... I can hear it ringing in my ears... Until now blissfully ignorant... I'm now know about Thomas, Gordon, Den, Salty, Annie, Clarabelle, Rheneas, the isle of Sodor..... and a host of others my two yr old nephew insists on telling me all about. One desperately hopes he discovers archery ASAP and the impending child is a niece so I never need to hear the Thomas theme song again.
The indoor nationals is coming up so really want to drag out my recurve. It's tradition don't ya know :) Lets see if I can tune her up and look somewhat competent with no practice :D
My brains have officially rotted with my nephew's discovery of Thomas the tank engine... I can hear it ringing in my ears... Until now blissfully ignorant... I'm now know about Thomas, Gordon, Den, Salty, Annie, Clarabelle, Rheneas, the isle of Sodor..... and a host of others my two yr old nephew insists on telling me all about. One desperately hopes he discovers archery ASAP and the impending child is a niece so I never need to hear the Thomas theme song again.
Been chatting with a fellow youtuber about hits and content. He thinks I should talk about things other than archery on my vids. Is it nerdy to admit outside of work there isn't much besides archery? My boyfriend is an archer, his ex is an archer, my ex is an archer, his mum is an archer, my parents are archers, our friends are archers.... We do kind of live and breathe it.
But open to ideas folks :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFucvp2SuBc
But open to ideas folks :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFucvp2SuBc
Thursday, May 24, 2012
You take the damn insulin and eat the stupid jelly bean!
Oh the evils of 7am fitness. So went hypo today walking in the door of my 7am barre class. And had to run out and find something to eat and some juice to see me through. It's such a minor thing and so simple to fix. But I cried anyway. I hate this useless shell that fights me every step and makes a joke of every ounce of effort I put in. Could really use that teaspoon of cement today... a bit of back bone and gumption would seriously go a long way. Some days are just too hard. Screw you world, my body is broken. I'm allowed to sook about it.
New videos to be release on Sunday. We're trying some new things and I hope the response is positive. Have also been invited to do some collaboration videos from some of the local talent. So could be some fun in future. :) people more tech savvy than me want to make movies :)
I've been getting contact too low on the bow hand so am working on fixing that. turning the hand to get a better 45deg angle on the knuckles and it seems to turn more in the shoulder too. giving a very solid feel to the bow shoulder. Feel like a total space cadet, but give it a week or two :)
And you'll notice talking... I'm ever astounded by the compliments on my accent... I shudder to hear it. But many folk have expressed a wish to hear it more.... so I'm punishing you all with my dulcet (if somewhat occa) tones :D no complaints. you asked for it :P
And...shock horror. I show a target. I'm never understanding the appeal of seeing a target. So many people think that seeing one target with arrows on youtube does some how a champion make. It really doesn't. It's one end out of thousands. And shows nothing more than the arrows shot for that one end (assuming you can even prove you shot them). But people ask so there you go.
It's a target. It has arrows. :)
Ooooh and recurve. I am feeling the bug. Really need to be home long enough to actually set my Helix up properly again....preferably before my dad decides i really don't need a recurve anymore and runs off with it. I see those covetous eyes!! I'm thinking I need to buy one of us a new curve..and soon.
On another note, my man is making me all proud in Amsterdam this week. He'll shoot the gold medal match for the European Championships on Saturday. And the beautiful Miss B finished 5th.
So proud of my fav peeps :) Miss you both a heap!
New videos to be release on Sunday. We're trying some new things and I hope the response is positive. Have also been invited to do some collaboration videos from some of the local talent. So could be some fun in future. :) people more tech savvy than me want to make movies :)
I've been getting contact too low on the bow hand so am working on fixing that. turning the hand to get a better 45deg angle on the knuckles and it seems to turn more in the shoulder too. giving a very solid feel to the bow shoulder. Feel like a total space cadet, but give it a week or two :)
And you'll notice talking... I'm ever astounded by the compliments on my accent... I shudder to hear it. But many folk have expressed a wish to hear it more.... so I'm punishing you all with my dulcet (if somewhat occa) tones :D no complaints. you asked for it :P
And...shock horror. I show a target. I'm never understanding the appeal of seeing a target. So many people think that seeing one target with arrows on youtube does some how a champion make. It really doesn't. It's one end out of thousands. And shows nothing more than the arrows shot for that one end (assuming you can even prove you shot them). But people ask so there you go.
It's a target. It has arrows. :)
Ooooh and recurve. I am feeling the bug. Really need to be home long enough to actually set my Helix up properly again....preferably before my dad decides i really don't need a recurve anymore and runs off with it. I see those covetous eyes!! I'm thinking I need to buy one of us a new curve..and soon.
On another note, my man is making me all proud in Amsterdam this week. He'll shoot the gold medal match for the European Championships on Saturday. And the beautiful Miss B finished 5th.
So proud of my fav peeps :) Miss you both a heap!
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Go team Denmark :)
So recall I said Danish team captain. This is really Danish for fetch and carry, but it comes with a uniform and responsibilities (and when I say team I mean Martin Damsbo and Louise Laursen). I attended the team captain meeting and checked the team in tray and accompanied the team to practice and competition and wrote the report after each day. And confused everyone used to seeing me in green and gold :)
And no Easter in China... only chocolate eggs we saw were the ones were brought ourselves. Miss B gave us hand painted ceramic eggs from Croatia and marzipan for the Danes and I brought Easter Bilbies (of course). There was also a Hagen Daz across the road from the hotel and a coffee establishment of some description so there were frequent coffee/ice cream dates after shooting was done. And of course the must see bargaining at Xiang Yang the underground market. However cheap you got your bargain, it was always cheaper the next store over.
First day on the field (unofficial practice) and we almost lost our recurver due to locking her room key in and missing the first bus. Good thing they have more than one bus... I locked my key in the room first day too :) And general consensus was that the Supreme Towers Hotel was much better for food, plumbing and location than the main hotel the Minya.
Ranking for my honorary team was rough all round. Martin shot a dodgy first round with a 342 and then changed stabilisers in the break for a 353 (went with a short stab for the wind) which dragged him up from 25th to 15th. Louise was perhaps tired from an already long trip away from home having shot the Coup des miss and a training camp in Korea before she arrived and her ranking round was not pretty, placing her in 81st and well below expected. Conditions were tricky for the week with the flags showing the wind in one direction and arrow flight suggesting the opposite.
Matchplay was shot in similar conditions. Louise had a rough start and rallied at the end but not enough to beat the girl from Ukraine 6-2 set points.
Martin cruised through the first 3 matches (including a bye) including a rematch against Aussie Mike Brosnan who gave him a tough match in Shanghai last year. Martin lost to Titscher in the 1/8 in a close match 146-145. And then as we say everyone was officially a tourist..so back to the training field.
And no Easter in China... only chocolate eggs we saw were the ones were brought ourselves. Miss B gave us hand painted ceramic eggs from Croatia and marzipan for the Danes and I brought Easter Bilbies (of course). There was also a Hagen Daz across the road from the hotel and a coffee establishment of some description so there were frequent coffee/ice cream dates after shooting was done. And of course the must see bargaining at Xiang Yang the underground market. However cheap you got your bargain, it was always cheaper the next store over.
First day on the field (unofficial practice) and we almost lost our recurver due to locking her room key in and missing the first bus. Good thing they have more than one bus... I locked my key in the room first day too :) And general consensus was that the Supreme Towers Hotel was much better for food, plumbing and location than the main hotel the Minya.
Ranking for my honorary team was rough all round. Martin shot a dodgy first round with a 342 and then changed stabilisers in the break for a 353 (went with a short stab for the wind) which dragged him up from 25th to 15th. Louise was perhaps tired from an already long trip away from home having shot the Coup des miss and a training camp in Korea before she arrived and her ranking round was not pretty, placing her in 81st and well below expected. Conditions were tricky for the week with the flags showing the wind in one direction and arrow flight suggesting the opposite.
Matchplay was shot in similar conditions. Louise had a rough start and rallied at the end but not enough to beat the girl from Ukraine 6-2 set points.
Martin cruised through the first 3 matches (including a bye) including a rematch against Aussie Mike Brosnan who gave him a tough match in Shanghai last year. Martin lost to Titscher in the 1/8 in a close match 146-145. And then as we say everyone was officially a tourist..so back to the training field.
In and around scheduled training times we managed some time for me to shoot. Martin brought me some new strings and cables in BCY 8190 to try and also some new wraps for my bow limbs and arrows. I think we're trying for the ultimate in colour matching... :)
Because my bow is 60lb and I've been shooting it at 50lb, there's a 1/2 inch difference in draw (due to the limbs being wound out massively) which I had compensated for by adjusting string and cable twists as needed. So the initial set up with the new strings was out by a half inch right off the bat and took a little tweaking to get right. And then we did a re-tune with the help of Pagni's high speed camera...I need me one of those!! And got the bow shooting pretty for the remainder of the week. And put a half turn on the limbs which while being slightly heavier, improved the tune/feel immensely.
Finally home again if only for a few days and missing my 'team'. Shot 210 arrows today with a 674 for the last 72 arrows... not great unless you realise by this stage my shoulder was burning and fingers were aching. So progress in the making with my new set up all pimped in pink and my new vocab - how to say 'damn cold' in Danish :)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Danish team captain...lol
So heading to Shanghai in two weeks. Not shooting, just playing support staff to the Danish and Croatian team...and anyone else they volunteer me for :) But officially for Denmark :D Uniform and official letter of invitation all arranged. How cute! :D
Shooting is going really well. People ask a lot about accuracy (yes I can show you a target with arrows in it...not much point when it's how you shoot in competition that counts) and right now it's not where I want it, but I'm crawling back slowly. I changed the grip on the release just after Vegas and so far I think we're on a winner. Waaaaay back in the day when I was still a poor starving lab rat... I learned how to shoot my first compound with a two finger Stanislowski CNC release... yes we do mean in the days when releases had loops on them and D-loops where a new fangled fancy idea and people still thought shooting compound with a bent arm made sense.... way back in those days. But the thing about the CNC was that it was an interesting beasty. I just wasn't strong enough to shoot it off the mid section of my fingers so I gripped it much deeper in the hand. And well just never really looked back.
But changing to the triggers has been a learning curve...I had amazing beginners luck. Shot a 1400 in practice in something like a month of shooting with my first trigger (gotta hate beginners luck!).... then comes the 3 Ds (doctorate, divorce and diabetes) to majorly interrupt my line of thought and the scores have suffered greatly... and now we've come full circle and we're addressing every annoying habit I've picked up over the last couple years and fixing them one by one. And I think changing my grip on the release was a big one :) Everything just sits in a better line. And even that stupid bow shoulder is in a better position.
Archery can be like herding kittens sometimes...super entertaining, but not always getting anywhere fast :D
Shooting is going really well. People ask a lot about accuracy (yes I can show you a target with arrows in it...not much point when it's how you shoot in competition that counts) and right now it's not where I want it, but I'm crawling back slowly. I changed the grip on the release just after Vegas and so far I think we're on a winner. Waaaaay back in the day when I was still a poor starving lab rat... I learned how to shoot my first compound with a two finger Stanislowski CNC release... yes we do mean in the days when releases had loops on them and D-loops where a new fangled fancy idea and people still thought shooting compound with a bent arm made sense.... way back in those days. But the thing about the CNC was that it was an interesting beasty. I just wasn't strong enough to shoot it off the mid section of my fingers so I gripped it much deeper in the hand. And well just never really looked back.
But changing to the triggers has been a learning curve...I had amazing beginners luck. Shot a 1400 in practice in something like a month of shooting with my first trigger (gotta hate beginners luck!).... then comes the 3 Ds (doctorate, divorce and diabetes) to majorly interrupt my line of thought and the scores have suffered greatly... and now we've come full circle and we're addressing every annoying habit I've picked up over the last couple years and fixing them one by one. And I think changing my grip on the release was a big one :) Everything just sits in a better line. And even that stupid bow shoulder is in a better position.
Archery can be like herding kittens sometimes...super entertaining, but not always getting anywhere fast :D
Monday, February 13, 2012
Vegas Baby :)
But wait...I must digress...
So post Denmark
Playing with getting better tension on the back wall....I was falling into bad habits getting super tense and applying strength without getting actual movement....like shooting a recurve and pulling for all you're worth and anyone watching the clicker can tell you the arrow didn't budge a millimetre. Apparently you get that with triggers too :D
And had decided that the GTX cams have it and worked out I can't shoot indoors and outdoors with the same bow, so had to fly interstate to use a real bow press so I could pull all 3 bows apart and re-jig them to suit my evil design.
Started with 1 Contender and 1 Contender Elite with GTX cams and 1 Contender Elite with Spiral cams.
Put 2012 limbs and GTX cams on the spiral cam CE
The old limbs from the spiral cam CE were swapped onto the contender along with the spiral cams.
Finished with 1 Contender with spirals and 2 Contender Elites with GTX cams all with the same draw weight and timed. Please note uber impressed with myself. Not every girl can operate a bow press, let alone swap out limbs and cams :D
Then had no time to do more than a rudimentary paper tune before the Aus day shoot. Draw length wasn't right and I think I was getting contact and generally shot like a retarded toaster.
Two days later I was on a plane to Vegas to shoot some arrows, lose some cash and see my guy. Thankfully my first GTX CE was already tuned in.
The Bass Pro shop in Las Vegas was huge! Spent a few days shooting there and catching sneaky practice at the World Indoor Champs practice venue where I was just a tourist for the week since my indoor performance at nationals was just nasty :D
Las Vegas is as one would expect, loud and bright and glitzy....did the requisite shopping and checking out the strip. Wasted money on the pokie machines and got thoroughly confused about who you tip and how much... Oh and had an emergency rush to the doctor in the middle of the night with some random tummy bug and got put on pain killers and antibiotics for the rest of the trip....the drug bottles here really do look like the ones House uses on tv :D
Decided on shooting the flights instead of championship this week since the purpose of my trip wasn't so much competition as a chance to get some shooting with my fella and work on a few things...and well Vegas is something every archer should see :)
First round (285) was a considerable disappointment with 4 8s after I hadn't dropped any all week in practice.....2nd round (292) I could barely draw the bow, the cramps in my draw arm were so bad. After much experimenting and shooting, my trigger is now lighter and I'm trying out the new platinums by Doinker. The 3rd round (294) the shooting was considerably improved and only the 8 I shot on the last end made for disappointment.... but baby steps. Won $105 and got to shoot in a relaxed environment with folk shooting at a similar level and just there to have fun :)
New form, new focus and the shooting is getting more consistent... I'm overall happy with the progress. Score we can work on as I get stronger and I'm told that that is the main problem now...but next year I'll shoot in the championship round...
Watching the men shoot in Championship flights is an exercise in human study. Everyone describes it the same...you can smell the fear. Guys who haven't dropped a point all season go out with a 9 in the first round. Watching down the line you can see shoulders slumping and heads bowing. Those still in are like men awaiting the axe to fall. And anyone of them will tell you how easy it is to clean a round right up until they get to Vegas.
So thumbs up for the biggest shoot in the world. I think we'll all be back next year. Apparently everyone thinks Australian accents are cute except Australians :D
So post Denmark
Playing with getting better tension on the back wall....I was falling into bad habits getting super tense and applying strength without getting actual movement....like shooting a recurve and pulling for all you're worth and anyone watching the clicker can tell you the arrow didn't budge a millimetre. Apparently you get that with triggers too :D
And had decided that the GTX cams have it and worked out I can't shoot indoors and outdoors with the same bow, so had to fly interstate to use a real bow press so I could pull all 3 bows apart and re-jig them to suit my evil design.
Started with 1 Contender and 1 Contender Elite with GTX cams and 1 Contender Elite with Spiral cams.
Put 2012 limbs and GTX cams on the spiral cam CE
The old limbs from the spiral cam CE were swapped onto the contender along with the spiral cams.
Finished with 1 Contender with spirals and 2 Contender Elites with GTX cams all with the same draw weight and timed. Please note uber impressed with myself. Not every girl can operate a bow press, let alone swap out limbs and cams :D
Then had no time to do more than a rudimentary paper tune before the Aus day shoot. Draw length wasn't right and I think I was getting contact and generally shot like a retarded toaster.
Two days later I was on a plane to Vegas to shoot some arrows, lose some cash and see my guy. Thankfully my first GTX CE was already tuned in.
The Bass Pro shop in Las Vegas was huge! Spent a few days shooting there and catching sneaky practice at the World Indoor Champs practice venue where I was just a tourist for the week since my indoor performance at nationals was just nasty :D
Las Vegas is as one would expect, loud and bright and glitzy....did the requisite shopping and checking out the strip. Wasted money on the pokie machines and got thoroughly confused about who you tip and how much... Oh and had an emergency rush to the doctor in the middle of the night with some random tummy bug and got put on pain killers and antibiotics for the rest of the trip....the drug bottles here really do look like the ones House uses on tv :D
Decided on shooting the flights instead of championship this week since the purpose of my trip wasn't so much competition as a chance to get some shooting with my fella and work on a few things...and well Vegas is something every archer should see :)
First round (285) was a considerable disappointment with 4 8s after I hadn't dropped any all week in practice.....2nd round (292) I could barely draw the bow, the cramps in my draw arm were so bad. After much experimenting and shooting, my trigger is now lighter and I'm trying out the new platinums by Doinker. The 3rd round (294) the shooting was considerably improved and only the 8 I shot on the last end made for disappointment.... but baby steps. Won $105 and got to shoot in a relaxed environment with folk shooting at a similar level and just there to have fun :)
New form, new focus and the shooting is getting more consistent... I'm overall happy with the progress. Score we can work on as I get stronger and I'm told that that is the main problem now...but next year I'll shoot in the championship round...
Watching the men shoot in Championship flights is an exercise in human study. Everyone describes it the same...you can smell the fear. Guys who haven't dropped a point all season go out with a 9 in the first round. Watching down the line you can see shoulders slumping and heads bowing. Those still in are like men awaiting the axe to fall. And anyone of them will tell you how easy it is to clean a round right up until they get to Vegas.
So thumbs up for the biggest shoot in the world. I think we'll all be back next year. Apparently everyone thinks Australian accents are cute except Australians :D
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Glædelig jul og et Godt Nytår
Sooo...Christmas in Denmark.
After 3 fairly traditional christmas meals (modern and old fashioned) I don't think I ever need to eat again....Meat, potato, rugbrød, risalamande....and loooots of marzipan.... ooh yeah and schnapps....still haven't seen a vegetable :D It's like Ireland with a pub on every corner...just it's a bakery on every street.
Erika and cold....we were sitting in the lounge after xmas dinner and it's was apparently 26C in the room...I had a blanket over my knees and my coat still on...everyone else was sweating :D
New years eve with my favourite people... and a cancelled flight so I got an extra day my fav person :)
Shooting was worth it. Denmark knows how to set up an indoor range :)
Just playing with a few things and getting my new Contender Elite with GTX cams set up. Love the bow so far :) I'm still bow tuning retarded. But having two of the top compounders in the world to scratch their brains and offer their thoughts was gold. Learnt a little more about bow set up and shot set up...and philosophy on bow tuning...made Danish tv :D, heard Danish in a cornish accent... learned a little Danish, saw the little mermaid... got Hans Christian Anderson's stories in Danish (my new reading project...a bigger challenge than Harry Potter in Spanish)... watched candy being made in the Søemod Bolcher.... 42kg of sugar a batch...kind of funny for a diabetic, but they make great sugar free ones too :)
So now kicking back in København Airport waiting to fly the too many miles home and start planning for Vegas...and seriously need to qualify for something...so hoping I've got the help I needed to make it all come together again. We'll beat that pancreas yet.
After 3 fairly traditional christmas meals (modern and old fashioned) I don't think I ever need to eat again....Meat, potato, rugbrød, risalamande....and loooots of marzipan.... ooh yeah and schnapps....still haven't seen a vegetable :D It's like Ireland with a pub on every corner...just it's a bakery on every street.
Erika and cold....we were sitting in the lounge after xmas dinner and it's was apparently 26C in the room...I had a blanket over my knees and my coat still on...everyone else was sweating :D
New years eve with my favourite people... and a cancelled flight so I got an extra day my fav person :)
Shooting was worth it. Denmark knows how to set up an indoor range :)
Just playing with a few things and getting my new Contender Elite with GTX cams set up. Love the bow so far :) I'm still bow tuning retarded. But having two of the top compounders in the world to scratch their brains and offer their thoughts was gold. Learnt a little more about bow set up and shot set up...and philosophy on bow tuning...made Danish tv :D, heard Danish in a cornish accent... learned a little Danish, saw the little mermaid... got Hans Christian Anderson's stories in Danish (my new reading project...a bigger challenge than Harry Potter in Spanish)... watched candy being made in the Søemod Bolcher.... 42kg of sugar a batch...kind of funny for a diabetic, but they make great sugar free ones too :)
So now kicking back in København Airport waiting to fly the too many miles home and start planning for Vegas...and seriously need to qualify for something...so hoping I've got the help I needed to make it all come together again. We'll beat that pancreas yet.
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