A day with bows and Arrows
29th July 2023Guildford Archery Club
One of my Consorts, Will played rackets in school. Watching him, I learned a lot about speed and being FAST. I also learned how to duck. Getting hit by a rackets ball travelling 150 mph is life threatening! This past Saturday thanks to the generous hospitality of the Master Fletcher, Andrew Trapnell and his wife, Melanie, I had the opportunity to learn a completely different definition of the word FAST. In archery when someone yells FAST, everyone needs to start yelling FAST while simultaneously stopping shooting and return from full draw to the at ease position. Under the expert tutelage of Jill, a trainer at the Guildford Archery Club and the support of Liveryman Brady Brim-DeForest and Sam Chadd, Master of the Guild of Young Freemen, I managed to hit 3 golds!! A feat I am terribly proud of. The Fletchers have had a long standing relationship with the Guildford Archery Club, (which opened in 1954) and have sponsored and supported their endeavours, enabling many to learn the art of archery. My arrows were definitely not of competitive speed: Recurve bow arrows can travel up to 225 feet per second (fps) or 150mph while compound bow arrows can travel up to 300fps (200mph). However, when I could stop moving my chin when I let go, the arrow generally made it on the target!!! Sam and Brady were magnificent. Sam won the competition and Brady placed joint second. Amongst the women competitors, Celia, wearing a fabulous necklace from Hawaii instead of her chevron pendant, showed us all what a true winner she is! She was brilliant as was Katharine, Sam Chadd’s wife and consort, who placed second with some enviable shots. There was definitely a competition within the competition between Sam and Katharine. Apparently it is possible to hit the gold three times in one turn as opposed to three times in one day…. The Fletchers ever welcoming and kind as well as their special guests cheered me on nonetheless and on a fine day at the Guildford Archery Club, we all celebrated with delicious homemade cake and everyone left feeling like a winner!