Kelantan indoor archery cup 2017 - Part 1

Our first archery tournament at the East Coast...

I have very low expectations when I signed up for the 2017 Kelantan Indoor Archery Cup in Kota Baru.
A fellow archer Wan Rohafizan had alerted me about the tournament taking place in mid-March and it didn't take long for me to get the details to sign-up.
This is the second year such an event is being organised in Kelantan and what got me really interested was the location of the tournament.
Jeff, my shooting buddy and I represented the Subang Barebow Archers. Michelle is nursing her post-surgical wounds and will be out of action until May this year. The other archer, Mr Lau is changing his shooting style after a poor performance in Bangi.

Preparations

Like any other tournament, we spent time training at the range. Our aim is to get a nice grouping on a 40cm, 10-ring target face. This is the standard shooting format at all indoor tournaments for Barebow archery.
The last time we shot, was in Bangi. Following that, we trained at our range. Getting shot placements, grouping and consistency in check and balance.
Since Kota Baru is about 1,200km round trip, we had to book our accommodation in advance. My preferred lodging is Tune Hotel which is located near the city centre. Since I had to drive, the car was serviced for the long-haul.
After paying the tournament fees (RM100/US$22.60) we secured a place at the shooting line.
My choice bow was the Hoyt Tiburon. I grew very fond of this modern traditional takedown bow. For arrows, it's the Easton Axis Traditional size 500 carbon shafts.

The fantastic journey...

At the old Gua Musang train station in Kelantan

Samo made his mark in Kelantan...

Enjoying a late lunch before heading off to the event venue

We left KL a day before the tournament and took a long drive via the Bentong - Kota Baru trunk road.
The journey was a breeze as there weren't many vehicles on the road. I wanted to show Jeff, my shooting partner Gua Musang in Southern Kelantan. We had a short break there before proceeding towards Kota Baru.
By late noon, we arrived in the city and went straight to get our lunch. The choice makan place was Lim Siong Kee Beef Noodles located opposite Tune Hotel.
Jeff loved the beef noodles and compared it with the branch in Puchong, Selangor. He said the one in Kelantan tastes even better. Maybe he was really hungry!
After a good fill, we made our way to Pusat Tarbiah Islamiah Kelantan (PUTIK) located near the airport.
There was some confusion on Google Maps as the apps navigator led us to the airport's departure terminal instead.
After a phone call was made, we were redirected to the actual place. It was supposed to be registration, equipment inspection and practise. But that didn't happen.

We met a fellow barebow archer Wan Rohafizan at the PUTIK hall. He was there earlier to compete in the Men's Recurve open event and was ranked 12/16. 
Wan is an aspiring barebow archer who has also competed at the International Barebow Championship in Bangkok last year.
His experience is invaluable as barebow archers are growing in numbers. 
We indulged in a conversation and also met Simon, a Singaporean who organised the IBC event in Bangkok.

 After hours...

We scouted the location and felt that it was time to head back to town, check-in at the hotel and prepare for the tournament day.
Jeff was really suprised with Kota Baru as a city. The impression he had was a backwards town that is repressed.
What came as a surprise was beers in Chinatown and roasted pork in skewers. We had a meal in town and chilled out with a couple of beers before hitting the sack...

Malaysia Cup Archery - Round 1

Malaysia "indoor" Archery Tournament...

Fooling around before the shootout...

We came to know about a local indoor archery tournament taking place in Perak. The gang and I have been training our shot placement and agreed to take part.
This is also in preparation for the 2017 Princess Cup Archery tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.

Tournament day

I made arrangements to round up the Subang Barebow Archers team and shoot straight off to Simpang Pulai in Perak on Sept 24.
The plan was to leave at 04:30am and arrive just in time for registration and get along with the day's program.
Traditional archery was first on the list and there were at least 132 people taking part in the event.
Our buddy Mr Lau was first to go as he was prepped with the first group.

Lau, sleep-walking to the field.. Hahah!

Michelle setting up her bow

Listening to the briefing

Lau, at the shooting line

Something we didn't quite expect...

The "indoor" tournament had turned out to be an outdoor event. The shooting line was set at 18-meters with 10 shooting lanes.
We didn't expect the organization to be so bad, that the shoot actually started an hour late. Four groups were queued for the event. 
It was bad enough that most of us had grumbled about the repetition of the traditional archery event.
Instead of the usual one-round, archers were given two. 
Such, said the organizer, was done to give "satisfaction" to those who came from afar.
It was an agony to wait till our turn was up, nine hours later!

The advantage of training and mental conditioning

Taking my shot

Michelle in the second group

Taking scores

Michelle in action

My spotter...

Towards the last stage of our shot placement training in Subang Jaya, we took our shots mostly on a 40cm, 10-ring target face.
This helped us to hone our grouping and shot placements. 
When we got called to the shooting line, we did exactly what we had trained for.
I took my time, much to the frustration of other archers in the group. We were given 1 minutes 30 seconds to empty our quiver.
On the average, I took about 20 seconds to nock, aim and shoot.
My arrows landed mostly in the blue, red and yellow. 
In the first round, I scored 165 points and on the second-round, my scores improved at 186. I was a bit nervous during the first few ends, but having the advantage of shooting at the Princess Cup in Thailand had taught me to take my time. Pace each shot and try to make as few mistakes as possible. 
We were tested under rain and shine and I must say that Michelle did extremely well by scoring 168 points in the first round and getting 177 points in the second.
By the time she was done, it was way past 7:30pm. It got dark and we were done. We weren't bothered to go into the quarter-finals. 

Ranking 

Out of 54 archers in the barebow category, we came in at 10 and 11 respectively. We qualified for the next round, but were too beat to carry on. We have a two-hour drive to get back to Subang Jaya. That said, we had to forgo the shootout. 

The good...

Well, I have to say that the fellowship of archers was the main draw for this tournament. There were a lot of nice folks at the event ground. I met some familiar faces and some folks from the Monster Chill tournament in Malacca last year.

The bad...

Bad organization really marred the reputation of the tournament managers. The event went on until midnight. Many of those who qualified did a walk-over. 

The ugly...

I have to say that safety was the major issue here. While some folks were taking their practise shots, people can be seen walking in the background. And some idiots were smoking on the shooting line, this is a no-no in terms of sporting ethics.

Monster Chill Archery Tournament - Round 2

Samo's first archery tournament..

At the tournament site in Tanjung Keling, Malacca

My buddy cikgu Lau asked if I am interested to join him at a traditional archery tournament in Malacca.
It was posted in Facebook sometime back by a company called "Monster Chill Archery" which is based in Malacca.
Ironically, this retail outlet is also said to be one of the best archery pro shops in the country.
The only thing that caught my attention: is the Samick Sage bow that they are selling. I was told that it's available off the shelves.
The tournament was in it's second-stage of a 12-round grand-slam.
At the end of it, there is a RM15,000 cash prize waiting for the winner with the highest points accumulated from the tournament.

A first time for everything...

I have never competed before and going to the Monster Chill tournament is a good experience for me.
Prior to departure, Lau said he will drive and my plan was to split the cost with him.
The tournament organizers catered food and there was no entrance fees charged for competitors.
At the venue ground in Tanjung Keling, I was told by Zahir Yousuff, the organizer, that some 1,000 people had signed-up.
"We had to cut off at 400 and many couldn't make it today (Aug 1) because they were turned back at Putrajaya."
Despite that, the turnout was really good.
Archers representing teams, schools as well as individuals came from all over the country.
Noticeable, were men in traditional costumes and their Korean horse bows. Some even made their own bows from PVC pipes.
At the Men's traditional bow category, there were more than 290 contestants.
The morning began with a briefing from the official and an elimination round.
Lau was competitor number 285, while I was given 290 as my official number.
We waited till mid-noon till our number was called to the respective lanes.

Making new friends: Lau talking to a fellow archer from Kuala Lumpur

Registration for the Men's traditional category

Special preference..

Lau told me that since there weren't enough non-Malay contestants, we were given two spots to take part. 
Initially, I wasn't keen at all. 
And in a crowd consisting Malay and Islamic warriors, we stuck out like sore thumbs. The organizer also allowed takedown recurve bows to be used in the traditional tournament. As lot as there's no target sight. I am fine with that. So, my choice bow for this tournament was my Martin Panther #45 takedown recurve bow.
But seeing as it is, I decided to keep Lau company at the event.
I must say that I was very nervous when our turn was up.
Participants were given 1 minute 30 seconds to shoot 9 arrows onto the target bud.
I watched from a distance as the participants shot away during the practice rounds and eventually lined up in a row to determine if they have what it takes to move forward to the second round.
The format was very simple: at 30 yards, the archer must put his arrows into a target paper and at the end of the 1 and a-half minute shootout, get the highest points earned.
There were judges to take score and entertain protests. And the way it was organized, I must say that Zahir's team had done an excellent job.

Traditional archers in action

The compound bow category

Judges taking points at the elimination round

Stay calm, shoot tight..

When you stand in a row of 10 archers, there's a lot of tension and nervousness.
Letting go 9 arrows in 1 minute 30 seconds can make a man fumble.
Arrows were flying everywhere, some bounced off the hard ground and made it's way to the brush while some hits it's intended target.
In such a short time with more than 20 ends back-to-back, the crowd of 290 men were reduced to 64 archers during the elimination round.
My turn was up and I was at the last lane (10 lanes per end).
I was trying very hard to calm my nerves and my first arrow landed low.
There was enough time to compensate as I slowly zeroed-in on the target paper.
By the end of the shootout, I had two arrows in the outer yellow ring (18 points) and one in the blue (6 points).
All-in, I scored 24 points. That was enough to qualify for the second-round. Lau managed to put one - dead center and earned 10 points. But, that was not enough to carry him forward to the second-round.

Lau and I during practice round

The excellent lunch break

Official results - elimination..

We moved to the main area where lunch was served. 
The organizers provided meals for the competitors and one of the main highlights was roast lamb.
I must say that the simple food was excellent and there was enough time for us to mingle with the rest of the archers.
It turned out that despite the "warrior" looks and mentality, those guys are really friendly.
During lunch, I spoke to Wan Rohafizan, a fellow traditional recurve archer. He was shooting a Hoyt Buffalo with Quattro carbon-fibre limbs. The bow poundage was reduced to 32lbs and this guy shoots very well.
When you carry a 64" takedown recurve, you tend to stick out like a sore thumb. It also attracts attention from archers who have never seen a hunting bow. 
I must say that I have little expectation at this event and all that was in my mind -- was to learn and have fun.
After the meals, we moved back into the main tent. 
An announcement was made and the entry number of the archers were called up. In a chart, there was knock-out round to determine who goes to round 3 and the finals.

Wan Rohafizan in action, he finished first in the Men's traditional archery category

Squaring-off with a fellow archer from Kelantan during the quarter-finals

A photo-ops at the tournament

The quarter-finals

But mid-day, the best archers in the house were called-in to square-off. 
Each man was given 2 minutes to hit a target paper, 45 yards away and as a bonus, a 3D bunny was place. 
This will earn the archer another 15 points if he managed to put two arrows on it.
At such a distance, things got really technical.
There's elevation and windage and to be frank, I have never shot beyond 30 yards.
It's all up to pure skills and a little bit of luck to land the arrow on the paper.
Everyone was nervous and when my turn was up, I tried to put all my 9 arrows onto the target bud.
From a distance (ranged at 45 yards by a dude with a range-finder), my arrows seemed to land low on the target bud.
None of it had hit the inner or outer ring.
My opponent, a young man from Kelantan on lane 10, did very well. 
After collecting the arrows (I didn't lose any), I walked to my opponent and shook his hands. He's a better archer.
To me, this became a valuable experience and motivation to shoot 30 yards for a better grouping.
Lau, his son Joshua and I left Tanjung Keling and headed straight to Subang Jaya after I had dropped out from the tournament.
He is determined to train for round 3 of the Monster Chill tournament which will be held in Kuala Lumpur..