Exiting grief

 It felt like I had sat in a car at 400km/h and hit a coconut tree, everything was obliterated and I walked out with just a sprained ankle. We mourned the passing of a family member and at the height of this emotional roller coaster, I went through denial, anguish, despair, a huge sense of loss, regret, and self-pity. I took it rather hard because I spent a great deal of time with my dogs. This is apparent when I am no longer in employment. There were long hours with the dogs as my companion. So, having said that, the bond is very close. Kitto's passing was sudden and nobody saw that coming. So, as a cautionary tale, if you have a female dog, and do not have plans to get a litter, please spay her. She will enjoy a longer life. 

Now the dust has settled, it's time to set new priorities. I have Bandit, the last of our pack, and it is my responsibility to take good care of him as I had with Kitto. The whole experience taught me something: Life is short.

I have to make use of time in a good and organized way. I took it back to the range to work on my archery form, which totally sucked in a big way. There is a tournament this weekend and this is a good way to focus on positivity and get into the game mindset. We have a bigger game down South at the end of the month and we need our minds to be on the game. I kept myself busy by building new competition arrows for Michelle. As for Bandit, we do full loops on our daily walks to get our hearts pumping and blood flowing. Time to move on and get back to where we were...

2019 Singapore National Games - Part 2

"TBAC Territory"

Team Rogue Archers: Samo, Isaac, and Jeremy

Since Barebow was contested as a team event, the Teluk Belangah Archery Club or "TBAC" in short, has been dominant. They eliminate all their competitors and came up top 3 in the event. For them, it's a clean sweep through and through.
To throw them off the track, Jeremy had waited till the last minute to register our team. I pitched the name "Rogue Archers" which the guys had well received.
The TBAC guys never saw this coming and after day one, we came up tops in our group. While the dominant TBAC archers who formed a great team was numero uno in their own terms. 

Getting ready for the K-O rounds on day 2...

On the elimination rounds, we met the more laidback guys from TBAC consisting of Uncle Tan Tock Seng, Toon Wee, and another old-timer. I met Uncle Tan and Toon at the Sungai Lembing 3D shoot. So, this was a small reunion.
The first game was "easy" as we eliminated the "fun" guys from TBAC.
This was followed by a break before we met the "next generation" archers from TBAC called "Bersatu".

Taking my shot at the finals...

Teamwork at its best... 

"Bersatu" was made up of TBAC's finest young talent. Two guys and a lady made up the team. One of them, Dennis, I met him at the Thailand Princess Cup in Bangkok back in June. Turned out to be quite a decent guy.
During the K-O rounds, our lead archer Isaac had a bad release, resulting in a miss. Jeremy and I made up with some good shots.
Even with a miss, we came up with 11 points higher than our opponents. More apparent was one of the ends with all arrows in the yellow. We were relaxed, didn't lower our guard and had a great match with TBAC's younger and inexperienced team.

Completing the circle...

Our match at the finals was with TBAC's team OK.
We took them on the day before and they consist of three of TBAC's finest archers. They were Ang See Chuan, who won the 2016 Thailand Princess Cup Barebow Open, Dennis Ng and Gary Ang, one of the club's top archers.

Ending TBAC's dominance at the Singapore National Games

Thanking our fellow archers...

Jeremy put his plans into action. He picked Isaac as his running mate and added the final touch with me as the "mystery archer" in the team.
It was psychology warfare with Jeremy keeping the opponents guessing, much to the dislike of some folks. I can see the resentment on the faces of the guys that we have eliminated. But hey, it's just a game. 
We met the last team standing. All our arrows connect and when the last arrow hits the target face on the final end, I can see Jeremy raising his arms, signaling an end to years of TBAC dominance. We congratulated the second-place winners and thanked them for a good game.

receiving our medals from TBAC's coach

Mission accomplished! 

We later received our medals and small prize money. Jeremy took the celebrations with beers and hot-pot at a local restaurant. He was very happy to add another trophy and to him, it was a trifecta. Previously, he won the recurve and compound team matches. Barebow completes the Holy Trinity.
For me, it was living up to the expectations of getting the job done. I am the foreigner whom nobody gives a shit about at the game. So, that said, the Singapore National Games lent valuable experience in teamwork and cohesion in high-pressure situations. I also struck off another of my "Bucket list" which is to shoot in Singapore... 

2019 Singapore National Games - Part 1

Into the Lion's den...

Rogue Archers: Jeb, Samo, Jeremy, and Isaac

 Sometime late last year, my archery buddy from Singapore Jeremy Han had mentioned his intent to compete at a team game at the Singapore National Games.
This actually happened as I traveled to Singapore to compete with his team. 
I have never shared the shooting line with Jeremy and was introduced to Isaac Goh, a fellow teammate earlier this year when I made a trip down to Singapore.
The plan was to crash at Jeremy's home and head down to the Toa Payoh stadium for the shoot.

Logistics...

My plan was simple. Take a bus down to Singapore. This is also the first time I am bringing in archery equipment to the island republic. So, I went in prepared.
There are daily bus services to Singapore from Bandar Sunway which was perfect for me. 
For this game, I packed light and brought my trusty CD Archery WF25X bow with me.
To get past Customs, I first have to declare the equipment at the Sultan Abu Bakar CIC complex near Tanjung Kupang. This was, of course, a pain in the ass.
Next, comes the most trying part: The Singapore Customs...

In the bus, ready to roll...

My ride to the far South...

Arriving in Singapore...

I hauled my gear to the X-ray machine and handed the paperwork to the security staff.
She called a senior Customs officer and two cops. Lots of questions to answer and I was brought to a room where more screening was done. After determining that the intent to bring archery equipment into the island republic was justified, I was allowed to enter.
Thankfully, the bus was still waiting. It made its way to the HarbourFront and my buddies Jeremy and Jeb were already there.

"Annihilate with extreme prejudice..."

Fighting sleep deprivation, we had a full day ahead of us. It started with a light practice at a private range near Teluk Belangah.
Jeremy had set up a new bow which is identical to the one Isaac was using.
Prior to this, I had never shot with the guys.
I sighted in with my bow and was confident of pulling it together at the qualifying rounds on the first day of the team event.

Jeremy sighting-in his bow

Zeroing-in with my WF25X

We met the first team from the Singapore "Boy's Brigade". They came in third last year and was said to be very experienced in the game.
We have two arrows each to land on two 40cmx10ring target faces. One anchor archer with shoot an arrow each on the two faces. 
Since we have never shot as a team, Isaac decided to be the anchor while Jeremy and I took one face each.
We took the first end, the Boys Brigade equalized and the rest of the game belonged to us with an 8-2 win (with one bonus round).

The crowd in the Tao Payoh Stadium

Pep talk with Jeremy after finishing a round...

Counting scores and marking the target faces...

After a good lunch break, we took on four other teams and came up top in our group, unbeaten.
My arrows connected throughout the rounds and I was just glad to be able to do get the job done.

Inculcating good sportsmanship: Jeremy thanking our opponents for a good game...

We cleaned up the rest good including two teams from the Teluk Blangah Archery club. These are premier and seasoned Barebow archers in the island republic who have vast experience competing overseas.
My last brush with them was at Sungai Lembing at a 3D shoot...

Next: Changing mindset...

2017 Malaysia Cup 3

Round 3, the final outing...

We shot in round 1 and 2 and were ranked 9th and 17th after the points were tallied. This is expected to drop after the third round in Banting. Jeff, my shooting buddy and I had trained over the past couple of months to get used to our shot placements and grouping.
Coach Lau (recently certified) had come out of recluse to join us in Banting for the shoot.

And as usual...

Kampung tournaments will be kampung tournaments. This event is a non-sanctioned tournament in search of three top barebow archers to represent the country in the Thailand Princess Cup archery event in Bangkok. Come June, three men will compete against the best barebow archers from Thailand and Singapore.

Team Subang Barebow Archers in Banting

Jeff taking aim during the practise session

The Malaysia Cup is a joint effort by several archery clubs in Selangor and Perak. The main person is Sharani Ibrahim, a religious teacher who is also one the leading traditional archers in the country.
Sharani took it upon himself to organise a league system tournament where the finals will determine who represents the country in Thailand.
Since the first tournament in Simpang Pulai last year, the response has been promising. There are a rising number of barebow archers who are following the league.

A fun shoot...

Jeff and I treated the event as a fun shoot. Mostly to get used to tournament pressure. Shooting in a high-pressure situation helped us to maintain our composure and focus on scoring on the target face.
The target faces used in this tournament are printed on vinyl banners. I guess it's the organiser's way to save cost. 
Unlike the Bangi and Kota Baru barebow events, the target faces are stacked very close to each other. 
Event the target buds are smaller than those stipulated in sanctioned events.

The kampung target faces, an archer's nightmare...

Expect the unexpected...

I was assigned target face "C" and one of my main concern is the last ring on the target face. It's just too low and if you miss, the arrow will dive into the ground. So, my strategy was to place my shots high. Doesn't matter if I miss the ring, as long as the arrows are on the target bud.

 

Jeff taking his shot during the official round

Jeff, Wan Rohafizan and Coach Lau

After 30 arrows in round one, my scores were appalling. I managed to score 132 points. It was the worst shot since round 2 in Simpang Pulai.
In round 2, it was time to turn thing around. During the first few ends, I managed to gain a bit of points. My best ends were the last four before wrapping up round 2. I scored 180 points but the final tally is questionable. We submitted the scores to the kampung judges and I was 10 points short. In the final rankings after two rounds, I came in at 24th place. Jeff was ranked 39th while Coach Lau came in at 35th.
On the whole, I was pretty happy with my performance because the "C" target face is one my weakest shot placements.
In the months to come, I will work on my form, especially my release and follow-through.

Good memories and training...

All good things said and done, I don't think we managed to collect enough league points to make it into the top 20 ranking.
Sixteen archers from the barebow event from rounds 1, 2 and 3 will slug it out in University Teknologi Petronas on April 1. May the best man wins...

Staying in the game...

Patience and practise...

I picked up my bow nearly two years ago and there hasn't been a moment of regret. From the Martin Panther takedown recurve, I've added a few more bows to my keeps.
Since the first time I shot my bow, I have been constantly practising at our range in Subang Jaya.
That said, we kept in the loop by entering local tournaments to hone our minds and overcome performance anxiety.

The road to Bangkok 2017

One of the highlights of the year will be the Princess Cup Archery tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.
We look forward to this and learned a lot from our first-time experience competing with some of the best barebow archers in the Southeast Asian region.
The Thais are no stranger to shooting a bow without sight and they are very good at it. Nearly 60% of their archers made it through qualifying rounds.

The team in Bangkok last year

The Princess Cup tournament was a real interesting learning experience. We are now honing our shot placement and consistency.
That said, the local tournaments held around the country actually helped us to gauge our ability to perform under pressure.

"Malaysia Cup"

Just a few months after the Thailand event, we took part in a small tournament in Perak. This was an eye-opener to most of the barebow archers in the country.
Many are still grappling with the concept of shooting a modern bow without the aid of an aiming sight.
Most barebow archers are still shooting with the "split-finger" release technique while a handful of archers shot with the "three-under" release technique with is apparent with good barebow archery.

Shooting at round 1 of the Malaysia Cup in Perak

At an indoor tournament in Malacca

We did pretty okay at round 1 of the local tournament in Perak. I came in at 10th place while Michelle, my wife took 11th.
In the months that came, we went back to Perak for round 2.
That's when the organiser had changed the height of the target stand resulting in some surprises.
The top-seeded archer from round 1 went crashing. 
Now that more archers are becoming aware of the barebow event, some new talents sprang up in Perak.
As for me, I did badly shooting two rounds at the tournament. I scored 274 points and my shot placements were really poor.
We left Perak with our heads down. A new champion had emerged and the biggest upset was the second-seeded archer from round 1 had gone down to the 28th placing.

With my buddy Jeff in Perak during round 2

The qualifying round 

Combined ranking...

I was rather surprised with the overall combined ranking after two rounds of the Malaysia Cup. (There are four stages and the winners of the league championships will be sponsored for Thailand Princess Cup in June).
My team members were in the top 20 place after two rounds.
I came in at 9th, while Jeff's score placed him at 17th on the final tally.
Most who didn't shot in round 2 were ranked lower due to the lack of points collected.
The results motivated us to train harder. The real test in my humble opinion will be the 2017 Thailand Princess Cup in Bangkok.
Registration will open in April and this time round, we will be mentally prepared to take on some of the best barebow archers in the region...  

2016: The year in perspective...

Archery, archery, archery....

With KP Lau, my archery buddy

IT's only fair to say that 2016 had pretty much centered around archery. The year opened with an opportunity to compete in Thailand at the Princess Cup Archery tournament in June. Prior to that, we spent most of our weekend training at our little range in Subang Jaya.

Our team's concept logo

After registering at the Thai tournament, I came up with the idea of forming a team with its own identity.
Hence, the "Subang Barebow Archers". It's a steep learning curve for me as I designed the logo from scratch and when things started to take shape, it's a satisfying moment.

At the tournament venue in Bangkok

A humbling experience...

Bangkok taught me two things: how to get over performance anxiety and proper shot placement on the target.
Timing is everything and one does not need to rush on the shooting line. I used this experience to continue to stay in the game back at home, training resumes at the 18-meter lane with a 40cm, 10-ring target face salvaged from the tournament.

Staying in the game...

Training with a Martin Cypress takedown recurve bow

Exit Bangkok, we took part in a couple of local tournaments in the country to stay focused on overcoming anxiety and hone our shot placement.
In the months to come, we continued training in our small range and worked on our consistency.
The year draws to a close and we look forward to 2017 with the Princess Cup Archery tournament in Thailand. 
In the mean time, its back to more training...

Malacca Barebow Open

Staying in focus...

We have another seven or eight months to train for the 2017 Thailand Princess Cup archery tournament in Bangkok.
And one of the best way to "stay on edge", is to participate in local tournaments. It surely helps to calm the nerves while shooting with a crowd and since the Simpang Pulai event in September, there has been a steady string of events for barebow archers.

Malacca

One of our guys has gone into "semi-retirement". So, out of the lot, only three people are left in the team.
I was pretty keen on to carry on with the local meet and when an opportunity came, I grabbed it without hesitation.
The event was held in Malacca in conjunction with the National Sports Day. It was a 15-meter shoot at a local hypermarket in Ayer Keroh.

With one of the regular Barebow archer at the shooting line

That "moment"

Taking aim

Beating the competition...

Among the group, there was a really good archer from Cheras who shot his way to the top spot in Simpang Pulai.
He was also pretty humble and easy to get along with. Encik Khairulnizam from Sabil Archery team shot 224 points to win the Barebow event.
Spare the agonizing wait, the six-arrow, five-end shootout ended in a flash. I had a few misses on the 20cm target face and managed to score 144 points.
I tied with an Austrian dude with the same score and came in at 10th place. Poor indoor lighting made it hard to zero-in on the target and I guess this is something that I had to address, especially when it comes to local tournaments.
The next shoot is in December and I will have plenty of time to train for this...

Range Day episode 15: Shot placement training

Samo and the gang practices shot placement training at the range today. Thank you for watching!

Range Day Episode 14: Shooting the Primal Gear Unlimited Compact Folding Survival Bow

I've had the Primal Gear Unlimited Compact Folding Survival Bow and it's a real fun bow to shoot. 
Check out my take on the survival tool on episode 14 of Range Day. Thank you for watching! 

Range Day Episode 13: Arrow Wars - Redemption Day

Today's showdown at the range was intense. We shot four sets, ending up in a tie between Samo and Mrs Samo.
The deciding factor was a 30-meter shootout to determine the winner and clearly, Mrs Samo has the edge as a better archer! 

Range Day: Episode 12 - Samo's take on the Hoyt Buffalo takedown recurve bow...

Samo's been shooting the Hoyt Buffalo Takedown Recurve Bow for more than a year.
It's a high-tech takedown recurve bow featuring Hoyt's formula limb technology. The buffalo's short 19" riser is solid and smooth. It comes in #35 - #65lbs in three AMO lengths: 58", 60" and 62". The Buffalo is by no means, a purists' bow and if you love to shoot traditional, this is the bow for you...

Range Day with Samo: Episode 10: Repurposed arrows, Beman ICS Hunter

Fresh off the editing suite: Episode 10 of Range Day with Samo. Here's a look at the Beman ICS Hunter carbon arrows. 
I've had it for a year, repurposed it by giving the shafts a new set of feather vanes. The four-inch vanes improves flight and accuracy.

Range Day with Samo: Episode 9 - Martin Cypress Takedown Recurve Bow mini-review

Here's my humble opinion on the Martin Cypress Takedown Recurve Bow. Basically, its a bow meant for recreational shooting. 
It has a an AMO length of 64". A short 22" riser and long limbs. My Cypress has a 40lb draw weight.

Range Day with Samo episode 8: Princess Cup Archery Tournament, Bangkok, Thailand.

We made it to Bangkok and back. Here's a brief highlight of our gig in Fashion Island in the outskirts of Bangkok.
The Barebow/Traditional class archery tournament was first on the event schedule. Ten ends with three arrows per end against some of the best Archers from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore...

Range Day with Samo episode 7: Intensive pre-tournament training...

Range Day with Samo, Episode 6: More training...

Fresh off the range, here's our training video. The Princess Cup Archery tournament in Thailand is only three weeks away.

Range Day with Samo: Ep 5 - Consistency & Team Training...

We are training for the Princess Cup Archery tournament in Bangkok, Thailand. So far, so good. The guys have formed a team and are pretty hard at work on their grouping. Here's a clip on our day at the range. Thank you for watching.

Range day with Samo: Ep 4 - Grouping, grouping, grouping....

In episode 4, we talk about grouping and the pressure to get it right in a barebow tournament. Thank you for watching.

Range Day with Samo: Episode 3 - Training with the Hoyt Buffalo Takedown Recurve Bow

I've had an excellent morning at the range training with my Hoyt Buffalo Recurve bow. Click on the YouTube video for the highlights and thank you for watching!

Range Time with Samo. Episode 2: Martin Panther Takedown Recurve Bow

I've had a great time taping episode two of my show. Click on the video link above to watch. Thank you very much!