The Keramat gig

 

Coming in a full circle...

Michelle and I started our archery gig in the Keramat Sports Centre five years ago. We got yelled at, chased away and now, we are back. There were familiar faces, compound bow archers with camouflaged pants, some "hunter-dude wannabe", "super-duper coaches" and some very interesting archery personalities. Mostly amateur archers pursuing their hobby.

Since we have our own range in Subang, our contact with the Keramat club archers were kept to the minimum. Back in the days when we brought a hunting recurve bow to the Keramat range, we get dirty looks and were treated like lepers. Some were actually afraid that an archer who uses just a bow and arrow can shoot better than them. They paid RM900 for a bow sight and much more for all the bells and whistles. We also met some folks who had a rig the price of a small car but were too afraid to compete at tournaments because they don't want to "lose face", which is a typical Asian trait. We also met folks who boast about their "perfect" archery form. The form was too perfect, they got banned from tournaments. But to top it all, there was this Man-Gorilla half-breed who boasted about this range and elite club members. It was so elite, it got closed down because animals were maimed and killed near the premises. This personality is so thick-skinned, he actually shot at Keramat and bolted off when the Rangemaster arrives.

Anyway, we were invited to shoot at the Keramat range by an old friend who is also the club's Rangemaster. Currently, we are helping him out to raise funds to upkeep the target butts and stands. Hopefully, this will be done after we host a small inter-club Barebow tournament for the man.

The Keramat range is a great place to train. As a Barebow archer, I'm glad that the National Archery Association had included the class in their target archery events. Hopefully, when the flu pandemic is over, we can compete there...

KIFAC 2019 - Part 4

Unmarked distances...

With Pak Sani and his wife, archers from Bandung, Indonesia...

We have reached the climax of our shoot in Batam and the last round was field targets with marked distances. 
It's actually similar to what we have done the day earlier with the exception of distance markers placed on the shooting line. 
As usual, the barebow folks would shoot at the last station where six target butts were placed with 20cmx3 triple faced targets.
From what I have learned the day before, to get things right, I must place my shots low and the results actually showed. I had fewer misses compared to the unmarked distances and as we progressed, some archers struggled with keeping up.

Playing the mind game...

Most of the archers experienced at least a 30% drop in their overall scores. They might have taken some things for granted, but a few meters in terms of distance and elevations can result in a miss or a poorly placed shot.
The guys in my flight, Pak Liswantoro, and Pak Dedi felt this when most of their arrows had missed its mark.
As they struggle, I maintained my lead. 
I had a few badly placed shots and some misses on the 30m and 50m marked targets.

Pak Ilham, one of the event organizers...

Michelle, taking her shot at the 20m marked targets

Pak Dedi in action...

With Liswantoro (L) and Dedi (R)

The game continued until the third pool where we were given a break. Michelle and I had our packed lunch and exchanged notes on the shoot.
She didn't do really well with at least a dozen missed shots.
I told her to take it easy and make it up at the last station. The game continued till the last arrow landed on the target face. 
At 30m, I did pretty well until the last target face where I had two misses. 
Right there, till the end, the 50m marked distance targets proved to be a "deal-breaker" for most of the archers.
Those who did very well the day before were 30 points behind.

Samo, at the 30m marked distance targets...

Archers at the 30m target butt...

A good day to shoot!

Making their way to the last station at the field course...

All in a day's work...

After we were done, we went back to the staging area to pack up our gear. I had some souvenirs distributed to some fellow archers and key people who organized the game. In no time, the results were published on inseo.net, an online repository for archery events and its results.
Despite having a bad day, Michelle came up in second place. My scores were the same compared to the previous day where I was ranked sixth. On the second day, I came in fourth and overall with two days of scores combined, I landed in fifth place.

Michelle (L), flanked by the champion Mardhiyatillah (CTR) and Nurul Hidayu from Satria Archery Club, Johor.

Summary

The Batam field shoot was well organized in terms of time management. This was their first time and the guys should be given a pat on the shoulder for finishing on time.
They have plans to organize two events of similar nature yearly and with adequate marketing and promotion, they will succeed.
Michelle and I have had a great time shooting at the course. 
If we set foot on the island again, getting decent accommodation would be our priority... 

KIFAC 2019 - Part 3

Unmarked distances... 

The head judge giving archers a final briefing before the game...

Fear of the unknown puts many folks in suspense.
To begin the day, the head judge gave a thorough briefing about the game and how it's conducted.
We walked to the edge of the course where six target stands were set up with 20cmx3face in a shooting sequence of A, B, C, and D. 
Two archers will shoot first in the group beginning with archers A and B.  The sequence follows with the last two target faces. This is similar to indoor triple face targets where we actually shoot the first and third target faces to give each other more space. Well, some archers did not observe this and shot just about any target face they fancy. If there is a protest, he will lose points.

Michelle and one of the woman archers on the course...

I was placed in a flight with two guys. One from Batam, a Javanese goat herder, another from Pekanbaru in Sumatera. 
The goat herder, Pak Liswantoro is relatively new to archery while Pak Dedi Suryadi was the more seasoned archer. 
This was apparent with Liswantoro wanted to call for the judge when his arrow landed between the line of value between two points. I called out the score and awarded the goat herder the highest score, but he insisted on calling the judge. We only call for a judge when all of us could not agree on the value of the score. In this respect, the Indonesians have quite a way to go...

Runners handing out scoresheets to the archers...

Protocol, protocol, protocol...

At the first pool, we shot six targets. 
I didn't connect well with the top 20cm target face as my arrow landed high. This actually taught me to set my aiming point lower to allow the arrow to land dead-center. After placing 18 arrows at the first station, I only managed to harvest 57 points. Not too shabby to get the day started.
When everyone had completed their rounds, the announcer called for a break to observe the opening ceremony.
Pak Dedi, my shooting partner remarked that it's all speeches, dancing and delay to the entire event.
We spent two hours listening to speeches from all the VIP guests and by the time it was over, back to work.
The next pool was a set of six targets with a 60cm face at a distance of 30 meters. It's time to make up the lost points and I managed to connect my shots with a couple of misses.
On the third pool, we had a set of 40cm target face at roughly 20 meters. Now, this is our bread and butter and we were expected to do well. 
I had failed to factor-in the slightly elevated slope that I was standing on to take my shot. Each arrow landed high in a tight group. No misses, but very little points.
While working on the third pool, the organizers had called for a meeting among the team and club managers. 
A decision was made to proceed with the game until the end.

An Indonesian national archer at the opening ceremony

The first pool of 20cm target faces

Saving the best for the last... 

Everyone dreads the long and elevated target faces. Placed at a distance of 45 meters on a mound, a badly estimated shot can land your arrow in the bushes.
I observed as one guy from a different flight had only one arrow on the target face. It was tough.
The top archer in my group was Pak Dedi. He did very well and came in at fifth place on the unmarked distance ranking.
On the first day, I managed to score 206 points to land a spot on the sixth place. Plenty of misses, especially in the 45m unmarked distance targets. One of my arrows landed on the wooden target stand. Some went low and hit the ground. Precision and form are key to connecting your shots in this case...

Having our packed lunch...

All in the day's work: Beer Bintang to quench our thirst...

Michelle came in first in the Women's Barebow division. She ranked high with 227 points after 72 arrows.
We headed back to Nagoya Hills earlier than the previous day and walked around the area before settling at a hawker centre at the city walk for some beers.
There, we ate simple, sat around to unwind as the marked distances await on the final day of the tournament...

KIFAC 2019 - Part 2

Official practice, registration and equipment inspection...

The Field of play overlooks Singapore's skyline

We woke up as early as 5.30am in preparation for the official practice and equipment inspection at Indah Puri Golf Resort which is located in Sekupang, some 14km away from Nagoya Hills. Since it was a workday in most parts of the island, we had to join the early traffic rush.
Michelle and I had decided to have breakfast at McDonald's which is about a block away from our hotel. There, it's the usual McBreakfast and a cup of black coffee to get the day going.
The day before, we nearly got ripped off by a ride-hailing driver. Michelle had decided that it was best to get a five-star person to drive us to our location across the island.
We hailed a ride, loaded out gear onto the car and joined the hustle and bustle of the daily grind in Batam.
I observed that the roads around here were really bad. Some years back, I rode my bike across the island to get to Bintan.
The driver took us to a series of small villages before we hit the golf resort's entrance.

Indah Puri at last!

An aerial view of the Field of play

An awesome location!

There weren't many archers on the first day of the meet. A technical meeting was about to take place at 9am sharp before we were allowed to practice at a designated pool.
The organizers had made sure that the rules were laid down and all archers would know what to do during the game. I like it that the guys were thorough and they made sure everything is covered...

Sighting-in...

I shoot split-finger, so, there little concern on my part about "string-walking" or setting the "right crawl" on my bow. I base my technique on instinctive archery and whatever I see, the arrow will follow and land. Not 100% accurate, but it gets the job done. I didn't join the shoot to earn medals, but rather have fun and enjoy the shoot.

Michelle, sighting-in her bow

Equipment inspection...

The technical meeting session

The head judge, laying down the rules...

After all the formalities, we were introduced to a family from Kluang, Johor. Two ladies in the group were shooting in the Women's Barebow division. One of the women's husbands, a young bowyer was among the crowd. We have actually met at the Istana Negara shoot that took place in early November.
The folks were really friendly as we exchanged knowledge on Field Archery. Some of the archers who registered for the shoot arrived later in the day to join in the practice.
Later, Michelle and I had decided to have lunch at the golf course clubhouse. 
We had a decent meal consisting of fried rice and oxtail soup and hung out there. It started raining heavily before the 2pm practice session and we were glad that the rain actually stopped.

Nasi goreng Indah...

Oxtail soup...

Weathering it out at the clubhouse

Making the most out of it...

Time passes slowly when you wait. But it bears its rewards when you connect your shot at unmarked distances.
We shot for the second time at the course and found our arrows landing at the target faces.
I always had issues of dropping my bow arm, causing the arrows to land low and short. This, I tried to fix and minimalize my form mistakes. Michelle, on the other hand, had a better time connecting her shots.

Retrieving arrows from an elevated target...

One of the hardest pools in the course...

Rain gear on the course!

Targets on the marked distance pool...

Practice session...

My wet riser...

We had a full day at the tournament venue. Making full use of the practice session.
I was quite satisfied to land some shots at the 40m targets. The first day would be unmarked distances followed by marked distances on the last day. Elimination rounds were called off due to time management issues.
By the end of the day, it was back to our shithole hotel in Nagoya. We hailed a ride that took forever to arrive and manage to make it back all the way.
At Nagoya, we had to refill our drinking water and prepare for the competition day. After a good meal, that was it for me. I crashed early to earn some sleep time...

KIFAC 2019 - Part 1

Indonesia's first Field Archery Tournament...

I caught wind of the KIFAC 2019 (Kepri International Field Archery Championships from Mike Song, the man behind Excella Archery Pro Shop and took the opportunity to shoot in Batam, one of the islands in the Riau Archipelago.
We registered for the shoot before heading off to Japan for our break. Michelle had never shot field before and was unfamiliar with the rules. I took some time to explain to her about the scoring system and all the necessary information about this archery discipline.
The entrance fee was 300,000 IDR (RM89) and payment has to be done via Telegraphic Transfer to the organizer's bank account. I did this via on-line banking and it was not a hassle at all.

Upon returning from Japan, Michelle was really busy with work. I had a couple of days to get the paperwork done for bringing out our archery equipment and getting the ferry ticket purchased. Our plan was to drive down to Johor Bahru and take a ferry across to Batam.
To the uninitiated, Batam is located across the Singapore Straits and can actually be seen from it's Northernmost tip.
The KIFAC 2019 tournament was held at the Indah Puri Golf Resort. To get things going, I booked our stay at Batam Centre and it takes about 30-minutes to get to the golf resort where the tournament was held.

Getting ready to board the ferry from Puteri Harbour near Iskandar Puteri

Downtown Singapore as seen from our boat's window

 Murphy's Law...

Not everything had turned out as planned. Before we boarded our ferry, I received a call from Booking.com informing us that our room was canceled due to overbooking. This was done at the very last-minute and sounded really suspicious. The company's customer service said they will replace the room with a hotel that has the "equal quality".

The replacement hotel in Nagoya Business Centre, Batam

Our "executive suite"

"Buyers beware..."

As a rule of thumb, double-check offers that are "too good to be true". I checked out the hotel in Batam Centre called "Capital O" on Booking.com that came highly-rated.
For four nights, the rates were 1.23mil IDR which came up around RM360.00 for the whole stay. I thought it was a great offer which turned out to be a real nightmare. 
We were redirected to Nagoya Hills, located some 5km away from Batam Centre. Even when we had arrived at the ferry terminal, there was a turf war between taxi drivers and ride-hailing services. To get where we wanted, we had to drag our suitcase for nearly half a kilometer before boarding a Toyota Avanza. The ride costs about 39,000 IDR and the driver wanted everything. He was reluctant to give the loose change. I insisted and was given a stare. Well, fuck him!
The room, as it has turned out, was rather run-down. The only thing that kept us going was the air conditioning and hot shower that worked. I had Michelle to thank for not being fussy about being stuck in a real adventure situation.
In most parts of Indonesia, smoking is permitted in hotel rooms. We had a real raw deal and had to contend with cigarette-stained furniture and a musty smelling room.

Kuala Lumpur and Singapore prices...

If you plan to eat out and have a couple of beers, be prepared to pay the rates as we did at home. 
We ended up at a place called "Dju Dju Baru", a Chinese restaurant. We ordered three dishes: Fish soup, Fried Bittergourd with egg and Botok, the local otak-otak. We also had two large bottles of Bintang Beer and the bill came up to 203,000 IDR (RM60.80). The beers chalked up nearly half the price of our dinner. Later, we found out about a food court near the Nagoya City Walk that serves Beer Bintang at 33,000 IDR (RM9.78).

Our first night in Batam was done after a meal. Nagoya, for starters, is an entertainment district on the island. There are many sleazy bars surrounding our hotel. I was in such a bad shape, it didn't take long for me to crash...

Sungai Lembing Rendezvous - Part 2

A group photo with our friend Stefan Von Teichner

The team event...

We had to wake up early, fight a hangover and complete the game in the team event.
But there was a snag. Our numbers. We had to split-up into a team of three and complete the course.
Jeb, one of our guys had to team up with Stefan, a 3D range owner from Malacca.
With that sorted out, the teams were briefed before they head out to shoot all the targets placed in 24 stations around the course.
It started with a team placing their shots on an elevated target, slowly, they were released and moved around in a circle. 

SC Khoo from team SBA placing a shot...

Jeb at work on a riverbed course...

Connecting all the dots....

Since it was a team event, we took turns to sight and give directions on where the arrow had traveled.
Some stations were tough. We had to balance ourselves on a fallen log and take the shot.
There were guys who completely missed and the good ones, they connected every shot they made.
Only this time round, I sent two arrows to its demise. One shot hit a target stand and made a real sickening nose. That sharp "ping!" signaled a write-off.
Another arrow went low and was buried in stand. A piece of rock stopped it and flattened the tip. All-in, I've lost three arrows. We were told that someone will retrieve the lost arrows by using a metal detector. But, that didn't happen.
As the Sun begins to warm up the day, things slowly took a toll on the archers. Heat and humidity got to them and as we shot the last few targets on the valley below the resort, the heat became unbearable. 
One of our guys had to bail out. And for not informing the organizer, he had a mouthful from the course director...

Archers doing their practice rounds in the morning...

Taking turns to shoot the target...

Wild boar tracks...

A deceptive target layout, but nevertheless, both my shots connected!

An interesting conclusion...

Once we were done with all the targets, it was time to head back to the villa and check out. We had to hand over the keys to the property.
We left the resort to do the needful and while having lunch, a phone call came. 
A fellow archer had informed Jeb that team SBA has won the second day shoot.
I thought it was a joke, so we carried on eating before heading back to the resort to thank the organizer.
By the time we got there, everyone had left. I checked the score sheet and found out that we led by only one point. A team from Kuantan took second place at the shoot.
The organizer asked for a feedback about the event. I told him that he should invest heavily on good foam animal targets.
His response was "everything came out from his own pocket..." My take on this was very simple: you charge a fee for the event, it's not free and costings should be worked into giving a quality game. Not whine about not having funds. 
My personal opinion: the place where the event was held is amazing. Nice scenery, totally awesome for 3D shoots. The targets can be improved. Instead of using animals printed on vinyl buntings, the organizer should invest heavily on high-quality foam animals. What I saw, were really lousy foam targets that fell apart even before the event was over. To rub salt to the wound, I actually owned a similar looking target which I bought a couple of years ago from a shop in Malacca. It was so bad, the foam disintegrated by the elements. It will be great to see some good 3D targets from Italy's SRT targets or Delta McKenzie from the US being used at such a course. The fees of course, will be higher, but it's all for a quality game...

Sungai Lembing Rendezvous - Part 1

Field and 3D archery events are far and few in-between here in Malaysia, but it's gaining popularity among archers....

And so it begins... 

I jump at the first chance to try out field and 3D archery events organized locally. It's fun walking in the jungle and plinking foam animal targets at unmarked distances. So far, only one organizer had pulled off a great show when it comes to 3D archery.

Sometime earlier this year, I met an archer from Kuantan who made mention about a 3D shoot in Sungai Lembing, a former mining town near Pahang's state capital.

I raised the matter to my buddies who agreed to take part, so, I made the arrangements to get hold of the organizer to register for the event. 

They charge RM80 for the shoot, which is a pretty decent price considering the cost of buying foam animals for 3D course. To begin with, the animals are not cheap. A small critter can cost between RM400-600 and larger animals can go up to the thousands. So, that said, the plan was to car pool from Kuala Lumpur to Sg Lembing. We set the rendezvous at 3.30am for those living in Subang Jaya. I had to pick up another guy before 4am in the Kepong area before hitting the East Coast highway.

The plan is to arrive at Sg Lembing, have breakfast and head straight to the 3D course. None of the guys have been to this area before, so, it's a visual treat!

New gear, sleep deprivation and busted arrows!

You don't get much sleep when you have to wake up early and drive for four hours. Driving in the dark and putting full concentration on the road can be a real pain in the ass. And the safety of all the guys in the car is paramount.

It takes about four hours to get to Sg Lembing from Subang Jaya. When we arrived at town, the first order of the day, was to get a good fill on our tummies. It's going to be a real long day as we were expected to hike with our bows and arrows including archery tools and drinking water at the course.

Having savored the local fare, we were satisfied enough to head down to the resort where the event was held.

Most of the archers were already there and there were a few familiar faces. Some of the folks we met were from Kuantan. The organizer gave a briefing about the rules and the course layout and the first group was sent out. Well, to a slope where they have to shoot from an elevated position. 

Targets were placed on the ground, some 40-50 meters away. This was very interesting as the archers took turns to engage on paper targets placed downrange.

Some guys missed while a few good ones actually connected with what they have aimed at...

I had bunch of new gear to test out at this course. For shooting 3D, I have ditched my field quiver for a Rancho Safari load bearing system and arrow carrier. My bow as a brand-new CD Archery WF25X riser with Hoyt Velos #32lb limbs. And the most controversial part is using the "VAP V-1" arrows that I bought cheap from supplier in the East Coast. Small diameter target arrows do perform, but they do come with a hefty price is you send it to the wrong spot. Hit something hard, you lose the arrow. On the first day, I lost one arrow after missing a foam target from the distance of 25 meters.

The Rancho Safari Cat Quiver IV was a real life-saver. I don't have arrows rattling and dangling all over my hip and the load bearing system actually helped to relieve fatigue, something I have already been experiencing due to sleep deprivation and the long drive to Sg Lembing. 

As for our team, the rest of the guys shot pretty well. One ended up in the top-5 while the rest of us settled in the middle-ranks.

The course tested on how we would resolved on shooting in tough terrain. At some stations, you literally have to stand on a log, balance yourself and attempt to land a clean shot. Using a 70" bow, I had the limbs snagging on vegetation above me... Hahahha!

By the time we were done, it was time to head to your villa located near town. We had a couple of chilled beers before checking out a siew-yuk (roast pork) joint nearby. This eatery opens only once a week and was a real treat. 

There was a BBQ session hosted by the organizer later in the evening. We decided to enjoy the siew-yuk which turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it turned out that the BBQ was a horrible affair. 

After socializing with some fellow archers at the resort where the shoot was held, we decided to head back to town for supper and called it a day as the team event takes place the following day...