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...

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...

2019 Perak Open

A recovery game...

Fresh out of the Thailand Princess Cup, we head up North of the Malaysian Peninsular to shoot at the Perak Open Archery Tournament. Barebow is competed at this event with a little addition. It's the organizer's house rules with 72 arrows in two rounds.
We thought it would be an awesome way to stay in the game and also meet some of the country's top Barebow archers at the shoot.
We set out early on a two-hour drive to Tapah where the event was held and managed to get a good spot to park our vehicle.
There, we set up for the qualifying round where 16 of the top Barebow archers will shoot at the 1/8 KO matches.

The Field of Play...

Chief Judge Johari Abu Bakar briefing the managers

Unlike most the kampung shoots that we regularly attend, this one adheres strictly to the World Archery ruling on archers' conduct, clothing etiquette and scoring.
There, I met Mr Ong, a welder from Kuantan who came in a pair of jeans. I told him the ruling and he changed into a pair of Khaki shorts. Mr Ong's hometown is in Teluk Intan and it was a last-minute do for him as he replaced an archer from the Pahang Barebow Archer's team who came in full force for the event.
At the qualifiers, we had to send 72 arrows downrange. For an 18-meter game, it's odd. But that was house rules and we just shot as we were told.

Event volunteers setting up the target butts...

Taking scores at the qualifying rounds...

The Usual Suspects...

We met Cikgu Suhari and his compatriots: "iceman" Syam and Cikgu Mat who came all the way from Kelantan at the shoot. As usual, they were the favourites. My lane mates were Cikgu Syam and Farid, an old friend from Malacca who took a long break from archery. Shooting alongside with Farid was a new guy who said he was honored to be in the same flight as the Thailand Princess Cup Barebow champion.
At the first round, I managed to shoot 249/360 and was ranked 19th. I actually had a miss with a bad release. This was also the first time I competed at a big event with my CD Archery WF25X riser. I must say that I was off-form and was plagued with a mixture of poor bow arm and release. 
Then, after a 15-minute break, came round two. This time, I managed to connect the shots and chalked 277/360 on the target face with an improved ranking at 8th place. The total score of 526/720 placed me at 9th place overall, while Michelle managed to take 12th place with an overall score of 514. Both of us made the cut and went on to the 1/8 match rounds. 

My flight with Syam "iceman", Farid and the new guy...

Michelle at a the qualifiers...

With sleep deprivation and a long drive, I wasn't mentally prepared for a KO match. I met Ustaz Omar, a regular Barebow shooter who is also a familiar face at the games. He took the game in a straight set. A clean win. 
Michelle, on the other hand, met Cikgu Mat from KEMMAS Five Arrows. This was the first time they met at an elimination match and the scores were toe-to-toe. They drew at the fifth-end and a shoot-off was called by the judge.
Both shot a "9" in the yellow and the line judge awarded the win to Michelle as her arrow landed very close to the "10" circle. From an archer's perspective, Cikgu Mat has come a long way since I last met him in Kemaman, Terengganu. His archery skills has improved tremendously. Next, was the quarter-finals where Michelle met "iceman" Syam. He took the game with a 6-2 win and went on to the semi-finals with Kholidin who came all the way from Jakarta, Indonesia.
Cikgu Suhairi, on the other hand, was in good form and met Kholidin the finals. The Barebow gold medal went to Indonesia to Kholidin who shot extremely well. We had a great time at the shoot and went to Sungkai to celebrate Michelle's getting her MoJo back with some beers and salted baked chicken in Sungkai...

Elmination match with the iceman...

Michelle got her MoJo back at this intense elimination round with Cikgu Mat

Southeast Asia's top Barebow archers: Iceman Syam and Kholidin the one armed Avenger...

Michelle receiving a certificate from a NAAM official at the Perak Open

The Barebow winners

Having a chilled one before hitting the road home... 

2019 Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament - Part 2

                     

Elimination day...

We had a silent understanding among each other. If any of us got bumped out, we will assume the role of coach and manager. This was split between me and Michelle. She spotted for Khoo, one of our top archers who made it to the 1/32 rounds.
I spoke to the organizers and managed to secure a media vest to capture the moments on my little mirrorless camera.
Unlike previous years, the Barebow folks had a day off before resuming to shoot at the KO rounds.
We took it easy, spent an afternoon at a range nearby and shot with the Kelantanese team.
On that fateful Sunday morning, two things were about to happen. First was our guy squaring-off with one of the top Indonesian barebow archers. Next, was history in the making...

A Thai archer consulting the line judge...

Team manager

Michelle, with Khoo at the equipment line...

Khun Pichet, one of the line judges, calling a score dispute

The KO rounds were fast and brutal. We saw the bottom 32 and top 32 archers slugging it out. The more experienced ones stayed on to the 1/16 rounds as the battle to survive continues. 
At the 1/32 rounds, we witnessed an incredible match between Malaysia's Norliana Sulaiman who ranked 3rd at the Women's class and Ang See Chuan, 2016 Princess Cup Barebow champion. They were neck-to-neck with Norliana leading the way until Ang caught up and drew at the fifth set.
A shoot-off was called and Ang wasn't that lucky. Meanwhile, our top shot Khoo lost to Hudzaifah Abdul Salam from Indonesia. 

Ang, squaring-off with Norliana at the 1/32 match rounds...

Our archer at the elimination rounds...

From competitors to spectators, team SBA at the match rounds...

The iceman cometh...

Throughout the tournament, one guy had bulldozed his way through 153 Barebow archers. He's a 34-year-old Science teacher from Pasir Mas, Kelantan. Moving in the shadow of Malaysia's top Barebow archer Suhairi Azha Ariffin, is Norhishyam "iceman" Ismail. Standing at six feet in height, he is as cool as a cucumber on the shooting line. Ranked 1st in the overall Barebow class. Cikgu Syam shot his way to the finals after beating his countryman Suhairi and top-seeded Thai archer Thammaluk Niamhom. Cikgu Syam met Kholidin, a one-armed archer from Indonesia at the finals.
Kholidin's story itself, is awe-inspiring. He lost his arm two years ago in an accident and recovered by shooting barebow. A compound bow archer by training, Kholidin is peerless in his home country in the Barebow class. For his effort, the Princess Cup organizers had presented him with a special award...
The Indonesians were the wild card entries and came prepared to take all top three spots.
One guy stood in their way and that was Cikgu Syam...

Norhishyam and Niamhom at the semi-finals...

There was a one-hour interval before the finals and that gave everyone enough time to rest and slug it out at the main event.

It was incredible to witness how far the Barebow class has progressed. In four years, Malaysia saw its archers shooting their way to the finals. Literally everyone had improved.

Norishyam "iceman" Ismail placing his shot at the final round...

The Malaysian challenge was answered by Cikgu Suhairi and Cikgu Syam. This year, Suhairi managed to shoot his way to the quarter-finals. A much better performance compared to previous years. The Thais, on the other hand, were denied of their hope of defending the Princess Cup that was won by Attapol Chareonpak in 2018. Infact, the Indonesians had stepped up the game by raising the bar in terms of scores. Most of their top Barebow archers made it to the elimination rounds.

Kholidin is an inspiration to a whole new generation of Barebow archers in the Southeast Asian region...

Eyewitness: creating history...

I stood next to an internet TV cameraman and recorded the finals on my little mirrorless camera. Moment by moment was captured as Cikgu Syam took the lead. Kholdin caught up, but didn't score enough points to break his opponent's lead.

As the last arrow landed on the target face in an alternate shooting rule at the finals, the Malaysian crowd cheered with a loud roar. What happened next was history. Cikgu Syam became the first Malaysian archer to win the 2019 Princess Cup Archery Tournament in the Barebow class...

Team KEMMAS and their champion

Throughout the finals, Cikgu Syam was calm and composed. He showed no emotions, continued to place his shots accurately till the final moment. It was a clean win by an awesome sportsman and archer. I can see the sigh of relief on his face as his fellow countrymen cheered. Friendly rivals from Malaysian teams who came for the event also joined-in to celebrate the win.

The iceman is Southeast Asia's top Barebow archer...

Kholidin (left) receiving a special award from Thailand Outdoor Archery Club President Thanaset Maneesombatkul (right)

Conclusion

This year's Princess Cup was very interesting. It saw a huge gathering of archers from all classes who came all the way from every corner of Southeast Asia.

For us, it was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends. As far as competing is concerned, this experience also taught us to work on our form and shot placement in order to stay in the game. We would like to thank Sunee Detchokul of Thailand Outdoor Archery Club and her team for putting up such an awesome tournament and look forward to the game next year!

2109 Thailand Princess Cup Archery Tournament - Part 1

Southeast Asia's largest gathering of Barebow archers...

There has been tremendous development in the region's Barebow scene as Thailand's Princess Cup archery tournament had recorded it's highest numbers in terms of participation in the Barebow class.
More than 150 people from all walks of life took part in the Barebow shoot and this year's event saw history as Malaysia's entry stood at the podium for the first time.
As for our team, we prepared for this by training regularly at our range and when the time came, we just hopped onto the airplane and headed straight out to Bangkok where the game was held...

Getting some arrows on the target butt in Archery Thai

Zeroing-in with my Spigarelli Club 650 barebow riser

Our game plan was to head in two days earlier, practise at a nearby archery range, attend the manager's meeting to collect our passes and listen to the new ruling on electronic scoring during the Barebow qualification rounds.
This year, it's a bit different. The organizers decided to do a full 18-meter round. We had to qualify with 60 arrows and the elimination rounds had been reduced to 1/32. Only 64 of the top archers will face-off on the last day of the event.

Tatrawee Harikul of TOAC gave the briefing during the manager's meeting

Registration...

Qualifying rounds...

Our day started very early on Friday, June 28. We made our way to the event hall, set up our gear and waited for equipment inspection. Michelle, my wife was a bit annoyed when she was told about her centre-serving. There as a loose thread which we managed to remove and her arrows are not properly marked. 
That aside, we waited till mid-day before warming-up and before we knew it, it was time to stand on the shooting line to qualify for last day.

Equipment inspection

The judge at work...

Qualifying rounds

The cadet-class archers

Getting our ass whooped...

It is fair to said that on being an old-timer, (my fourth outing at the Princess Cup) I maintained my game-play and worked on an average of 7.5 points per end. This is not even enough to make it to the mid-ranks as the archers became really good. 
There were wild cards in the fray and I must say that Indonesia's debut in the Thailand Princess Cup would get many more Barebow archers to compete at future tournaments held in Bangkok.
Michelle was ranked at 66th and I came in at 68th place out of 153 archers. 
In total, more than 100 archers had scored at least 200 points in the first round. The remaining 53 people had scored below 400 points in total making this one of the highest scoring class with team Five Arrow's Norhisyam Ismail shooting 272/300 and 262/300 totaling at 532 points after 60 arrows. 
The last guy in the top 64 came in at 446 points. We were just a couple of points shy of qualifying and this became our motivation to train even harder. 
There are a lot more games in the offing and we shall not take for granted on how good the Barebow archers from Malaysia has become...

(next: elimination rounds...)