Day Two NFAA
Day two of the NFAA National Championships was a hunter round; another 28 targets and 4 arrows per target. Today I was shooting with Lana and Melissa. I met and shot with Lana in 2012 in Argentina. She is here with her sister, Lyn, and they’re a great couple of ladies. We had a lovely relaxed day of shooting, with lots of chatting and laughing. Melissa is from Pennsylvania, and she was shooting really, really well.
Lana, Melissa and I
Before we started shooting we noticed some rustling in the bushes, caused by a pair of fawns! Both ladies said they were twins, and they spent the day running and leaping around the course. We never saw their mother, but they appeared to be having a lot of fun, and were very safe at a target archery range, provided they didn’t leap in front of a target at an inopportune moment. I had tried to capture some still shots of these little guys all day, without any real success . . . they were very quick and by the time I got my camera trained on them, they had passed by.
Later in the day, I did capture them on video. One ran out right in front of us, and we knew the other fawn was soon to follow, so I grabbed my phone and started the recording. If you look in the middle of this video you can make out the head of the little thing peering at me through the grass. Towards the end of the short video you’ll see him more clearly:
After the day of shooting I grabbed some lunch with Bea, and had a relatively early night.
First day of competition in the NFAA National Championships
I am the lone Aussie shooting with all the Americans for the NFAA National Field Championships. Most of the Aussie team think that it is too much archery, to shoot five days of a national championship and then follow that immediately with another five days of the World Championship. They may be right; but I don’t have to shoot all the five days, I can post a score made up of three total days out of the five, so I will decide in a few days if I can fit in a rest day.
There are a handful of other foreign competitors taking part in the NFAA event, and we are classed as ‘guest’ shooters; which means we are ineligible for medals, but can participate anyway. I see it as great practice for the upcoming world event, where Australia has around 15-20 participating archers.
The first day was a ‘field round’; 28 targets with 4 arrows per target at distances varying from 11 yards to 80 yards. My shoot group was made up of a Namibian woman – Bea, and two Austrian men, Herwig and Klement. I had shot with Herwig in Argentina in 2012. Here is a short video of us all together, getting ready for the starting signal to commence the round:
This was a very friendly group, and I had a great time shooting with these guys. We all shot pretty well, I shot an above average score and was very happy. I did feel some nerves, as it is the first day of competition and I tend to place a lot of pressure on myself to shoot well; but I am learning to let that go and just enjoy the flow of the moment – ironically performance is best when I am relaxed and it feels easy to do. Bea took a short video of four shots I made on a 55 yard target, which is a target of 65cm diameter at that range.
Weather was superb, a little humid but no higher than about 28 Celsius, ideal weather really. We had a lot of fun chatting during the round, and making new friends with each other. I’ve included a few shots to indicate the lovely scenery here at the Yankton range.
The 80 yard shot, from a large platform, the toughest shot of the day.
Score of 16 on the 65 yard shot, my four arrows were a nice group, and this is tough to do at this range.
Shameless selfie. Bea is shooting in the background
Once all the shooting was over with, I went to greet the rest of the Australian team, who had arrived around midday. We’re all holed up in the Best Western Kelly Inn, which is right next to the archery range. Many of the Aussies were pretty tired and jetlagged, but all were in good spirits and pleased to be in the USA. I was invited to eat with a couple of Americans; Vince and Paul – great fellas (father and son) I had met in Argentina. Afterwards I sat and had some wine with the Aussies, who had come down for an early dinner. Good times!
Vince & Paul and I
Joy Wood (hard core longbow shooter) and I
Steve & Rod & I
Heading to Yankton, South Dakota
I left Dan’s place in good time, his little Honda all packed up. The drive from Wisconsin to Yankton South Dakota took me right across the southern part of Minnesota, which was a relaxing drive via Interstate 90.
I spent plenty of time checking out the scenery, endless swathes of corn fields and more wind generators than you can imagine. A couple of stops on the way for snacks etc, and I made excellent time to Yankton, the 650km drive felt easy and I arrived at my motel around 3pm. Once settled in to my room, I set up my bow and made a short walk to the archery range. (The ‘Kelly Inn’ is ideally located, I’m literally 200m from where the competition starts.)
The rest of the Australian team were to arrive today, but they were held up and wouldn’t arrive until the 30th. I had decide to shoot both the NFAA National Championships, as a lead-up to the world championships. Ten days of archery, and I think the body and mind will hold up.
The facilities here are amazing, and I made my way to the practice range for a few shots to loosen up for the coming competition.
Canoeing the Wisconsin River!
We headed out early on Saturday morning to catch up with Ty (Dan’s cousin) who is in the 17th year of the organizing a canoe trip down the Wisconsin river.
After an hour or so we got to the launching point, and put in with a few other people from the group. I captured a bit of video as we meandered down the river. The Wisconsin isn’t the largest river in the USA, but I think it would dwarf the Murray in Australia. It feeds directly into the largest river in America, the Mississippi. It is possible to canoe the river system for hundreds (perhaps thousands) of kilometers, and by the amount of people we saw in canoes, it’s a very popular activity for north American people.
After a few hours of paddling we made it to the island – essentially a large sand-bar in the middle of the Wisconsin river, where everyone was pitching tents and enjoying a few beverages. Ty had organised ‘Beer Olympics’ . . . a set of activities that involved frisbee, ping-pong, and bag throwing kinds of drinking games. My days of excess drinking are behind me, so I was perhaps a little more ‘with it’ than many of my competitors . . . which gave me an advantage in the games!! Tim and Dan and Ashley (another of Dan’s cousins) were on my team, and we did really well in all events.
I estimate around 50+ people made this trip, and I commended Ty for his great work organizing it. It was a really memorable experience, and a lot of fun. Here’s a picture of Dan and Ty:
Here is a panoramic photograph to show the beauty of the place:
During the evening we got together around a huge bonfire, chatted and played around with glowsticks! Some of the folks had bought large packets of these things, and the silliness that transpired will forever be known as the ‘Great Glowstick War of 2014’ . (Because they looked great against the night sky, people were throwing them around at each other for hours and hours . . . like hand-missile lasers, you know? Many of Ty’s friends were military, so you know – things that look like lasers and all the military folks = Great Glowstick War!!!).
Here’s a panoramic of the scene. I’m sitting to the left.
Everyone slept in a little the day following . . . I think many would be suffering hangovers! Still, the island was cleaned up and we made our way along the river for another couple of miles to the landing point. What an awesome experience!!
A great thank you to Dan for inviting me along and welcoming me to his friends. It’s a great way to travel, when you can hang out with local people and share time with them. I had not seen Dan for 16 years, we worked together on a summer camp in Wisconsin in the summer of ’98. He’s a great fella and it will be good to one day return the favor and show him around my home country, Australia.
Viroqua after dark . . .
Viroqua, a small town in rural Wisconsin, has really impressed me. With a population of barely 4000 people, it has a vibrant and fresh spirit. There are organic farming co-operatives, artists, musicians and dancers – all making Viroqua their home.
I ventured out on a balmy Friday to see some local musicians and dancers perform. We were nestled in a small valley, next to a small creek and on a lush grassy field. Around 100 locals enjoyed food, local beverages and many live acts. I had many conversations with local people, and all were friendly and interested in my home of Australia.
Viroqua reminds me in many ways of Natimuk, or Halls Gap, back home. Many of the Americans I spoke with had moved from huge cities, such as Chicago or New York, just as many people from Melbourne or Sydney arrive in Natimuk. You cannot deny the appeal of clean air, beautiful woodlands or bushland, and like-minded souls, just wanting to get away from the bustle of modern cities. I grew up in a rural environment, yet I fully appreciate the leap that some of these urban people have made.
Here are a few videos I filmed during the evening; principally of the fire-dancers!
Pizza Thursday in picturesque Wisconsin
Dan and I made a short visit to his property today, to collect a canoe. Dan’s cousin had invited us to a gathering on the Wisconsin river. I had the opportunity to take a look around some typical Wisconsin woodland, as much of Dan’s property is comprised of native vegetation.
Later on in the afternoon we headed out to visit a local maple-syrup farm; the owners were close friends with Daniel, and we all got together and made a perfect storm of pizzas, a-la Australian style! Very tasty indeed!
Good company and good food, in a beautiful location. We had a tour of the property afterwards, and I managed a little bit of practice archery before the summer sun waned past the horizon.
Upon the setting of the sun, we all got together in a tee-pee, and warmed ourselves by the central hearth. Inspired drumming and discussions of world politics ensued! All in all, a great night out and more wonderful memories.
First day in the USA!
So today I had a wonderful time here in the sleepy little Wisconsin town of Viroqua. Dan and his eldest daughter Savi (14 years of age) picked me up from the airport bus at around midnight on Tuesday the 22nd, and I managed a solid sleep. I had told Dan to wake me up before he went to work, but he went easy on me and let me sleep in. His daughter woke me at about 12.30pm, which i thanked her for, as i had to get over my jetlag.
Savi and i went for a short walk down to the local store (this is a very small town of around 1500 people) and I grabbed all the ingredients for a tasty mushroom and onion risotto. Dan’s other daughter turned up mid afternoon, she had been staying with friends. Her name is Kali, and she is a few years younger than Savi. We took the family dog (Boadie) for a long walk and made a short video with my new phone… We came across a baseball game and chatted with other folks in the park. Viroqua is a quiet yet typical midwestern town, and everyone is real friendly.
The risotto I cooked came out perfect, and I followed up with a tasty apple and berry pie. Dan and i chatted for hours, and tried to catch up on many years past. I am about to go to sleep, but I wanted to add the short video and also a picture I took of Dan, Savi and Kali.
Love you all and speak soon. I do not have a usa number yet, but I can be contacted on skype or email.
To the USA!
Frantically packing . . . leaving everything to the last minute, as usual. I depart Melbourne airport for LAX on Tuesday 22nd July @ 11am. Direct flight to LA, then a connection to Minneapolis. From there I meet up with my old friend Dan Krumenauer. I’m spending around a week with him in the small town of Viroqua, Wisconsin. Adventures should ensue!
Come the 29th July, I will head to Yankton, South Dakota to compete in the 2014 IFAA World Field Archery Championships. This will be my second overseas trip dedicated to my love for archery and the worldwide fellowship of archers. The last adventure was to Argentina, where I made new friends and learnt much about the discipline.
I’ll be shooting my new bow; a Stolid Bull ‘Black Thunder’ riser, with speedy Border HEX6 limbs.
So it begins!
A last minute decision to register an available domain : torimish.com !
This will be a collection of thoughts, adventures and philosophical reflections upon my world, and my travel through this world.
This will serve as an online journal and personal media depository – as much for my family and friends as for my own catharsis.
ToriMish.com 