The 2008 California State Outdoor Championship was held June 21 & 22, 2008. This is a major marathon tournament, two days in the hot hot sun, everyone baking in the heat at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA. The tournament was sanctioned by the NAA and JOAD. For those that don't know, this shoot is quite a large draw of archers from around the state of California and surrounding western states. There were 70 targets butts used, with each target accomodating at least four archers. The shear magnitude of the event, with archers from all disciplines was quite Impressive. 72 arrows shot each day made for a grueling marathon, complete with sore muscles. Constant hydration was the key to survival....
The below photo shows just how long the shooter's line was. That's my two daughters at the near end of the line.
For my wife and I this is a family event, of course centering around our twin daughters, Savannah and Gabrielle. This was their first major JOAD tournament and the first time they were old enough to complete (7 years old). They shot in the Female Yeoman Recurve Class. Equipment was a pair of matching Martin Prodigy recurves, 48 inches long, bows are marked 15# @ 24 inches but since they're only pulling 17 draw length the actual draw weight is closer to 9 lbs. Arrows were Easton Jazz 1214's, 3 fletch 2 1/2" feathers, shot off the shelf. They use a sight pin. Distances were marked yardages at 15 meters and 10 meters.
I am proud to say my girls did very well. Gabrielle (on the left) took second place with a score of 863 and Savannah (on the right) took third place with a score of 773. The race for the third spot was really quite intense, with the 3dr place lead trading places a dozen times in the second day. True competition between Savannah and the fourth place girl. The first place winner was nearly 10 years old, actually at the tail end of the age qualification for the Yeoman class.
All things considered I'm about as proud as one man can be. My girls had a great time, performed well in difficult conditions and some great memories have been added to the family photo album. Here's a final photo of some of the competitors hammin' it up a bit in front of the target before scoring....
Topic: A dad's pride, seeds taking root... (Read 726 times)
