Top Archer

Monday, 25 June, 2012

Demonstrating tremendous foresight, Laura booked our last three nights at a 5 star luxury Castle resort near Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, Ireland called Dromoland. The grounds are a sprawling emerald green featuring a proper fishing lake, prestigous 18-hole golf course, tennis, and clay pigeon shooting. Most important it is to be the venue for the McDonald family archery championship - no mercy.

Side-view of Dromoland Castle

My first concern driving onto the castle grounds is which of the well worn clothes we will be able to wear here without being asked to go smell somewhere else. You don't show up at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs dressed (or smelling) like a back packer fresh off the trail. The same principle applies here.

Straight to business, Laura's first question upon check-in: What time is Archery available today?

The showdown is set for 4:15 in the afternoon. Just enough time for some light-lunch and tea while the suspense builds. Two-hundred yards from the front door of the Castle is a corridor of lawn through the forest with an archery target in the center. The girls spied it from inside the castle. That drama builds.

Joelle takes the early lead

With much of our three weeks spent touring medieval ruins, the girls are well schooled in where archers stand on battlements and how to shoot arrows at attackers through narrow slits in the walls. If that didn't do it, Hannah's fixation on Katniss, heroine of the Hunger Games whose weapon of preference is a bow and arrow, was more than enough motivation.

Joelle showing off good technique

An archer in-training, the result of a PE section at school, Hannah is up first and intent on showing us how it is done.

To everyone's surprise, including her own, Joelle takes the early lead on just her third round of arrows with a score of 49 including a 25 point bulls-eye. Photographic evidence reveals she even shot with her eyes closed. We'll assume it was intentional given her ability to use The Force.

Each turn consists of six arrows. The bullseye is worth 25 points. The second ring is 10 points. Each adjacent concentric ring away from the center is worth one less point until you get to zero which is the whitespace outside (and off) the target. Joelle's score makes getting at least one bulls-eye critical to contending for the title.

Nice venue for a family shootout

Arriving upon a good method for aiming, I put up a 46 on a tight cluster of arrows in the red but unfortunately nothing in the inner three yellow rings that score the highest. The score is good enough, however, to move Hannah to third place, last since Mom conceded claiming photographer status for the event. We said "no press" for the event but let it slide.

To the absolute dismay of her sister, Joelle continues to lead after several rounds. Lots of scores are close, but none are better.

"Two more rounds each and then we'll be out of time" our official score keeper indicates. The pressure builds on Hannah, the most verteran archer in the group and most determined to achieve Katniss status. Instead of pronouncing the name "Cat-Niss" as intended, Joelle and I are merciless about calling her "Cat-Nip."

"Come on Cat Nip. Let's see what you've got" Joelle and I rib her as she steps up with her next-to-last handful of arrows. With deep focus, she pulls back her first arrow and lets it fly. It strikes dead center on the horizontal axis but is high and lands in the red ring.

"Nice start Cat Nip, but to win you need a bullseye," we crow at her.

Bullseye Focus

Hannah pulls back her second arrow with the same focus and determination and lets it fly. From her business-as-usual reaction you would never know she landed it dead center scoring 25 points. Hannah nearly locks it up putting her third arrow on yellow as well for another 9 points and a score of 41 with three arrows to go. She finishes strong with two arrows in red, but leaves the door open with one errant three point arrow on the targets outer rings. Her final score, which stands as her best, is 59 points.

Joelle and I have two cracks at eclipsing her mark. Jo puts up another round in the 40s but alas can't get the 25 point arrow needed to make a real go of it.

When the first arrow of my last round finds yellow for the first time, everybody is paying attention. The next arrow is just off yellow in the red ring but showing a good strong cluster. All it takes is one arrow in the center and this contest gets interesting. When the next three arrows all land in blue, the third color from the center, the score is 33 with one arrow left. Not even a 25 point bullseye will win it. The last arrow lands harmlessly in black and confirms what Hannah suspected all along, she's the Top Archer.

"And you're last place Dad!" Joelle is quick to point out.

I'm grateful we didn't have to shoot our food for dinner tonight. Win or lose, I still get a Guinness for my efforts.

The Top Archer