Visual Inspiration

Stuff like this is very inspiring for me. I'm actually completely turned off by a lot of what they consider "fitness models" where they look more like fashion models in my eyes, but visually, body-builders hold a lot more appeal to me. Then again, power-lifters and Olympic lifters are usually nowhere as ripped-looking as body-builders even if they tend to be a whole heck of a lot stronger. I'll take the strength of the more active lifters first, but if I can actually look good while I'm at it, why not? My training isn't optimized for either type of lifting at this point ... or much of anything for that matter, but at least it's buying me time before I have to become the human pincushion (tm) or the human pharmacy (tm).

One of my favorite exercises...

Either click here or the title for one of my favorite exercises. I always thought of burpees as the exercise that made me *almost* burp up whatever I ate before the workout. Definitely not an exercise to do after a big meal unless you savor the flavor of your last meal mixed in with some stomach acids!

I first got exposed to this exercise at GHFC, courtesy of two truly awesome floor instructors, who I refer to as M and C, particularly C, who had ways of increasing the "torture" factor, usually with a good sized weight or two. I used to dread them (and my guts certainly dread them) but now I'd consider them to be a staple of my own workouts, at least if I'm doing them on a relatively empty stomach!

SoCal Showdown Recurve vs Compound

Any bets who's going to win? Brady Ellison (recurve) vs Roger Willett Jr (compound) at Chula Vista, filmed by a fellow archer here in Gainesville who was fortunate enough to shoot at the SoCal Showdown.

Buggering Hot TBoF 2011

It was buggering hot, humid, and buggy but I survived the shoot in one piece. I think the bug spray may've gotten to me on Saturday, but I came out in one piece. I took 3rd in women's longbow, shot the open traditional division, and didn't attempt primitive. I've been focusing mostly on FITA-type rounds so my 3D has taken quite a hit, but given that I only shoot 3D when the other half really wants to and target is my real passion, it's not too much of an issue. All of my arrows also survived intact, which is pretty darned good!

As always, either click on the title of here to see the rest of the pictures.

Fun with an Olympic Recurve

66" Hoyt Nexus recurve that I borrowed from Coach Rob to test-shoot. It feels pretty good even though it is slightly on the long side. I also forgot to put the plunger in but it shot fine without one.

Me at about full draw with the Hoyt Nexus. I think I got most of my form right, although I still have a bit of trouble keeping my head consistently aligned. Note to self: test-shooting Olympic recurves immediately after a boot-camp style circuit training class does NOT feel very good...

The other bow (well, riser at any rate) that I test-shot and liked. This is a Hoyt Horizon, also a 25" riser like the Nexus... also used short limbs for a 66" bow. Both Coach Rob and Coach Bob recommend that I go with the 23" riser for a 64" bow for a little more punch, although I know the folks in Chula Vista recommend the 25" riser for a 66" bow for more stability. We'll see what the future holds, but for now, my longbow is pretty darned secure, as is my little shorty 58" recurve.

Favorite Clip from Wolf's Rain

A bit of context... Cheza the Flower Maiden is singing and puts the four wolves to sleep after two of them, Kiba and Tsume, fight. Wolves (along with their human illusory disguises) in order of appearance: Toboe the red wolf, Hige the Mexican wolf, Tsume the grey wolf, and Kiba the Arctic wolf.


Definitely one of my favorite series anywhere, animated or live-action.

Armadillo and Broken Nock

I love the zoom-in function on my camera. It was a bit weird seeing an armadillo running about during the day, but there it was. The little fellow was pretty oblivious to me and I made it a point to keep my distance because of the leprosy risk, plus there was no telling what a scared armadillo might do.

Great precision, iffy accuracy. The guy next to me had a hard time believing that someone with a barebow recurve could pull that off.

Vegas 3-spot versus the standard single-spot. The single-spot is a 40 cm target face.

Hyena at 70 meters

One of the instructors for the little kid archery classes thought it would be fun to have them shoot 70 meters at this target. Only two of us hit the target: a little girl who hit right above the kill while I was warming up, and then I hit it twice in a row after my first arrow went a little right of the target.

San Diego

Click on the title or here for the full suite of pictures. I flew out to San Diego for a friend's wedding and a chance to meet up with fellow Techers as well as a little bit of a pilgrimage to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

Possibly more details later. I think I caught a cold from the boogery person next to me on one of the flights back.

Sunshine State Games 2011

As always, click either the title or here for the full suite of pictures.

Just for self-amusement purposes, I shot the Chek-Mate Hunter 1 with the GoldTip 1535 arrows. I figured worst case scenario was I was chasing my arrows everywhere... best case scenario being I shot some record high scores. In any event I knew I was going to have a lot of fun with friends. I finished the FITA with an 833, 20 points short of tying my record from last year, and the 900 with a 676, 14 points short of tying my personal high a few months ago but 56 points ahead of last year's Sunshine State Games record. So yeah, I shot extremely well.

Best round at 70 meters in the FITA round -- also the final round at 70 meters.

Funniest round for me at 60 meters in the FITA round. I had an outlier in the upper blue somewhere. Great group, wrong place!

1st in Adult Female Barebow for the FITA.

Me and the trusty Chek-Mate Hunter 1. There's a reason why I jokingly refer to it as either "shorty" or "old reliable".

Final end of the 900 round with my fellow traditional archer in the young adult division.

Best round at 50 yards in the 900 round.

SE Sectional Field/Hunter/Animal 2011

As always, click on the title for the full set of pictures.

I had the precision even if my accuracy was a bit iffy!

First shot was a kill! The animal round was pretty darned difficult but I shot a personal best.

That poor buck just got an eye put out and an ear-piercing from my string-walker buddies. I got him on the second shot.

This little guy is so darned lucky when I was practicing. I'm surprised we didn't have any lizard casualties at the shoot.

My group from Saturday. These guys were all in the Master Senior Barebow division, which allows string-walking (multiple places to put the fingers on the string) and/or face-walking (multiple anchor points).

My group from Sunday. The guy in orange is the FAA VP for the northwestern section of the state and is in the bowhunter free-style limited division (compound fingers with fixed pin sights and short stabilizer). The other two guys are in the Master Senior Bowhunter division, which is compound without anything on it except maybe a short stabilizer and no string-walking or face-walking (single anchor and nocking point). Effectively, the Bowhunter division is shooting a compound like a traditional bow with either instinctive shooting or gap-shooting.

The face of true courage. He's shooting a Genesis bow, which most people would consider to be something for little kids or people who can't pull anything else back. There were a handful of people who thought he was crazier than I was, but he held his own and had a great time. He also out-shot me on the field and hunter rounds, but I did get him on the animal round!

Apparently I mis-extrapolated on an 80 yard shot. At least I know where the arrow went. We had quite a few of these actually when I shot with the Master Senior Bowhunter division, wasn't as much of an issue with the Barebow guys.

Potential Piece of the Side Project

There's two things that really amaze me of late...
1) What it takes for me to actually get to sleep at night these days -- namely a bit of time scribbling away in a notebook... and
2) How much a certain character who used to be at my gym really inspired me in my workouts (most of the exercises I do on my own I learned from him), archery (by helping me tune my workouts to help me handle the rigors of the KSL shooting technique taught to me at Newberry), and creepily enough, my non-academic writing.

That being said, here's a small piece of what may or may not get put into my current insomnia relief project, tentatively titled The Archer and the Swordsman... it all depends on which ending I ultimately choose to that one based on how I want to arc this story-line involving the Eternal Huntress and the Clawed Fury.

Two wolves haunt my dreams each night:
One lone grey from desert to the west,
Seeking perfection in moonlight.
The other, brown with a scar on his chest,
From sun- and rain-soaked lands in the east.
Who is this mysterious beast?

And what's this voice calling to me?
Can I accept my dim reflection?
Endless paths, unknown identity,
This search for strength and perfection.
The roads all look the same by day,
To what I journey to, I can't say.

I trek endlessly on my crusade
Though they say perfection doesn't exist,
Only mediocrity's dull blade.
But why does that voice in me insist
That I must pursue it ever onward,
That my road only goes forward?

Then I met you, fearsome and bold,
I wanted to run and hide from you,
A brutal beast enchanting to behold.
You woke the dormant grey wolf anew,
A spark from a frozen ember
Burning brighter than I remember.

You destroyed the soft human in me,
Though it hurt, I return for more,
Knowing that it'll finally set me free.
Last of my strength tapped to the core,
Though with your guidance I grow stronger,
Wolf awakened, human no longer.

Now bold and fearless I stand
As master archer and grey wolf knight.
Fires raging from embers you fanned
With your smile in the pale moonlight
And lending me your gentle aid
When my muscles' strength ebb and fade.

Grey wolf and brown wolf's paths must diverge:
Archer and doctor bonded through steel,
Separated by quests unlikely to re-converge
Fates that only their choices and time reveal
Though many fond memories endure ever on
Far past piercing lights of scarlet dawn.

Random Funny Moment

Ragnar's arrow up a tree. I think we need a ladder...

And Baron Rurik provides the ladder!

Almost Forgot to Post This

Gander Mountain indoor range, 20 yards. Trying to get Robert to work on his form so he can also get this type of precision at 20 yards but he's steadfastly refusing to incorporate anything I learned from Coach R unless he sees another hunter using it successfully.

Taste of Long Hammock

Someone requested some pictures of stuff that happens at Long Hammock, so I took pictures for them. I'm not the world's biggest fan of these shoots and it's a bit weird not having whistles or beeps to call people to the line and let us know when to start and stop shooting. I think I've gotten to be more of a FITA type shooter -- there's certainly far fewer bugs to munch on me! In any event, click either here or the title for the pictures of the funny critters that make up the Long Hammock Bowhunters.

Gator Cup 2011

I shot a 762/1440 which was pretty darned good given that 50 and 30 meters involved the 6-ring 80 cm target (so I didn't have the full 80 cm diameter), floating gaps, and erratic winds. I shot two personal bests though: 183/360 at 70 meters and 211/360 at 60 meters, both on the 122 cm target face. I was amazed at the magnitude of the shoot. As usual, click on the title for the full suite of pictures.

It was definitely an amazing shoot! I'd love to do this again!

A Few Calibration Samples

50 meters, generally calm conditions.

50 meters, somewhat windy conditions.

30 meters, pretty windy conditions.

Here's what 50 meters looks like from the target to the shade thing. I think I like the full 80 cm target faces a lot more than these individual 6-ring targets, but as long as I remember to do my Tai Chi breathing, all should be well!

Someday

The thousand arrow challenge with an after-word by Coach Kisik Lee. One of these days, I'll get there and maintain solid form throughout.



There's got to be more to life than a desk sentence and paper-pushing... I can feel my health declining further with every line of code or parameter I have to think about.

Shot at Sanity

I shot a personal best at the 900 round at the Villages. 690/900 -- previously my best score had been a 620/900 but it was with the walnut longbow. Yesterday it was with the little Chek-Mate Hunter 1, which is a whole different beast. It's almost as if it's optimized for the event -- spot-on at 50 yards, about 2/3 of the way up the flag at 60 yards, and the bottom of the target at 40 yards. The best part though was just having a blast with friends I haven't seen in months and meeting some incredibly sweet women who were on the same target as me who provided me with plenty of moral support and giggles throughout.