Friday, 09/10/2021
The German national championship began on 6PM on Friday evening with registration and the bow check. Everything must be in order here in Germany. So I got in the car and drove there. From door to door it was 100km for me. One can drive that daily. I already know the SV Hummetroth from tournaments in the past years. The tournaments here were always a lot of fun and very well organized. That’s why I was happy about the venue of the championship.
Registration and bow check was not a problem. Also, there was not too much waiting time. Giving name and bow class, the registration was already done and the starting number sign was handed out. Bow and arrows once being checked and one received the sticker for the bow. Everything went quick and uncomplicated.
After this was all set I have still led the one or other conversation and then it was time for the way home. I wanted to end the day early in any case, so that I could arrive rested again on Saturday.
Saturday, 09/11/2021
7am departure. 8:15am arrival. That’s a little time to think about what I expect from the day and the tournament. Shooting well and be satisfied with my performance is my goal. I don’t expect a podium finish, This year did not give me enough time for training for that. I know one or the other name from the starting list. The competition is strong and I know what I can and cannot do. A place in the midfield would be ok. In any case I want to have a lot of fun. That is in any case already guaranteed, because what weather should be nice.
A look at the group plan revealed to me that I had landed in the top peer group. Well, that will certainly be great. Strong shooters in the group always motivate to good performance. 30 targets are on the agenda. The course seems to be wide. I already know the surrounding forest. It will be exhausting as the terrain goes up and down. Combined with the length, it will be a challenge. Looking back, I estimate the course to be about 8km.
The tournament starts, the group is great, and we have a lot of fun within the group. The chemistry is just right. My performance is OK. Of course, one or two things could be better. That’s the way it is at tournaments. You are rarely satisfied. As with every tournament, there is always a low phase. So also this time. If only I knew how I could prevent that. But, be that as it may, it was a good first day.
On one target, the sound of a Robin Hood shot came again (unfortunately). So I split the arrow of a group member to almost half the length. The grin I could not deny myself, even if it is always annoying at the cost of an arrow. This was my second Robin in my archery career. Towards the end of the day, fatigue set in. The muscles shut down, my feet hurt. But that is relatively normal for a long tournament day. It took us just under 6 hours to complete the 30 targets and the approx. 8km. The day ended with 5th place in our group and 5th place overall. So I kept the top peer group for the second day. With this I can be satisfied for the time being.
Sunday, 09/12/2021
Sore muscles! The motto of the day. I am so untrained and now I pay the price for it. FCK CVD & Lockdowns. My legs hurt from the day before. Sore muscles in my upper back. Today I should actually shoot better than the day before. So off I go. But, nothing works. Nothing feels right. How can it. With every shot, I pull the bow into sore muscles. Nothing can feel right. Archery is all about feeling. My form collapsed.
I can already see where my problems lie. Scoring more points than the day before is becoming a distant prospect. Now it’s just a matter of not falling apart completely. I’m trying to function. It’s a head game. I force myself through the course. Not at all am I satisfied with my performance. I finish the day with 32 points less than the day before. Despite everything it was enough for the 6th place. For my first German national championship that should be okay. I can draw my lessons from the two days. I know that there is still room for improvement. After the German championship is before the German championship. I’ll be back.
Conclusion
The participation at the german national championship was absolutely worth it. I had a lot of fun, I learned a lot. My 6th place reflects my performance quite well. Maybe not necessarily my capabilities in archery, but in combination with the physical condition definitely. I need to work on my fitness. In parts of the tournament I lost to myself.
But that doesn’t matter. I can use the experience and be better prepared and trained next time. Then it will also work out better. I don’t want to miss the experience of the weekend at the German nationals. It showed me where my deficits are. And that is also a positive turnout for me.
Thank you for this tournament to everyone who was involved in making it happen. Thanks to my fellow shooters in the groups of the two days. It was great.