No Longer a Novice
by Steve RobertsonGloucestershire Indoor Championships
I have not been shooting much recently – other activities have got in the way.
However, I did manage to fit in another competition — this time, the Gloucestershire Indoor Championships.
Since the entry form gave a choice, I plumped for the foam target since I find them easier to extract the arrows. The only negative was it was a 3-spot target, whereas the straw targets were a single-face.
![No Longer a Novice The Target must be down there somewhere No Longer a Novice The Target must be down there somewhere](https://www.bowmenofdanesfield.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/No-Longer-a-Novice-The-target-must-be-down-there-somewhere-003.jpg)
![No Longer a Novice Not to bad at full draw No Longer a Novice Not to bad at full draw](https://www.bowmenofdanesfield.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/No-longer-a-Novice-Not-to-bad-at-full-draw-002.jpg)
The Range
The main challenge for the day was not the archery but the temperature – it was absolutely freezing in the hall, which I think had a negative impact on some of the archers.
Varifocal or Not
The other challenge was that I had decided to swap my normal varifocal glasses for a single distance lens since I was finding that. With a normal stance, the corner of the varifocal lens was giving a slightly blurred image of the target. However, it meant that the scoresheet and the backup PDA screen were blurred instead. The only solution was a change of glasses on the walk to the target and a change back on the way back from the target. Was the effort worth it – the jury is still out!
The archery was ok, the temperature did not seem to have an effect, and I ended up in the middle of the field in the results.
Deer Park Archers published photos of the event with the results – the first I have seen of me in action.
![No Longer a Novice Two glasses in action No Longer a Novice Two glasses in action](https://www.bowmenofdanesfield.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/No-Longer-a-Novice-Two-Glasses-in-Action-001.jpg)