Day 1 @ Cowichan 3D Championships
Arrived at the Clubhouse by 7:10 a.m. Right on time. My "team" was no where to be seen. Typical.
I headed inside to register and was promptly relieved of $30, although it was with a smile. Not from Janis though....she hadn't had a chance to get a cup of coffee yet.
Speaking of coffee! Went straight for the kitchen and was happy to find that coffee was FREE! Since I was informed by the ticket seller that it was free with breakfast, I "donated" .50 cents into a cup. The coffee was well worth the price though......you could stand a Linejammer in it.
Since my shooting "buddies" were still on the road I got my gear together and headed in the direction of the practice butts. That was when the team finally showed up.....all excuses about someone named Bonzo, who was late getting out of the sack.
After a few practice rounds the five of us headed out to target #1 of the 30 target round. Only one round today, although it was a two arrow round for those that had a bit of a tough time judging distance. Good thing to (for some of the team)!!
We hit the first target at about 8:25 a.m. and I got a harsh reminder of why it is not a good idea to drink several cups of coffee on the drive up from Victoria and to then go in and get one of the TOUGH cups that are brewed at the clubhouse. First target was a "5". Next time I will stop to eat something! It took a couple more targets for me to settle down, but that's life in the big, cruel city.
The course? What can I say!! I have heard about the famous "Hell Hole" but had never experienced it, until now that is (more later). Overall the course was SUPER. Lots of interesting shots - both uphill and downhill....one or two at severe angles but not out of the realm of what you would find out in the bush when hunting. Just a very good mix of easy shots up to tough shots. Doug Gardiner and the rest of the volunteers are to be congratulated. A very well laid out course......
Except for #28. Nothing seriously amiss with this target but #29 was directly behind the animal that was #28!
To be fair, there was a screen of relatively thick brush and trees between the two targets. But with the way "today's" compound bows shoot arrows it is not beyond the possibility of a stray arrow somehow getting through the 25 yard screen of brush and trees. It gave the party ahead of us a reason to hold up and wait til we had shot #28 before they were comfortable about proceeding to the stake at #29.
Call them overly cautious if you will, but we waited for the party behind us to shoot before we took up our position on the stake at #29 as well. It just made us a wee bit of the willies to know that someone was back there lining up on the target while we were not that far out in front of them.
Anyway - rumour has it that after a gentle tease to the 3D director when we got in to the clubhouse, the problem was addressed.
Good on ya Doug!!
Our party of five shooters went around the course in about two and a half hours, and we were not pushing it. Yours truly is not in the best of shape and two other shooters had problems, one with his ankle and the other with his hip. It was the "Hell Hole" that slowed us down. That is one steep climb down there! Not to mention the climb back out of there. The target placement on the banks of the Hole were well placed to say the least. The one shot down the steep embankment to the Full-curl Ram was a doozy. Gotta judge the distance and also allow for the downward angle as well. Sure made you stop and think.
We were huffing and puffing some when we got to the top of the hill again. Glad for that water bottle I carried. Also VERY nice to see the aid station down at the bottom of the hill, just after the walk along the river. Nice touch guys. Pop, Juice, and Water, all it needed was some kokanee.
We exited the course right beside the clubhouse and were greeted by the smell of BBQ ! ! Gotta love that! Yes we were hungry by then! Starving by the time we cleaned up a bit and hit the kitchen. All was quite for about 10 minutes as we were face-down into our chow. Cheese burgers with lots of fried onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mustard, and ketchup....with a side of nachos or potato chips thrown in. All for $3.50 was a steal to be sure. Cold drinks, hot coffee, and a gentle ribbing form the peanut gallery who were not shooting.
Well. We've shot the 30 target course. We've sat and had lunch. We've had our B.S. session about how great we all were and how we meant to miss that target completely (eh Ron?). We even went out and shot at a $5 dollar bill from 70 yds. First one to hit it gets it. Great fun. Now what do we do for 5 or 6 hours until dinner time??
By the way, when I went in to buy my burger I got a peek at some of the stuff for supper. Mmm, mmm, good. But what do we do until then??
A couple of the guys were beginning to set up a "fun-shoot" or two, but it is a long time until dinner.
Someone came up with the idea of shooting another "fun" round on the 30 target course. So we went in to find somebody in charge....only to find out that the course is "now closed" - period. No ifs, ans, buts or maybes. It is closed.
We even suggested that they charge $5.00 per shooter to go out and have a second round, not counting the score of course. All five of us would gladly have paid. But "the course is closed"
We heard from a number of other shooters that they would've liked the opportunity to go out again - even paying $5.00 for the chance. After all it was only noon and the last shooters allowed to go out on the course had left at 11:00 a.m.
We and a bunch of other shooters wanted to contribute more to the coffers of the Club. But........ You guessed it - "the course is closed"
Time for a hint to the organizers - Want to generate more revenue for the club? Here was a prime opportunity that was missed. I know of at least 8 people that went home. These 8 would've paid to shoot a second round as well as paid to stay to dinner.
But what the heck.....it gave me and others a chance to go home and do some chores so that Sunday could be "guilt-free".
Do not get me wrong. I am not bitching just to stir it up. In fact I am not bitching at all. I genuinely want to see this club (and others) do well. Both financially and membership-wise. Happy shooters are more willing to fork out $$$ than grumpy shooters are. Just a thought.
I will be there for the second half of this two day affair, and I will continue to support this club, my own club, and others as well. I just love this sport.
Sorry for the long post - and thanks to anyone who took the time to read it.
Dan. (one who needs and appreciates the exercise that the Hell Hole offers)
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Just for clarification....the funshoot area is well away from the 30 target 3D course. Safety is always the first concern of anyone planning a course. Which is only right.
..... clueless
Originally Posted by lip_ripper00
