Photos by Don P, Don B, Eric K
Click the pic for giant version
and the CHAMPS
Having booked my weekend with the other half, and hoping that the weather forecast was going to be right for a change, I eagerly headed to the IAC site outside Edenderry on Saturday morning for the Champs.
Despite leaving behind my print out of directions and finding a required page in my road atlas missing I made it in plenty of time and was amazed to see a tented village already set up. A good start to a great weekend (despite Don P not recognising me with my new beard and sunglasses!)
And what a great weekend it was. Good weather, good company, good woods, good organisation, good courses, etc. etc. Everything was just right. I will admit to some grumbles about one or two of the target positions being somewhat difficult with a longbow but they were all shootable with a lot of thought. The four different types of course were also a welcome change to the normal shoot and I think just right for the championships.
Eric must have a masochistic streak in him somewhere to take on this enormous task by himself and I would like to add my thanks to his to all those who helped him. Well done Eric - time to take a rest!
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon.
Don Bradley, Dunbrody Archers
I would like to say a few words about this shoot.
I went up on the Friday with my house attached and the kitchen in tow. I am now a qualified chef due to all the cooking I had to do. I have a degree in lighting bonfires to keep ye all the older people warm!! Just to say that I think this contributed to my FAILURE to win the gold medal.
On a serious note I would like to thank all fellow archers for one of the best weekends of archery I was ever on and a big thank you to Eric for a fantastic course.
David Sinnott
I would like to thank yourself and Eric for a great shoot...had a lovely weekend even though i shot bad ....the people were all so friendly and helpful.....
Mark Daly
Well done to the I A C for hosting the national championships a fantastic weekend of archery. There was a great crac around the camp not the mention the camp fire at nigh. The weather was just perfect, the course - well what can I say,after the last I A C shoot we were not sure what was in store for us, but boy o boy Eric, you put out the most challenging courses we have ever shot. The time and effort you put in to each and every shot, the thought ,the optical challenge, up hill down hill shots even the peg locations the use of natural features like the three stumps to the hollowed out one on target two.
Navigating both courses was very easy and well marked out.
We will be talking about this weekend for a long time, well done Eric.
Pat & Dylan Smyth
Well ! What more can one say?. A great weekend of weather, cameraderie, forest living in Robin Hood style and a superbly organised shoot in an ideal venue......I could go on.
Congratulations to Eric Kelly on a huge task really well done. We didn't see all the hunting and research that went into providing what was probably one of the top courses we have seen , or any of the huge logistics that went into all of the planning and preparation. He acknowledged help from Don P and others, but it was still a one -man driven effort. Great job.. When's the next one, Eric?
John Shiel , Dunbrody
First and foremost, hats off to Eric Kelly for his sheer dedication /
drive / determination / foolhardiness (?) in undertaking the job of staging
the National Championships and doing so virtually single-handedly. To the
helpers, who put the finishing touches to the course on Friday allowing the
majority of archers to just turn up and shoot on Saturday; thank you! And
to everybody else who chipped-in and helped clear the course, on Sunday,
job well done!
Now, back to the course! Wasn’t it just superb? The woods themselves are
beautiful and ideally suited to making the 3D’s feel so natural when
shooting. In fact, they were so natural that there were a few occasions
when, standing at the peg, the question “So, where is the target?” had to
be asked!
The disciplines exacted over the two days made the competition both
interesting and challenging. The familiarity of the 3D and 2D animal faces
created the perfect counterpoint to the Roundel round, which was a new task
and great to experience.
Congratulations to everyone who came away with a bit of silverware, you all
thoroughly deserved it! There were some super scores out there! Thank you,
everyone, for making the weekend special by and providing lots of good
times, camaraderie and happy memories from a very pleasant and sunny
Edenderry.
Helen & Lynn, Dunbrody Archers
A record number of archers, a beautiful forest, a fantastic course, great weather, a fabulous atmosphere,and an extremely efficient and welcoming host, resulted in a really memorable experience for all the right reasons.
The course was a credit to Eric, whos dedication, expertise, patience, friendliness and desire to have the perfect set up, made these Champs a tremendous success.
The base camp proved a great focal point... picture the scene, calm nights, dry, big fire, an abundance of laughter, barbeques, the tempting smell of the food, people sitting around chatting, eating and drinking, banjo and harmonica music, kids toasting marshmallows. Need I say more...
As for the following... The heartbreaking near misses where arrows just sail by the 3D's targets, The sheer look of horror on peoples faces as they prepare for the next shot, Don P leaving arrows behind him like breadcrumbs (sorry Don, my Arrow recovery service, Evil Eric's look of satisfaction on frustrating us all, The chatting and banter throughout the course, Someone locking their keys in the van, A professional demonstration on how to break into said van, Hauling cars out of the mud (and there was very little mud!), A young persons view of the Lisbon treaty, the sound track to "War of the Worlds" booming across the campsite from a particular tent at 3.a.m., just drowned out all the snoring, some exceptional scoring over the two days, David and JP's great culinary skills, The fabulous trophies, and the nice prizes for the kids, Thats it I will stop now. A wonderful weekend. Very well done Eric and co.
Andrew Wayland
Thank you Eric and many congratulations for hosting a magnificent weekend's shooting at the National Championship. The variety and challenge of the four superb courses, the attention to detail you invested in all aspects of the organistion of the shoot and as always the enjoyment of spending time with fellow enthusiasts made it a weekend to remember. May we have God's mobile 'phone number too please so we can request the same weather for our shoots!?
Helen O Connell & Dave Lester, Black Dog Archers
And finally
What a weekend that was !
As competitions go that has to be one of the most enjoyable ones I have ever had the pleasure of being involved in. The atmosphere was electric and at some stages the tension among the competitors was high, but most of all the sense of being part of a large family was evident all through the weekend.
I don't think I have ever seen so many happy people willing to help to get things done. Maybe thats why IFAF works so well.
I learned so much over the past six weeks and I am grateful to Don I for all his guidance. A man of many talents you might say but a rock to cling to when you need him most. Thank you sir.
Many thanks to Sean Crowe, Pat Smith, Pat Byrne, Don P, and to Seamus Reilly who came trundling along with the toilet. Also thanks to our sponsors, The White Lake Angling Club and Paul in Shooting Style for their more than generous contributions.
A big thank you to Annie Fouinat and my brother Michael for expertly gathering all the info and making the shoot run like a well oiled clock.
Last of all I thank you all for your support and hope you all enjoyed the shoot as much as I did. Also a big thank you to all those who helped to take down the course. It made my job so easy at the end.
It was a pleasure to host this shoot and from the bottom of my heart thank you all and see you at the next shoot.
Eric, IAC
and the CHAMPS