Pennsic stories (archery)

[Scott Law <law@sirocco.mitre.org>]

Poster: Scott Law <law@sirocco.mitre.org>

> Anyone else recovered enough to tell some more stories?

  There was a new archery war point this year, the castle window, where you
fire at an 8" wide 3' tall target from 30 yards.  The target was attached to 
the regular target backs like they use on the practice range.  

  There were two novelty shoots based on this idea.  The first was called the
Real Castle Window Shoot.  The window was constructed from concrete (not cinder)
blocks angled like an arrow slit.  You had 30 seconds to fire at the target
through said window.  Having just bought new arrows, I tried a few of my old 
arrows.  Watched two of them explode on the blocks.  Another glance off the
angled wall and hit the target.  An interesting shoot, but not one I'll be in
a hurry to try again.  The winner got nine through and only busted one.  A 
second place archer shot seven and scored seven.  

  The other was from inside the window.  The walls were sheets of plywood 
nailed vertically with occasional gaps to represent the windows.  It was 
ordered fire at enemy archers, so you should behind cover, waited for the
command to shoot, stepped out and fired, and stepped back at the recover 
command.  You got the shoot command eight times and had about five seconds
to fire each time.  Oh, and to make it a challenge there was a random number
of pop-up targets to shoot each time.  The targets were rolled up cardboard
around 4-6" in diameter 2-3 feet tall.  At the end of the shooting, three 
archers had tied for first with two hits a piece.  In the shootoff, it took 
three shots for there to be a winner and another two shots to resolve second
place.  

  That was my fun for the war...well, not my only fun, but...ah, you know what
I mean.

                               -Virgil

P.S.  TIP:  Don't eat in the unwalled dining pavilion during a blowing storm! ;)

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