The results from last Sunday’s shoot at the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley have been published:
A good day at an excellent venue
Sunday 15th March was a good day and not just for those who picked up medals. The K2 is an excellent venue and its facilities were appreciated by everyone who attended. Dan Beasley, Ric Gates and their colleagues at the K2 deserve our sincere thanks for their very professional assistance in getting the venue ready for the shoot. The same goes for Kylie Whitfield at Freedom Leisure for her efforts in promoting the event to the media. Sussex has found a new home for its Indoor Championships and for the foreseeable future it won’t find anywhere more accommodating.
Thanks also to Karen Hodgkiss, the Tournament and Records Officer of GNAS, who handled our record status applications and various other matters with politeness and efficiency. Knocking the governing body has become something of a popular sport in itself but one can only speak as one finds; and Karen was never found wanting in her helpfulness for this shoot and its organisers.
The same can be said for Steve Ellison, the Chairman of SCAS, who was quick to see the potential of staging an archery event that was a bit different to the norm.
A great response and an exceptional effort
When the K2 was first mentioned as the venue a few people suggested that an archery event couldn’t fill it. Well it did. Archers from the Southern Counties region showed their support in magnificent fashion on Sunday 15th March and empty spaces were few and far between in any of the three sessions. To everyone who took part, many thanks for your support.
Our head judge, Mark Davis, put it rather nicely when he said “Today has been a success because the archers wanted it to be a success.” That is a perceptive observation but it undervalues one other very important factor in the day’s success, namely the part played by Mark and his fellow judges, Roger McMullan, Richard Hillier and Phil Bussingham. It was, gentlemen, simply an exceptional performance by yourselves that will live long in the memory as an example of how to officiate at a sporting event. That’s any sporting event, not only an archery tournament. It couldn’t have been done any better. Thank you.
“You didn’t have enough field crew but those you did have were excellent,” said a somewhat breathless Phil Bussingham at the conclusion of shooting. There is a big hint for next year to anyone reading this. It’s also the appropriate moment at which to thank Rob Keeling and Richard Cobden of Arundown AC whose efforts made a massive contribution to the day.
The same goes for the people who looked after registration, organised refreshments and processed the results. Carol Bartlett, Barry Jakes, Zillah McMullan, Diane Hillier, Julia Tucknott and Rebecca Tucknott (who also designed the K2 09 logo for the organising team’s apparel), please take a theatrical bow.
Mention must, of course, also be made of our Lord Patron and Lady Paramount, Alan and Jean Ruby. An endless source of support and encouragement for months before the shoot, they performed their duties on the day with charm and authority. They also found time to organise and, with the assistance of Debbie Phillips, run the tombola and raise useful funds for the Sussex CAA. Thanks to all three of you and to Neil Dimmock, the President of SCAS, who announced the results of the first session, and Liz Bowyer and John Nolan of Arundown AC for your invaluable help with various items of equipment before the day of the shoot.
The sheer size of the main hall at the K2 could have caused real headaches when it came to setting up the range. If truth be told it went smoothly, not least because of the expertise lent to the task by the K2 staff. The other vital ingredients – sweat and energy – were supplied by judges Roger McMullan and Richard Hillier, Steve Hooper and Brian Savage of Bognor Regis AC, Brian Wise of Holbrook Archers, John Humphrey, Bob and Emily Darling of Ditchling AC and a host of people led by Symon Grinham from Crawley AC. It was a great job and they deserve everyone’s thanks for getting it done.
Two other people who helped with the set up need to be mentioned. The first, our Equipment Officer Roger Wolff, set about the task of begging and borrowing the safety nets needed for the shoot in typically streetwise fashion. He also organised the transport of the target equipment to and from the K2 and made his presence felt at numerous times, not least when one sunny afternoon in July last year he cajoled your correspondent into organising the event. Now it’s all done and dusted I can say “Thanks, Rog.”
The second is the Chairman of the Sussex CAA, Andrew Holdsworth of Plumpton Bowmen. There have been more than a few differences aired en route to the K2 but, take it from the airer-in-chief, the shoot wouldn’t have happened without Andrew. When it came to the big decisions (like spending several thousand quid on target butts and stands) and providing support at the difficult moments (there were one or two) he delivered the goods. He deserves the thanks and appreciation of all Sussex archers for that.
Thanks again to everyone. The event didn’t pass without its mistakes and its mishaps but they were either put right immediately or are in the process of being addressed now. Hopefully everyone has good memories of the day.
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