North American Field Archery Championship

Hosted by Everglades Archers

Weekend of December 13 and 14, 2008

By Ed de Mateo  2008

The 2008 NAFAC was a huge success by any measure.  We had 133 registered archers from all over the world.  Among them were Nigel Downs, Steve Kendrick, Paul Clark and daughter Daisy, all from England; as well as Steve Morley from Estonia.  This year the Women's Archery Team from Shanghai, China also attended, along with their entourage, including their coach and translators.  Among the prominent archers from the U.S. was Vic Wunderle, three-time Olympic competitor and medalist.  Many shooters from all over the U.S. were here, as well as two from Canada.  All types of equipment classes were represented, including Historic Bow, Longbow and the various Recurve classes, in addition to the variety of compound bows in the Freestyle and Bowhunter classes.  There were a total of 36 shooting groups which were merged to fit into the 28 target field range!  That's a lot of archers and a lot of arrows being shot for score.

(L to R)  Nigel Downs, Steve Kendrick, Paul and Daisy Clark, and Steve Morley, shown with Tim Austin of the FAA

The five girls of the Shanghai Women's Archery Team (right); and Vick Wunderle, three time U.S. Olympic competitor and Medalist (left)

Plenty of preparation went into this tournament well ahead of time, with many people, both members and volunteers, helping out.  Not only was the range in excellent shape, but there were plenty of water coolers and food stations throughout.  I was told that on Friday there were about 60 or more archers practicing during the day.  I arrived at the range on Friday night and there were archers still practicing under the lights.  Food and other supplies were being brought to the range that night, while others were out in the field range putting out targets and coolers for the next day.  The temperature started dropping as a cold front was moving in - cold to us who live down here, but probably nice for those of you from up North.

On Friday night a few archers were practicing under the lights, while last minute food deliveries and range preparations were being made.

Saturday morning I arrived at 5:30am and was surprised to find the lights already on and a few shooters practicing.  To me it felt chilly, and quite a few people were bundled up.  By 6:00am the range was starting to get full, with a lot of folks now practicing, while others were waiting for breakfast to be served.  A bit later the sun started to come up, taking the bite out of the cold.  At 7:30am the practice range was closed and pre-tournament announcements were made.  After the announcements the archers went to their assigned targets and the tournament began on schedule.  The weather was spectacular, with clear blue skies and cool temperatures throughout the day.  Shooting went smoothly through most of the morning, but then the groups began to get backed up at the 80 yard target across the lake.  I'm not sure why it happens, but it seems this year the back up was a bit worse than previous years.  However, once the Field portion of the tournament was nearing completion things began returning to normal.  The Animal round seemed to go very smoothly.  All the archers were in and scores were being posted as the sun went down.  A lot of us were there well into dark making preparations for the next day.

It was cold on Saturday morning at 5:30am, but when the sun came out it started to get pleasant and the folks at the practice line began to shed layers of clothing.

At 7:30am Tim Austin started the pre-tournament talks (L).  Some of the ladies waiting their turn at the 80 yard target (R).

Although there was a back up at the 80 yard target, it wasn't all drudgery (L).  Saturday's scores were still being posted well into dark (R).

Sunday morning started out noticeably warmer.  It was the same scenario as Saturday, with archers arriving early and practicing under the lights.  The morning talk and the start of the Hunter round went as scheduled.  The groups had been re-arranged and the back up at the 80 yard target was significantly reduced.  On Sunday the sky was a little overcast at first and the wind picked up, but it was still good weather for the tournament.  Things must have gone smoothly because most, if not all of the groups were in by lunch time.  We served our renowned 'Beast Feast', which this year included Hispanic and Italian foods, as well as our traditional game delicacies and the usual American fare.  There was certainly something for everyone.

Sunday we served our renowned BEAST FEAST, with our Chinese guests seen in these pictures enjoying their lunch.

During the lunch break the scores were being tallied and the winners determined.  The awards ceremonies were held after lunch, with winners awarded 1st, 2nd and 3d place NAFAC medals.  There was some impressive shooting as 20 NAFAC records were broken, as well as 10 IFAA World records!  Our guest shooters received special awards - hand crafted primitive arrows made by Shelly Mascaro, our club secretary.  During lunch Eric from the Miami Science Museum came to our range with an American Bald Eagle.  Many people gathered around to admire this large and majestic bird and take advantage of the photo opportunity.  Eric told the crowd some facts about Bald Eagles, including that they can exert around 400 pounds per square inch of pressure with their feet.  Eric also had a Screech Owl, which is a really small owl species.  This little guy has coloring that blends in well with tree bark, and special feathers along the wings that enable silent flight.

These special award arrows were presented to our guest shooters, which were made by Shelly Mascaro, our club secretary.

Tim Austin was busy tallying the final scores and determining the winners (L).  The Trafford family proudly shows off their medals (R).

Eric, from the Miami Science Museum, brought this beautiful American Bald Eagle and the cute little Screech Owl.

After the awards ceremony we set up three FITA targets at 70 Meters.  The Chinese girls shot against anyone who wanted to pit their skills against them, regardless of their equipment.  I shot with my favorite longbow.  Not that I had any chance, but it was fun and I did hit the target quite often.  People started leaving after the awards ceremonies, but quite a few stayed a while to socialize and enjoy the tranquility of our club grounds.  Some were talking with friends while others were singing and carrying on having a great time.  Meanwhile, a lot of us were busy cleaning up and putting things away, and before we knew it the sun was setting.  We finally finished and left very tired, but with the satisfaction of knowing we had put on one hell of a great event.