[Archers] My take on the Royal Round and hand strap question.

[SPSampson at aol.com]

Good day M'Lord and the List,

By no means did I mean that we should not strive to shoot our best, that shooting poorly was equated with shooting safely.  Do we all not agree that the first priority is safety on the range??  That's all that was meant, sorry that it may have come out of context to mean otherwise.

Yes, all the other things that we use, from plastic nocks, modern glues, fibreglas laminated recurves etc. are more from the modern, not so much I feel as a safety issue, but from a more readily available source so more can take part in archery.  Not everyone can afford a replica bow, or can fashion their own from scratch.  If this is a *safety* issue, then by all means, accept it.  If it's a personal preference, then maybe it shouldn't be allowed.  I'm just offering my personal opinion, not being critical of others for theirs, either similar or against what I have written.  The majority of archers who step to our lines are not "competitive" archers, who have been trained that the light grip permits more accurate "feel" for the instinctive release.  They are simply out to enjoy comraderie and a fun time shooting shafts at the provided targets.  We as Marshals have committed ourselves to teach, but also to make sure everyone has a safe environment to enjoy archery.

I did not mean to offend or "flame" with my comments, just offer my opinion, which with $3 will buy you a cup of coffee! 

In Service,

Eoghan