[Archers] Our Loaner Gear

[Garth Groff]

Noble friends of the bow,

I've had things to say on this topic before, but maybe the time has come 
to bring this issue up for general discussion where everyone can see it, 
particularly my fellow local group MICs. I am not here to embarrass 
anyone, but we have a problem that needs fixing.

I have long held that a local group's loaner gear is the most valuable 
tool we have for recruiting, not just new archers, but new members in 
general. Archery is often among the first activities guests try when 
contemplating joining the SCA. If guests have a good time, feel they 
have been well treated, and feel a sense of satisfaction from hitting 
the target a few times, there is a good chance some will come back. 
Perhaps they will feel archery isn't for them, but they might come back 
to your group for other activities, and new friends in a group are 
always golden. On the other hand, if our guests have an unsatisfactory 
experience on our ranges, they probably won't be back at all, even to 
another SCA group in the future. The quality of a group's loaner kit 
will play a very great role in their enjoyment or dissatisfaction.

I am sad to say that much of the loaner gear I have seen in the kits of 
other groups or brought out at tournaments is either garbage, or is 
treated like garbage. All too often there is little or no thought to the 
loaner equipment's maintenance, or the damaging effect raunchy gear has 
on the reputation of our archery program and the SCA in general.

There are three ways we can "strike out" with guests: if our equipment 
looks outmoded, if our equipment is dirty and badly maintained, and if 
our equipment doesn't function properly.

If your loaner gear is like the Shire of Isenfir's, the kit is probably 
made up of old fiberglass youth bows, probably Bears and Stemmlers over 
40 years old. Our guests may not know much about archery, but it doesn't 
take much intelligence to see that this equipment looks like something 
their grandparents used at Camp Grenada in the 1950s. Guests can easily 
compare the gear they are offered with the really sexy longbows or 
recurves regulars are shooting, and know they have been given aged 
cast-offs. It doesn't matter how well you maintain your kit, that 
ancient style will be obvious. In addition to Isenfir's kit, I have 
built a loaner kit of my own (which I can use for non-SCA events without 
asking permission). It is mostly stocked with current production Bears 
in nearly-new condition. They still don't measure up visually to the 
more expensive wooden bows personally owned by our regular archers. 
Guests will probably not yet realize that the SCA is a volunteer 
organization run on a shoestring (nor is this something to discuss with 
newbies, unless they specifically ask). So even with well maintained or 
new loaner equipment, we start out with one strike against us.

It gets worse if your loaner equipment is not properly maintained. Some 
of the loaner kit I was given when I took over our program looked like 
it had been stored in a pig sty. The equipment was generally filthy, and 
the grips were especially nasty with skin oils picking up grime until 
they were black. Arrows were never cleaned, and had rust and caked mud 
on their points, and more mud in the nocks. You can bet I cleaned all 
this equipment, made any needed repairs, and retired a lot of stuff that 
was too far gone. While we might be stuck with old bows as loaner gear, 
to offer something to our guest that is dirty is just plain insulting. 
Strike two! An insulted guest is not coming back. Period.

Finally there is the question of equipment that doesn't work right. How 
can you expect a beginner to find any satisfaction using equipment that 
is out of adjustment? How can they learn to shoot accurately when the 
string is so stretched that the bow can't cast an arrow all the way to 
the target. That says nothing about the bows without strings I saw 
brought to one tournament. What about nock points that are set too high 
or too low, causing the arrows to porpoise, or strings that don't even 
have nock points? How can you expect arrows to fly if they are crooked, 
or they are missing a fletch (or two, as I have sometimes seen)? 
Equipment like this is setting the guest up for failure, and they won't 
come back. Strike three. Your out! Pack it up kids.

I've talked about bows and arrows here, but also consider the condition 
of our arm guards and gloves. Leathers that are dry and cracked are 
unacceptable. Ditto arm guards with broken laces, or elastic bands that 
have lost their stretch. Are there enough leathers in various sizes, and 
quivers, to outfit a reasonable number of guests?

So what are the solutions? Every piece of loaner gear needs to be 
treated with the same care we give our personal equipment. Fiberglass 
bows should be cleaned with water and household detergent. If that 
doesn't work, rubbing alcohol is the next level. Finally, use acetone, 
lacquer thinner, or nail polish remover (without aloe or other 
additives) for the worst crud. Do this outside and wear vinyl gloves. Be 
aware the acetone will remove any lettering on the bow, so make notes on 
the poundage, and reapply this with a Sharpie extra fine _paint_ marker. 
Bows that are really badly scratched up can be sanded with 220 and 320 
sanding blocks, with a final wet sanding using the 320 block again. The 
finish will be matte, but vastly improved. Strings should be inspected 
and waxed before being put back on. The strings should be set at the 
proper brace height (usually about 6" for youth bows, and 7 1/2" for 
most adult bows). Nock points on strings should be checked and adjusted 
if needed.

Arrows should be checked after each use, and wiped down with a damp 
cloth if dirty. Apply a bit of WD40 or furniture oil on a rag to points 
to prevent rust. Crud left on shafts from insulation foam targets should 
be sanded or scraped off, and glue from duct tape wrapped targets 
removed with acetone. This will require resealing the shafts with 
polyurethane. Any damage to the fletching should be repaired. No damaged 
arrows should ever be allowed back into the kit until repaired.

Leathers deserved to be treated with Armor-All or similar leather 
dressing at least once a year. Any damaged laces should be replaced.

Though funds may be limited, it is worth exploring replacing the oldest 
gear with new equipment, even when the old stuff still has some life 
left in it. You might be able to spread a general replacement of old 
equipment out over a year or two if your populace is willing to foot the 
bill. Youth bows like the Bear First Shot cost only about $20, and Bear 
Crusaders are $29. Heavier bows from Bear, Barret, PSE or Indian are 
reasonably priced. Due you shopping wisely. I recently spotted a PSE bow 
for sale on a major "discount" web site for $55, with a supposed $9 
savings. Checking the PSE web page, I discovered the list price of the 
bow was only $39.

And what to do with the old stuff? If it is in good condition, perhaps 
some other Atlantian group is in need of equipment. If you transfer gear 
to another group, make sure to turn all correspondence over to your 
exchequer.  Or hold a yard sale and sell the unwanted stuff ($5 each is 
the usual going price around here for fiberglass youth bows). Make sure 
the money is promptly turned over to the exchequer. Your group could 
simply have your exchequer write the stuff off and donate it to a 
charity thrift store. If it is unserviceable, then destroy the gear and 
record its retirement in case of an audit.

This might seem like a lot of work, but we owe it to our guests. This 
also makes an excellent training project for MITs, and can be done 
during the winter down-time when shooting is suspended.

O.K. so I've had my say. I didn't mean to offend anyone, and hope nobody 
feels that way. That said, for the sake of our entire program, it is 
time we put our loaner gear in order.

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, TA MIC, Shire of Isenfir



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