British (GNAS) Target Archery [1] Quiz

Answer: FITA

FITA, the Federation International de Tir l'Arc, is the international governing body for archery and was founded in Lvov, Poland in 1931. FITA, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is responsible for formulating and applying the rules followed by approximately 145 national governing bodies worldwide and for the organisation of the Archery World Championships, the Archery World Cup competitions and advising the IOC on all aspects of archery at the Olympic Games.
DCAS are the initials of the regional society for Devon and Cornwall, GWAS are the initials of the Grand Western Archery Society, the society that administers archery for the west of England and EWBS are the initials for the English Warbow Society, a society unaffiliated with GNAS, that promotes the study and practice of the medieval English warbow.

Answer: Imperial round

All distances shot under FITA rules are measured in metres, whereas all imperial rounds shot under GNAS rules are measured in yards. GNAS rounds predominantly consist of full dozens of arrows, whereas it is not uncommon for a FITA round to consist of ends of half dozens of arrows: for example the GNAS York Round consists of 12 dozen arrows shot at three distances - 6 dozen at 100 yards, 4 dozen at 80 yards and 2 dozen at 60 yards whereas the FITA 900 round consists of 2½ dozen arrows shot at each of 3 distances - 60 metres, 50 metres and 40 metres. Imperial scoring also varies in that arrows falling anywhere within the same colour zone score the same number of points under GNAS but will score differently from ring to ring under FITA rules.

Answer: Compound bow

The compound bow is a relatively recent advance in bow technology, being developed in the USA in the 1960s. The compound bow uses a series of levers and pulleys to bend the limbs. Compound bows are ideal for those archers that may be recovering from an injury but wish to continue shooting as the lever and pulley system allows for similar draw weights as recurve bows and longbows but with much less exertion on the part of the archer.

It is not uncommon for some compound bows to achieve arrow speeds well in excess of 200fps (feet per second).

In the United Kingdom, the draw weight limit for compound bows in competition is 60lbs.

Answer: Indoor target archery rounds

Under GNAS rules, there is no indoor round shot at a distance of over 30 metres, the 'Stafford' being the only one shot at that distance and at a full size (80cm) indoor face. Rounds are shot using arrows counted in dozens. The Portsmouth round, which is the most widely shot indoor round, consists of 5 dozen arrows, shot at a 60cm face from a distance of 20 yards.

As a general rule, compound bows use two vertical sets of triple target face centres mounted side by side on one boss with one arrow being shot at each centre. Because the compound bow, especially in 'unlimited' form, is so much more accurate than other styles of bow, this reduces the likelihood of damage to both arrows and to the straw target boss.

Answer: 80cm and 122cm

All outdoor target rounds under GNAS rules are shot at either an 80cm or a 122cm target face without exception. You may see other sizes and styles of faces being used outdoors at an archery club, but this will not occur in serious competition, even at club level.

There are only a very few authorised manufacturers and suppliers of target faces, at least in the United Kingdom, and these must comply within strict tolerances ensuring that any target faces, that may ultimately find use at national or world record status events, are as near identical to each other as possible.

Answer: 15 degrees

When setting up the field for a shoot, target centres must be set at a certain distance from each other and are to be at around 130cm from ground level. The minimum centre spacing should be 2.5 metres for targets being used by archers shooting in pairs, or 3.66 metres for targets being used by three or more archers. Target bosses are angled, primarily, to increase the stability of the target and to enable archers to withdraw their arrows without the danger of pulling the target boss over.

Answer: Blue

The blue ring is the one missing from this sequence. Under GNAS rules scoring is as follows: White scores 1 point, black scores 3, blue scores 5, red scores 7 and gold scores 9. Any arrow which strikes the white area of the target face outside of the outer ring has hit the 'petticoat' and scores zero or is marked on an archer's scorecard as a 'miss'.

Answer: A draw check device fitted to the bowstring

A kisser is a small disc, usually made from a soft plastic or rubber material, through which the bowstring passes. It is positioned on the string in such a way that, once the archer is anchored at their full, measured draw length, the device sits in the corner of the mouth, providing the archer with a reliable draw-check and reference point.

Answer: The pinhole

The pinhole denotes the dead centre of the target face and is a reference point used by judges to ensure that each target is at the same height from the ground as all the others on a field, which, as we have discovered, is 130cm or 4ft 3inches. Height tolerances are relatively low and, even at club tournament level, the tolerance allowed is only ±5cm.

Answer: County Judge

For those 'club' days when members turn up to shoot for a few hours for pleasure, it is acceptable to nominate one member to act as Field Captain for the duration of the shoot. Clubs may have, within their membership, someone who holds a position as a judge - my club here in Devon had 2 County Judges among its members - and it is judges at this level that will officiate at a non-record status club tournament or a non-record status county tournament. Regional Judges are required to officiate at both regional tournaments and at national record status events.

At the top of the pile, so to speak, are the National Judges who will be called upon to officiate at national and world record status events. All Judges at the Olympic Games, for example, would hold the office of National Judge. For those who might be interested as to how a tournament becomes a 'record status' shoot, the shoot organiser must apply to GNAS many months in advance, and pay a fee, to have this status granted.

There are benefits to applying for this as an event of this nature may well attract archers up to, and including, those of international and Olympic stature.