|
Ambush Bow Challenge 2007
©Dean Torges/The Bowyer's Edge™ |
|
|
Rules and Guidelines, ABC 2 The results of the first Ambush Bow Challenge are no sooner public than it's time to launch the second one. We've made several changes to ABC 2. We've specified the kinds of photos the judges think will display your bow to its advantage. Also, we've refined the criteria slightly, weighted them differently, and specified standards for the contest bow and the mailing of entries. Bow Standards All bows must be 58" and under. They must be right-handed, with a fixed nock in place over the arrow, tillered for the Mediterranean split-finger style. The fistmele brace height must be at least 6.25 inches. The strings may be of the bowyer's choice of materials. Bows must draw 28 inches in length and weigh at least 60 lbs. Anything falling below 60 lbs. by the fourth day of the testing will be automatically disqualified. The bow should be worked out vigorously by the bowyer prior to its entry and he should be confident it can endure the rigors of the testing. Entry Standards Each entry should provide a written overview of your bow detailing its construction materials and explaining to the judges the decision-making process behind the bow's construction. Accompany this evaluation with at least one each of a full-front photograph showing: 1. the bow in profile, unbraced; 2. the bow in profile, braced; 3. the bow in profile at a 28" draw. Avoid angled views which distort the subject. Avoid distractions in the background. Avoid the bow shown canted in the archer's draw in favor of the fully drawn bow on a tillering tree shown straight-on, or something similarly revealing and uncluttered. You may choose to include as many additional close-up photographs as you think an understanding of your bow requires, though these are not required. Consider photographs of the dips or the flares or the nocks, areas that reveal the bowyer's solutions to the problems which attend the ten criteria. Attach brief textual explanations of these close-up photos, a few sentences that supplement the full critical evaluation of your bow. Shipping Standards Bows selected for the judging must arrive in a one-piece pvc tube or a heavy duty one-piece cardboard shipping cylinder. They must feature removable ends of either wooden or tin plugs or molded caps, securely fastened. Postage and insurance paid by entrants. Return postage and insurance for $250 will be paid by The Bowyer's Journal™. Evaluations Each bow will be graded upon the following ten criteria. Values to the criteria are distributed in the following manner. The number 1 criterion accounts for 20% of the value of the total, at 10 pts. Number 7 is a straight up and down prerequisite with no points awarded. The other 8 criteria amount to 5 points each, or 10% of the value. 50 points signify a perfect score. The Criteria 1) The bow must be capable of staying braced for hours on end, day after hard hunting day, and not lose perceptible cast. The arrow you shoot in the early morning should strike the same mark in the late afternoon at a hunting distance. 2) It must be quiet without the use of string silencers. Since most opportunities are close quarter at animals capable of eye-blink maneuvers, it shouldn't make more noise than a walnut hitting soft ground. 3) It must be easily braced. Even if you're sitting or lying on the ground, you should be able to brace it effortlessly and positively with one throw, without the string slipping from the nock or the bow jumping from your hand. 4) It must balance in the hand at full draw whether shooting squirrels high in tree tops, deer beneath tree stands or moose at eye level. Also, it must be short and maneuverable to shoot within confinements without bouncing a bow limb off platform cables or overhead branches. 5) It must be forgiving. If you need to turn to one side on a tree stand and tuck the lower limb between your legs for clearance, for example, or cant the bow in some unusual position, the bow must not want to torque or twitch from such an awkward posture or the likelihood of a tortured release. In other words, the handle must provide for a repeatable grip and the limbs must be of a stable design. 6) Even though it is short, no more than 58" nock to nock, it must be smooth to a 28" draw, so that no stacking hinders reaching full draw from any kind of awkward situation—cold, stiffness, or an unbalanced posture. 7) It must pull at least 60 lbs at 28". 8) It must shoot a heavy arrow, in excess of ten grains per pound of draw weight, and at 15 yards strike pretty much where a considerably lighter arrow does. 9) It must be of dependable materials and of a reliable construction, as simple as its pursuit allows. 10) It must be pleasurable to shoot. No kick, no shock to the nervous system, nothing unorthodox to the shooting style. Rules After you've built your version of this bow, of organic materials (excepting glue, finish and string), send The Bowyer's Journal™ a description of it, explaining your approach to satisfying the ten criteria. Entries close by June 1, 2007. Include revealing photographs. Send photos and text with a large SASE of sufficient return postage to: The Bowyer's Journal, ABC 2 Entries will fall into one of three categories: the Self Bow Class, the Laminated/Backed Bow Class, or the Composite Bow Class. Three entries to each class shall be invited for the final judging. If the three classes do not fill up with entries, at the jury's discretion, additional bows to each class may be added to bring all three classes to nine total entries.** Additionally, a Champion's exemption is issued to the preceding year's winner in the category of his choice. Briefly, a self bow is defined as any bow made from one integral material, such as wood or bamboo. There are no glue joints along the length of the limbs. However splices to billets, riser additions outside the working portion of the limb, patches to faults anywhere along the limb, and horn nocks are permissible. A laminated or backed bow includes any number of wood or bamboo laminations or sinew or wood backings, not to exceed two disparate organic materials. Typically, a bamboo backed bow, or a sinew or hickory backed bow, or a bow of many wooden laminations would fit into this category. A composite bow has three disparate building materials comprising the makeup of its working limbs. The Turkish bow, of horn belly, wood core and sinew backing represents the classic composite bow. However, a wooden bow sinew backed with a belly of baleen qualifies as a composite bow, as does a sinewed wooden bow with a bamboo belly. There will be a Best of Class for each of these three classes, and the Grand Champion will be chosen from them. First prize is an expense paid late winter Texas pig hunt, dates to be resolved. Second place, a $200 gift certificate to any advertiser in The Bowyer's Journal™. Third place is a year's subscription to The Bowyer's Journal™. The obligation of the contest winner is to write an article for The Bowyer's Journal™ detailing the bow's construction and design and the decision-making process behind it, as well as a brief evaluation of the bow's performance during its Texas and/or fall hunting adventures. If the The Bowyer's Journal™ jury notifies you that your bow has been selected from the entries for the hands-on grading, be prepared to mail it to arrive before July 15, 2007, as per shipping standards, to the above address. The contest is open to everyone, professional or amateur, except for its judges.
* Sorry, no email entries this time. ** It's the hope of ABC 2 to survey a range of bow styles and materials that explore construction methods, so we encourage you to consider sinewed bows, recurves, and especially bows of alternative woods. |
|
"Carve a little wood, pull a few strings, and sometimes magic happens." — Gepetto