Last night the Christmas beginner competition was held in Elec Eng L1. Seventeen of our bravest beginners decided to take part in the 30 arrow shoot. Archers shot 3 arrows at a time and carefully scored their opponent’s shots in what ended up being a tight squeeze for the gold medals. The competitors were entertained while scores were being counted as our equipment officer Sam overcame his gross fear of balloons and placed groups of them on the targets. Anyone who popped a balloon won a chocolate from a Milk Tray box! It was first come first served and the chocolates soon disappeared.
Christina Loidolt came out on top in the female category with a score of 224 out a possible 300, followed by Willemien van Zwol with 211, and Nicole Yong with 186. In the male category, the underdog Thomas Forde took gold with a brilliant score of 254, beating the winners of the last competition: Antonio Torre Soengas and Martin Kelly who took silver and bronze with scores of 246 and 242 respectively.
The beginners who completed their six-week training course were presented with their Foundation Level Archery certificates which entitle them to shoot immediately in any archery club in Ireland and shows that they have been trained in the basic skills of the sport. The certification is approved by the governing body, Archery Ireland.
Afterwards, a number of us went up to Cissie Young’s where we relaxed after a good term of shooting and were treated to some hot food courtesy of the staff. Thank you, Cissies! The club would also like to thank Antonio, Brian Gill, Muhammad, and Greg for helping us clean up after the competition.
See you all in the New Year!
| Male | Score | Female | Score | |
| Thomas Forde | 254 | Christina Loidolt | 224 | |
| Antonio Torre S. | 246 | Willemien van Zwol | 211 | |
| Martin Kelly | 242 | Nicole Yong | 186 | |
| Grzegorz Brycki | 238 | Carolina Cordero | 176 | |
| Brian Conroy | 233 | Clare O’Sullivan | 168 | |
| Thore Friesenhagen | 219 | Aisling Scully | 148 | |
| Muhammad Y. M. Fauzi | 219 | Erika Feltrin | 121 | |
| Brian Gill | 207 | |||
| José Luis Ezcurra | 187 | |||
| Davis Rusmanis | 153 |
