President’s Message

31 July 06

Greetings,

Wow, it has been a fast and hectic month of AAS work and we have some exciting news to share with you all:

Advisor to AAS

Mr. Michael Palmer, Member of Parliament, has accepted our invitation to be the Advisor to the Archery Association of Singapore. This is very good for AAS as we now have on board a man who is very experience and someone whom we all know will lead and advise AAS on all matters in a fair and transparent manner. For a small measure of what is to come please read his vision for the club.

Welcome on board, Mr. Palmer.


NJC Archery Invitational

Our heartiest congratulations to all the winners. You truly deserve your moment of glory. For the rest of us who did not win, never mind, the sun still shines and the next time round we will give the winners a better run for the glory.

To the organizers, especially Frederick, Weide and Wendy, a super job well done. Despite the fact that your team has never organized such an event before, you did it very well and more impressively, with the minimum of outside help. I was on the ground and I heard many good comments about the meet. Even our guests from Malaysia were very happy with the way the competition was organized and run. Golden laurels to each and everyone of you.

The full results of the meet will be up shortly on this web.


SAFRA and PSRC Shoots

The closing dates for these 2 competitions are fast approaching (August 12 and 5 respectively) and you are reminded to send your entries in by then.

We understand your concerns about the higher fees as well as the disparity in fees being charged for the same event. AAS is only assisting with the timing equipment and trophies (PSRC Shoot). We are not the organizers of the events and as such cannot dictate to the organizers the manner in which the events are to be held.

Archers have to understand that the cost and time involved in organizing a high standard event are not insignificant. To be fair to the organizers, we have to weigh the events, see if any goodies are offered and the credibility of the organizers being able to provide a well organized competition. In the past, we have shot in some competitions where the organizing standards were pathetic – lack of toilet facilities, shelters, poor target boards that look likes some rats have made their homes in, lack of officials, no souvenirs or tee shirts, no food or drinks, and more. Some people will have you believe that all these are not important and that archers only want to shoot. Personally, I know it is just an excuse to save and give only the barest minimum. Just read the blogs and forum pages immediately after a tournament and you will see my point. Let us have tournaments that are of high standards and are cost effective at the same time.

Organisers must recover their costs and make a profit if possible. If not, there will be no clubs willing to take on the frustrating tasks of organizing a credible competition. On the other hand, a very large group of our competing archers are students and for most coming out with a ‘fortune’ to take part in a shoot can be a big downer. It becomes a case of “I really want to take part but I cannot afford the fees”. If too many shooters opt out for reason of cost alone, then Singapore will lose many good archers and you, the organizers, will have done a disservice to the sport of archery and to the nation whilst on your way to making a big loss.

A fair balance, a happy compromise, must be met. Archers are prepared to pay a little more if all the right ingredients are given. Organizers will want to make a profit but they must be reasonable or else minor or mini unsanctioned circus events will spurt up overnight to take advantage of the situation.


Judge Committee

A pro-term JC has been formed to help look after the judicial aspects of archery. I remember the days where you will only find Leong and Major Tang doing all the judge-work during the competitions. Lately, they managed to get some help from a few local volunteer national judges. Whilst this is good, it is still insufficient. With at least 4 National tournaments and more local events being planned for next year, more judges are needed to help out at the local scene. If you are keen to be a volunteer national judge, drop me a line. We can then organize a course to train and certify you.


George Loh
President
AAS