Update: Postponement and Plans

After a break to catch her breath and juggle life (new job, too many commitments, and a cold), Roberta wanted to pop in with an honest update. The podcast isn’t going anywhere, just evolving.

Roberta shares what’s been going on behind the scenes, why she had to step back, and what’s coming up next. From practicing at home and setting up DIY ranges, to bow anatomy, burnout, competitions, and even experimenting with left-handed shooting there’s plenty ahead.

We’d love your feedback, your questions, and your archery stories as we shape where the podcast goes from here.

Contact us: [e-mail] or on BlueSky at archerynotanarchy.bsky.social 

Stay in by the wall and mind the arrows!

Episode Transcript

(00:18):
Hello everyone.
How are you? It's been a while.
I just wanted to pop on and update things, let our listeners know.
That the podcast is still active.
I just need a little break from things for a while as we all do, and especially with summer, just take a little bit of time out.
The truth is, I suppose that, and I have no script for this, so I'm just gonna ramble away.

(00:42):
You listen, you don't have to listen.
It's really up to you.
The truth is that things just became a little bit overwhelming in my life.
I started a new job, just dropped at the deep end, was absolutely fine.
It's a job I actually love and I'm enjoying learning as I'm going and everything else, but that was taking up a lot of space in my brain and there was some other things going on outside of that as well.

(01:09):
I found that I was doing what I always do, which is volunteer for far too many things and say yes to far too many things and offer to help people and offer to do this, and offer to do that.
And then I was not able to keep all the plates spinning and I was letting people down.
And then basically I got a very bad, and this is.
Ridiculous.

(01:29):
I know I got a very bad cold, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back and I just got really down, and I'll just be honest about it.
I just got really down and decided that something had to give, so I cut off the things that I had control of.

(01:49):
So I stopped going to archery for a while.
I stopped doing the podcast.
I do have.
Possibly two episode recording to edit since a month ago.
There was other things that I cut out as well, and then I focused on the things that I wasn't able to cut out that I had to do, and I got a bit of balance back, to be honest with you.

(02:16):
And things are feeling a lot better.
So I suppose it's one of those things I never learn.
Every once in a while I'll just go, what am I doing? I have too much to do and something always has to give.
And unfortunately this time it was archery in the podcast, so I apologize if people were waiting for episodes and the episodes weren't happening.

(02:37):
Owen and I will be recording this week.
I also, as I said, have that one episode that was possibly a two, two part I do have some ideas as well for upcoming episodes.
One thing I was trying to do was shoot every day for 30 days.
I.

(02:58):
So what I want to cover going forward in the next few weeks is how to practice at home and setting up a DIY range.
So tips for safety and effective shooting indoors and outdoors.
For some reason, we never did bow anatomy.
And understanding draw weight and length and that kind of thing, not in detail anyway.

(03:20):
So I'd like to do that, how bows work and why the specs matter and things like, all of that.
I want to do.
Little experiments.
So one bow at 10 distances and how my form holds up and what changes and what stays the same.
I want to try and shoot a left-handed bow, and I did try this the other day.

(03:46):
We have a new member in the club a lovely lady called Marianne and she's left-handed and I gave her my bow to try and I tried her bow.
And it's safe to say it wasn't a success for either of us.
So that is something I'd like to explore a little bit more.
Try and see if I can shoot a left-handed and see what the difference is between that and the right-handed.

(04:09):
I do want to do and ask me anything, so listeners, questions and beginner, frequently asked questions, I'd love more kind of feedback and interaction with the listeners that.
Another one would be what to do when you want to quit.
So dealing with burnout, which is what I experienced, in moments of doubt in your archery journey and how to read arrow groupings.

(04:31):
What my non archery friends think I do versus what I do, I'm gonna ask some people that I know.
What they think archery is about, what they think I do and whatnot.
I also want to shoot blindfolded, so I already have a plan for that.
And don't worry.
Health and safety and everything is paramount, so there won't be any injuries other than my ego probably.

(04:55):
So I do have plans for things and I do want to continue with the podcast going forward, but I think it's going to have to evolve really.
It was always supposed to be from a beginner's perspective, but in a way it's never really been from beginner's perspective.
And that's not a criticism, that's just how it was.
And it's been received very well in that regard.

(05:17):
So I'm glad with that, but I think it is going to have to evolve as well.
So we're going to have to consider how to do that, and that's why I'd like more interaction with the listeners, so you guys commenting, telling what you would like covered or what your opinions are on things.
We have one listener who's a regular commenter, and it's great, to hear her feedback on the episode.

(05:40):
So I really would like that kind of feedback and viewpoint from other listeners as well, because it's vital.
I think that we address what's important to our listeners, so work away, message, comment, whatever way you want to interact.
That's all good.
I went back, I think, God, I went back properly like with heart, I suppose last week.

(06:09):
And it was a bitch of a session.
My shooting actually was quite good.
One thing that I've really realized, much to Owen's annoyance, much to Owen's frustration, is that I'm much more of an instinctive.
Faster shooter than Owen would like, and again, Jesus, it's not a criticism of Owen whatsoever.

(06:30):
Everything, believe it or not, that Owen says to me, I take on board, and if he's listening to this, you have no proof that I said that.
So there, but Owen tends to take his time with things, loading the arrow and pausing and things like that, and counting to 10 and whatnot.
It just doesn't work for me.

(06:50):
It doesn't seem to work for me.
I seem to shoot better when I can just shoot quicker, and this is one of the things that we're trying to figure out because of the competitions that I'm going to be doing where you shoot three hours and three minutes, I can't wait between arrows for that duration of time.

(07:11):
I can't wait essentially just under a minute per arrow to shoot it.
Because what I start doing then is overthinking things.
I am much better if I can shoot, load the arrow, draw, release, shoot, do quick succession, that's much better for me.
So what am I gonna do with the rest of the time? Then just stand there like a weirdo.

(07:35):
Looking at other people.
It's just one of the things that I'm trying to figure out, because pausing, contemplating.
Lining it all up, all, it just doesn't work for me.
And I wonder how many of our listeners would be the same, or are you in the camp of it just works for you better when you pause and, take your time with it.

(07:59):
I would really like to know what way works for you guys, and also for those of you who don't use compound what do you use? Do you use gloves? Do you use a finger tab? What do you use? 'cause I'm taping my fingers at the moment and I actually really like it.
But then I was reading that the tape can basically cause inconsistencies against the string in terms of the surface of it and whatnot, which was an interesting thing I never thought of.

(08:26):
So feedback on what you use when you're shooting would be great.
So that's really it.
It's really just a check in.
Say we are still here, we will be back.
Normal service will resume and things will be evolving, more about competitions, more about how we're training.
I think a bit more me focused.
Won't that be absolutely delightful for you? It really will.

(08:49):
So as always, to all of you listening to all of you that have supported us, thank you so much.
You really, genuinely thank you so much.
I remember touting the idea of a podcast and.
Just being unsure about it.
Not sure if it was something I was gonna be able to do in terms of produce and get subjects and interview and everything else, but I'm actually really glad, mostly how things have gone.

(09:20):
So thank you everyone, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you all.
Every single one of you, including you that are sitting there eating your dinner saying, I am not getting involved in this.
Yes, you will.
You'll get involved.
Thanks.
This would mean a lot to me until next time, which will hopefully be soon, much, much sooner.

(09:42):
Staying by the wall and mind the arrows.