Selohaar
gathers often include an archery tournament which challenges the skills of
the Order’s archers. The winner of the tournament becomes the Champion Archer
of the Order, until such time as he or she is defeated in another match. The
champion is awarded a collar of office with a bundle bearing a pendant of
a bundle of arrows. While these contests are open to all, the collar may only
pass into the hands of a Selohaar member. Should an outsider win, he or she
is honorably recognized, but the collar remains with the highest scoring member
of the Order. The only other restriction is that crossbows, compound bows,
and sights are not allowed in Selohaar tournament.
The tournaments are regulated by a judge, who is also responsible for the keeping of the score. The judge tells the archers when to shoot by calling out "fire at will" and when to stop by crying "all stop". The judge also rules whenever there is a doubt as to how many points are scored for an arrow which lies on the boundary between two point regions on the target. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, the judge must see to the safety of the spectators of the contest and make sure that no one is on the field as the archers are about to shoot.
Tournaments consist of 4 rounds of 5 arrows for each archer. Several archers
are on the field at the same time, up to the number of available targets. If
more contestants are present than targets, the contestants shoot in groups for
each round. The targets are placed 50 feet away from the archers and have standard
target patterns affixed to them, which are scored as follows: 5 points for each
arrow hitting the center yellow circle, 4 points for the red rings, 3 points
for the blue rings, 2 points for the black, and 1 for the white outer rings.
Therefore, the highest possible score per round is 25 and the highest per match
is 100. If two archers tie for first place, they alone shoot another match of
4 rounds to determine the winner.
Archery Tournament Guidelines
of Conduct and Safety
1. No archer, judge or audience member may cross the firing line during a tournament.
This includes the space to the right and left of the firing range.
2. There is only one line judge and his/her command of "commence",
"hold" or "retrieve" shall be followed. Any person seeing
an immanently dangerous situation may call "hold", and all archers
must immediately respond.
3. If an archer should hear "hold", he/she is to let down on the
bowstring and remove the arrow from the arrow rest. Under no circumstances,
release your arrow if "hold" is called while in full draw.
4. Should a piece of equipment or an arrow fall across the firing line, step
back and raise your bow above your head. The line judge will either call "hold",
or allow you to retrieve your equipment and complete your shooting once the
others have stepped back from the line. Do not attempt to retrieve the item
even if it is close. It is a discourteous distraction and may create a hazardous
situation.
5. No one may hold a bow, loaded or empty while archers are retrieving arrows.
6. No bow may be drawn, loaded or unloaded, while directed towards people or
animals.
7. Only the archers and the line judge may enter the field while scoring and
retrieval takes place.
8. Only one person may pull the arrows at a target at a time, and no one is
to stand directly in front of a target while pulling is occurring. The nocked
end of an arrow can penetrate flesh if removal from the matt is difficult and
sudden.
9. If you do not have your own equipment, do not use any loaned equipment without
first being checked by the Archery Marshal. The poundage of the bow must be
compatible with the strength of the arrows, and the length of the arrows must
be appropriate for the size of the archer. Severe injuries can occur if this
is not adhered to.
10. The line judge has all authority to conduct the tournament and assure safety.
His/her decisions are final concerning safety and scoring.
Selohaar
gathers often include an archery tournament which challenges the skills of
the Order’s archers. The winner of the tournament becomes the Champion Archer
of the Order, until such time as he or she is defeated in another match. The
champion is awarded a collar of office with a bundle bearing a pendant of
a bundle of arrows. While these contests are open to all, the collar may only
pass into the hands of a Selohaar member. Should an outsider win, he or she
is honorably recognized, but the collar remains with the highest scoring member
of the Order. The only other restriction is that crossbows, compound bows,
and sights are not allowed in Selohaar tournament.