Tournament Protocol

Tournament Protocol

Tournament Protocol (target events)
In the hope that there are new archers out there to whom tournament shooting is something new and exciting, but who are not familiar with the conventions, here are some rules and suggestions. The rules obviously have to be obeyed while the suggestions are there to make your lives easier. This list is not, and cannot be, the complete and final guide to tournaments. The intention is to give an overview of the most common problems experienced by archers who are new to formal tournaments. There are also significant overlaps between many of the sections. This is inevitable considering the breadth of material that has to be covered.
One overriding consideration for a beginner archer is, if you have any doubt as to what you should do in a given set of circumstances, ask first and then do. Otherwise you may end up with having done something wrong, like shot some arrows when you should not have, and run the risk of a penalty because of it.
The topics addressed below are not in strict sequence of their occurrence, nor can they be, as there are too many aspects that overlap with others.

The current published rules ALWAYS take precedent over this document. Please refer to the Rule Book for up-to-date information and to become familiar with what is expected of you.

1 EQUIPMENT INSPECTION
Inspection of equipment is something that should be routinely done at internal shoots and international events. It can be done at the request of the organizers or an individual archer, or at the discretion of a judge. Inspection by a judge can be done at any time during a tournament. There are rules of what is acceptable on a bow and other equipment and an archer who is found, during a tournament, to have infringed any of these will be required to make the necessary changes right then and there. This could be extremely unsettling to any competitor. To avoid this happening, the facility of an equipment inspection by the officiating judge is always available. Any competitor who wants, or needs, to verify that the equipment used complies with the regulations, is at liberty to approach the judge and request an inspection.
Once equipment has been accepted, do not make any changes unless you are certain that they are permitted. If uncertain, approach a judge before making any change and obtain the necessary approval.
Since an inspection is only really valid at the time of the inspection, it behooves every archer to have a look at the equipment used by the other competitors. A bow may have passed an inspection and then have had changes made afterwards which are not legal. Any competitor who observes something in the equipment of another archer is entitled to request a judge for a ruling on the suspected deviation. It is of course possible that the change may be strange to the person requesting a decision and yet be legal, or it may lead to the discovery of a transgression.
2 BOW AND ARROW REQUIREMENTS
Note that, in the following points, the term “recurve” is used generically to include both Olympic and Barebow classes. Very briefly, equipment must meet the following requirements:
All arrows used at the same time must have the same colour shafts, have identical nocks, fletches and cresting, if any, and be similar in specification. Manufacturers’ marks that may be different are acceptable. Arrows must also bear the initials of the archer in visible form on the shaft, not the fletches.
Tabs must have a smooth surface and not be modified or ridged in such a way that may aid in holding the string. Triggers or release aids, as used with compound bows, are not permitted with recurve bows.
On recurve bows only one sighting device, a pin or ring, is permitted and no other projections into the sight window are allowed. In the compound bow the sight may contain magnifying lenses and levels, which are prohibited in the recurve. Any electronic devices are prohibited in all classes.
The string must be of uniform colour or, if not, must have the colours grading into each other without abrupt obvious changes. The centre serving may not extend so high as to create a back-sighting aid. A kiss knot that aligns with the lips or nose is permitted. On the recurve bow the string above the point where it meets the archer’s nose, must be free of any object or defined line. In the compound bow a peep sight in the string is permitted.
Compound bows may not have a peak draw weight of more than 60 pounds in the Compound division for a Target event. This poundage is frequently checked before a tournament and bows that are too heavy will need to be reduced.
Any number and arrangement of stabilizers are permitted provided they do not inconvenience other archers. No stabilization may be used on a barebow, however weights may be attached directly to the lower part of the riser. For Barebow, the entire unstrung bow, complete with all attachments, must be able to pass through a ring of 122 millimetres diameter.
Telescopes and binoculars are permitted; scopes must be positioned so that the highest portion of the scope is no higher than the armpit of the athlete. Organizing Committees or judges will decide whether tripods for telescopes may be left on the shooting line or not.
3 FIELD LAYOUT
A tournament field will include a shooting line, a waiting line 5 metres behind the shooting line and a line 3 metres in front of the shooting line. At major events there may even be a few more.
Archers, and the equipment they require while shooting, occupy the shooting line during the period allocated for shooting. If the field allows it, the shooting line will be a single line with the targets for the various categories in a staggered line at the different distances. There will be instances where the targets cannot be moved, in which case there will be staggered shooting lines.
It is customary to have no more than 4 competitors on a given target. At major tournaments only competitors in the same category will shoot on the same target but this can be waived if there are other constraints, such as an inadequate number of targets.
Archers must remain behind the waiting line unless shooting or collecting arrows. Organizing Committees or judges will determine whether telescopes may be left on the shooting line or not.
Arrows that fall out of bows or end up on the ground for whatever reason are considered unshot and can be retrieved without penalty, provided at least a portion of the arrow is within the delimited 3 metre zone. Arrows fully beyond the 3 metre line are considered shot and are scored as a miss.
4 SHOOTING SIGNALS AND TIME CONTROL
Before a tournament begins formally, time is given for a number of practice arrows on the tournament field. This is to allow the archers to judge the conditions prevailing at the time and is normally for a period of 20 to 45 minutes. Once the practice period is over, the field will be closed before the tournament begins. Practice arrows will be shot under the same controlling conditions as the scoring arrows, as set out below.
When the field is formally under the control of a judge, shooting will be controlled by sound signals (whistle, buzzer, etc) and lights, or a countdown timer. The signals are:
Two sound signals: Archers behind the waiting line move to the shooting line and prepare to shoot. Competitors are not permitted to raise the bow to shooting position before the next signal is given. Controlling lights will be red and ten seconds are given before the next signal.
One signal: One signal indicates the beginning of the shooting time. The lights will change to green. Depending on the distance or round being shot either four minutes or two minutes are allowed to shoot either six or three arrows. If countdown clocks are used they may indicate either 240 or 120 seconds.
Thirty seconds before the allocated time runs out the controlling lights will change to yellow/orange. Note that no audible signal will be given at this point. It is incumbent on the archer to either note the change from green to yellow/orange or to check the remaining time on the clock.
Three signals: At the conclusion of the allocated time of 4 or 2 minutes three signals will be given. This indicates that the archers move to the target to score their arrows. The countdown clock will either reach O or be reset to 240/120 and the controlling lights will change to red.
Any archer who has shot the full number of arrows before the end of the given time is expected to leave the shooting line and retire behind the waiting line. As soon as the last archer leaves the shooting line the three-sound signal will be given, regardless of how much time there may still be left. This is to save time.
The sequence of two, one and three sound signals is the usual pattern. At any stage, however, there may be a sequence of five or more whistle signals. This is a signal to stop shooting immediately and to lower the bow, and is only used in an emergency. Something may be happening of which you are not aware and is considered dangerous by the controlling judge, usually termed the Director of Shooting. When the situation has been resolved the remaining time will be given but will be adjusted for any outstanding arrows to be shot in the correct time.
5 HOW MANY ARROWS TO SHOOT AND IN HOW MUCH TIME?
In a 1440 round, 720 round, Canadian 1200 round or Canadian 900 round, 4 minutes (240 seconds) is allocated to shoot 6 arrows. In a Canadian 300 round or 18m round, 2 minutes (120 seconds) is allocated to shoot 3 arrows. In matches where 3 arrow ends are shot, 2 minutes is allocated to shoot the arrows.

6 EQUIPMENT FAILURE
Equipment failure includes many things, the most common ones being breaking strings, moving nocking points or loose sights or arrow rests. In other words, anything that goes wrong with the equipment. Should something like this happen, attract the attention of the attending judge and explain the problem. The arrows that have not been shot in that particular time period can be made up at a time determined by the judge, so don’t panic, you won’t lose any arrows provided the equipment can be repaired within 15 minutes. The severity of the equipment failure will determine when the missing arrows are made up.
It is quite possible that outstanding arrows are made up immediately after the three-sound signal has been given. An announcement will usually be made that there has been an equipment failure and that extra arrows are to be shot. When this happens, remain behind the line until the appropriate signal to move forward is given. If the equipment failure happened to you, follow the instructions of the judge and shoot the arrows when instructed to do so. You will be given the equivalent of 40 seconds for every arrow that you have to shoot.

7 WHAT TO DO AT THE TARGET
When the competitors move to the targets to score and retrieve their arrows, a few important aspects need to be remembered:
Stop about 2m away from the target and do not touch either the butt, target face or the arrows.
At most local events archers do their own scoring and decide amongst themselves who will do the scoring, which may be done on one sheet or on two.
All archers on a target should participate in the scoring.
A “caller” may be designated to call the value of all arrows in descending order of value, pointing to the arrow but not touching it or any other. Arrows in the inner centre ring count 10 but are scored/recorded as an “X” at an Outdoor tournament. This is done for tie-break purposes.
It is therefore advisable to verify for oneself that all six (or three) arrows are there, and where they are, before calling them. Missed arrows are included in the scoring and are indicated by an “M” in the appropriate box.
If a mistake is made in a formal event, such as an arrow of high value being overlooked and having to be scored after the lower-value arrows, or a wrong value being written down, the archer is permitted to make the correction without assistance from a Judge, provided that all archers on the target butt are in agreement and no arrows have been pulled from the target.

Archers who are not doing the scoring must ensure that their scores are written in the correct order, in the correct places and are written correctly. The numbers must also be written legibly and clearly.
No arrow, target or butt is to be touched until all arrows in the target have been scored to the satisfaction of all competitors on that target.
It is important to remember that, once arrows have been handled or drawn, a mistake cannot be rectified.
As arrows are drawn, the holes they have made in the target should be marked with a small cross drawn through the hole. This is a topic which is worthy of a much longer discussion and is only briefly mentioned here.
Only once all arrows have been drawn, should archers who have missed the target go and look for their arrows. The chances are good that the others on the target will help.
Arrows that rebound from the target face or pass through the face, and even the butt, must be scored by a judge. Should there be such arrows a judge must be called before any arrows are scored or picked up from the ground. The judge must see the arrow where it lies. In the event of a rebounding arrow, all archers on that target must stop shooting and call a judge. The action taken thereafter is controlled by the judge.
8 CALLING A JUDGE
At any stage it may become necessary to ask for the assistance of a judge. This may be a correction, a decision on an arrow or anything else which is, or may be, a problem. In our limited archery society where we usually know each other, it is tempting to call a judge by name. Any archer with aspirations to participate in multinational events would, however, be well advised to become accustomed to calling for a judge without using a name. The point is that the archer will probably not know the judges at the tournament and, secondly the nearest judge will respond to the call, not necessarily the judge the archer had in mind.
9 WHO CAN CALL A JUDGE AND WHY
The most common reason to call a judge is in the case of a decision on whether an arrow is cutting a line or not. At one stage it was a common misconception that an archer could only call a judge for a decision on his/her own arrow. This is not the case and any archer is entitled to call a judge for a decision on any arrow. The only limitation is that such a call can only be made for an arrow on his/her own target. The important consideration here is that unless the archer agrees with the value of the arrow that is being scored, that value can, and should, be queried. Honest mistakes can be made but some not so honest “mistakes” also occur. Bear in mind that any undeserved point given to a competitor is one point taken from every other archer on the line. So don’t be diffident. The archer must ensure that every point due to him/her is correctly recorded and that no point is recorded which has not been earned.
It is also good practice when requesting a decision on an arrow value, to avoid asking for a decision on “my arrow.” Rather phrase the request as a “decision on this arrow” while pointing at it without touching the arrow. As a judge I do not want to know whose arrow I am called on to judge. This makes it less likely that accusations of partisanship or bias will be leveled at the judge.
The other reasons for calling a judge are usually either incorrect recording of a score or a mistake on the score sheet. Corrections have to be made by a judge, not the archers. Important however, is that a correction can only be made as long as the arrows are still in the target. Once the arrows have been drawn, arrow values can no longer be changed. Remember, it is only the recorded arrow values that have to be corrected by a judge. Addition errors and recording of hits, 10s and Xs can be corrected by the scorers/archers.
10 SCORING OF ARROWS
Arrows are scored according to the zone in which they occur. They are also scored according to the position of the shaft where it meets the target face, irrespective of how big the hole may be or the angle at which the arrow hit.
An arrow shaft which touches the line between two adjacent scoring zones is given the higher value. Should the competitors on a particular target not be able to agree on the value of an arrow, a judge is requested to give a ruling. Note that a judge will not become involved in scoring unless requested to do so, or there is a reasonable suspicion that all is not well with the scoring on a particular target. However, once a judge has been asked for a ruling the matter is out of the hands of the archers, and no other judge may be asked to contravene.
11 ARROWS SHOT OUTSIDE THE ALLOCATED TIME OR TOO MANY ARROWS SHOT
If an arrow is shot while the red light is showing, i.e. out of the formal shooting time, this will be penalized. The archer loses the value of his/her highest scoring arrow of that end. This is independent of whether the arrow was shot too early or too late.
In the case where an archer makes a mistake and shoots too many arrows, eg. seven arrows or more instead of the permitted six, only the scores of the six lowest values will be taken. Any missed arrows will be included in the six lowest scoring arrows.
12 PENALTIES
Note that any arrows shot after the time runs out are penalized. However, an arrow that has been shot and is in flight when the signal goes, is accepted. Also any arrow that is released before the single signal and green light are given, is penalized. The penalty is loss of the value of the highest scoring arrow of the offending competitor in that end.
13 LOST ARROWS
Arrows that miss the target are a fact of archery life. It is also not unknown for missed arrows to become embedded in the grass of the shooting field and be very difficult to find. Any archer who has lost arrows, either before or during a tournament, must report the fact of a missing arrow or arrows to the controlling judge. When the arrow is found again this must also be reported.
14 FORGOTTEN ARROWS AT TARGET
It does happen that competitors forget arrows, or other pieces of equipment such as tabs and triggers, at the target. Should this happen and only be discovered when the next end is to be shot, notify the nearest officiating judge immediately. The judge will decide on the best way to address the situation and will be guided by the circumstances that apply at the time. Therefore, follow the instructions given by the judge. Under normal circumstances the competitor will be given the opportunity to make up the missing arrows at a suitable time.
15 MARKING OF ARROW HOLES
Arrow holes are marked as the arrows are drawn. This is to allow identification of impact holes of arrows that either rebound from the target or pass completely through the face. The holes should be marked by drawing a cross through the hole after the arrow is drawn, taking care that the lines are not excessively long.
16 TARGET FACE
There are three target faces in current use for Outdoor target tournaments, i.e. the 122cm face, the 80cm face and the cut-down-80cm face. Note that the cut-down-80cm face is not the same as the existing 40cm face, even though its outside diameter is the same.
The 122cm face is used for the 1440 long distances – 90m, 70m and 60m—the Recurve 720 round, and the Canadian 1200 and 900 round. Each of the ten zones is 61mm wide, except the centre which is visually 122mm wide. Each zone counts one point more than the zone next to it when moving outwards from the centre which counts 10. Within the central 122mm 10-zone is a smaller circle 61mm in diameter. This also counts 10 but is scored as an “X”.
Note that the term “bulls-eye” is not used in archery. Arrows in the middle of the target are referred to as “golds.”
The line delimiting every colour is included in the higher scoring zone that it circumscribes.
The cut-down-80cm face has every zone identical to the full 80cm face but consists of only the inner six zones. This face is used at the 50m/30m distance of a 1440 round and for the Compound 720 roundand each archer on a target shoots on his/her own target face. Arrows shot on the wrong target face do not score.