Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Heretic championship

Just back from 3 days in Reggio Emilia for the annual Italian Indoor Championships. During it, my club has established a new record of medals with a total of 14 for individuals and team (6 only in 2005 and 2004 as well, including the 2 top Italian titles in men and women recuve, and the top title for the women club as well.
So, Michele has been back to the top of the podium defeating in the final match Alessandro Rivolta, in a match that was supposed to happen before in Nimes. Elena Maffioli has defeted in the final Pia Lionetti, getting her first Senior indoor title. Then, Elena, Carla and Gaia Banchelli have defeted in the final match the team from Rovereto 254/252 in avery close match. But it has been really an Heretic champinship, as Michele has been able to access the finals also in the compound division. Coming from 3 days of illness, Michele has shot on saturday the qualification round with compound after 4 days of stop and after atotal of 60 arrows only with his new Hoyt compound (got it in inNimes). Bad start, 285 after 30 arrows, then a much better 292 for the other 30, and going to the shoot off for the 16th place against Daniele Bauro, won at the third arrow.
The morning after, qualificatin round for recurves, ending at 592 (295+297) and being second after Alessandro Rivolta 592 (297+295) for one gold. Then, the problem for the organizers started, as in the afternoon Michele was qualified for the finals (top 16) in both divisions. So, the decision to go on with the competition alternating men recurve and women compound to men compound and women recurve.
So, first match recurve for Micele, then the second one was a compound match.
Of course, nobody was expecting Michele to survive to his first compound match against Stefano Mazzi, leader of the board. But 175/174 has been the final score in favour of Michele, that then went on up to the final for the gold against Rivolta in recurve and for the bronze against Antonio Pompeo in compound, with top scores 118 in recurve and 119 in compound.
Of course, in chapter 7.1 of the book you can find my positive opinion about using the compound as a training device for recurve shooting, but frankly I never supposed before last Sunday that this was directly applicable during the finals of a Championship and without any training end during the switches from one bow to the other.
But it was one of those days when the Heretic can go far away from the normal paths... It does not happen often, of course, but in one of those heretic days... only.

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