59. 200m Individual Medley

Event: 200m Individual Medley
Date: 21st July 2014
Location: Charlton Lido
Cost: £6.00 each
Rules:  The swimmer competes in equal distances of every swimming style. The event combines technique, speed and endurance. The swimmer completes 50m of: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall at the end of each length and at the finish.

The Event:

   

Times:
Sarah: 07:00.96
Ellie: 07:33.48
London 2012 Olympic Gold: 02:07.57 - Ye Shiwen, China.
 

Comments:  

Sarah: I can safely say that butterfly isn't my stroke. I never seem to get into the flow of it, and it felt like it took hours to reach the end of 50m. The final three lengths came as a pleasure, and despite my aversion to butterfly, the Medley is a really fun event. The combination of strokes really mix the swim up, and it's fun turning from one stroke into the next. This was the first of two Individual Medleys we'll be completing, and I definitely need to get some more butterfly practice in before the longer event!  

Ellie: I am seconding everything Sarah says. By the time I got to the end of the butterfly length I was really tired and just spent the backstroke length getting my breath back!
In theory, I really like the butterfly. It makes a nice change from the 'normal' strokes and I can feel where you should be propelling yourself out and through the water. It just hasn't clicked for me yet, hopefully it will given some time and more effort. As the weather remains nice, I will try and make the most of it and get more swimming practice in. I am also going to experiment with the idea that I am faster through the water when I don't use my legs. It's an odd theory but I do feel more powerful and streamlined when I'm not kicking... I wonder if anyone else feels like this? Answers on a postcard...(or in the comments box).

58. Archery - Individual

Event: Archery - Individual
Date: 20th July 2014
Location: Chelmsford Tudor Rose Archery Club, Writtle College
Cost: £10 for taster session
Rules: Olympic archers shoot at a target measuring just 122cm from a distance of 70m. The target has ten circles; the largest outer ring is worth one point, with the score increasing by one point per ring as it gets closer to the centre. The bulls eye is worth 10 points. Each competition has two rounds; the initial ranking round and the second Olympic round. The ranking round sees each archer shoot six ends of 12 arrows each with the total score determining their seeding. The following Olympic round is a head-to-head elimination round. Archers shoot three arrows each (alternatively) with a time limit of 20 seconds per arrow. The archer with the highest score for that end of three arrows wins a set. Two points are awarded for winning a set, one point for a draw, zero points for a loose. Matches are the best of five sets; the archer first to six points is the winner and goes through to the next elimination round, until an overall winner is decided.

The Event:

Scores:

Set 1: S 18 v 19 E
Set 2: S 11 v 13 E
Set 3: S 14 v 22 E
Set 4: S 24 v 19 E
Set 5: S 14 v 13 E
Winner: Ellie

London 2012 Olympic Winner: Ki Bo-Bae, South Korea.   

Comments:  

Sarah: We ended up stumbling upon the group by accident after getting pretty lost around Chelmsford and the multiple campus' of Writtle College (get some better road signs Chelmsford!). As we were late, we jumped straight in and had a quick but thorough introduction before stepping on to the course. I've tried archery a couple of times in the past, but hadn't stored any of the techniques, so it was great to have a recap at the start of the session. We were able to have lots of shots, and were given tips as we went along. We were shooting at the 20 yard target, as apparently it would be impossible for beginners to get anywhere near the 70m distance. After trying both shooting and archery, I'm discovering that I don't have the most accurate hand-eye coordination, and my hits are fairly unpredictable. Today I struck everywhere and everything between the 9-point circle to the wood of the target support, to the grass behind the target.

Ellie: I thoroughly enjoyed my initiation into the world of archery. We were warmly welcomed by Angela, the secretary at Chelmsford Tudor Rose Archery, who gave us the always unnerving safety talk whilst kitting us out with the correct gear. I arched (?) with my left hand but it seems I might be right-eye dominant which would add extra interest to my already awkward left-handedness. Today I used my left eye and it seemed to work out okay. I got rather attached to my left-hand bow and also with the sport as a whole; I am looking forward to the team event a great deal. 
As with shooting, I enjoyed the aesthetics of the targets; it all looked beautiful against the green grass and the blue sky. I also really enjoyed the precision and ritual of the sport. The intricacies of where to stand, how to load your bow, when and how to approach your target and the scoring of each arrow. It is astonishing to me how much difference changing a small part of how you stand or where you position your fingers can make and I found it completely fascinating. With my very last arrow I landed this beaut right in the Gold; being a total show-off I had to take a photograph to show you!