Sunday morning in the Brook Valley, I’m back on the range at 18.2m (20 yards) to run another Half Portsmouth with my compound bow. I’m a recurver making the switch for an October comp, and I’ve been on this compound for about a month and a half with six weeks left to go—so this was a proper progress check. It was a bit breezy (getting the excuses in early), bright sun, and I was a bit stiff from shooting the day before… but that’s real training, isn’t it. I shot five ends of six arrows and talked through what I was seeing: early ends drifting left, a couple getting pushed around by the wind, and most of my “not-10s” sitting low. Partway through I swapped an arrow after noticing a loosened nock—compound stuff where you really can’t be too safe. The big change since my last round was adding extra weight to my stabilisers, and it genuinely made the bow hold steadier. Score-wise, I went from a previous best of 283/300 to 289/300—six points up in about a month, and one frustrating point off the 290 I’m chasing. Next goal: break 290 about two weeks before the competition, and I’m thinking of vlogging the training build-up all the way to Christchurch.