Consort's and Sovereign's Archery Championship 2023
The 16 finalists, retiring champs and Royals.
About 35 archers from all around the Kingdom braved the weather on Saturday, May 20, 2023, to gather in Barony Beyond the Mountain and test their skill. The retiring Consort's Archery Champion, Master Ryan MacWhyte, addressed the competitors, reminding them that the new Champions will not only serve the Royalty but the entire archery community. He and the retiring Sovereign's Archery Champion, Lord Ciaran Ua Meic Thire, then got the shooting underway. The theme of the day was Trickster Gods.
In the morning, there were three shoots for all as one group — a long distance target of Loki on the Bifrost, "advancing" Mjolnir (3 distances), and a hidden Sleipnir (the target was only its legs). After breaking for lunch, competitors broke into small groups and rotated through five shoots. These involved hitting a Staff, Gourds guarded by Anansi, several Tanuki, Apples (without hitting larger beehives) scattered on the ground, and the "Fairie's Bargain" — a timed shoot at concentric scoring and non-scoring rings.
Various photos from the day's shooting.
Scores were totaled and sorted, then King Brennan, Prince Matthias and Princess Feilinn praised the day's performances. Master Ryan then reminded all competitors that they could step out of the finals with honor if they felt they could not fulfill all the duties of Archery Champions. All 15 top scorers agreed to compete. There was a three-way tie for the 16th slot in the finals, but Karrah the Mischievous and Jia-Lin (at her first SCA event!) both bowed-out, and Dorian of Lewes agreed to continue. The final 16 competitors, were seeded and paired per below. Their total scores for the day are in parentheses.
The retiring Champions set up the range for head-to-head pairings, as has become tradition. The finals shoot represented Loki's Five Fingers, and each archer had up to one minute or eight shots to hit as many of their five targets as possible. Shooting would cease if an archer hit all five of their targets before those limits were reached.
Prince Matthias with the trophy from his spectacular long-distance wand shoot. Royal spectators. First round, Ygraine vs Broccin. Final round, Peter vs Matteo. The new Champions, Eanraig and Peter.
After the first eight pairings, the distance was changed and archers were limited to six shots, then the next four pairings began. The distance and number of shots were adjusted again for the last two pairings. For the final round, Peter and Matteo were limited to eleven arrows, there was no time limit, and the winner would be the first to hit all five of their targets. The victor proved to be Master Peter the Red, and he was declared the Consort's Champion. In Court, King Brennan announced His choice of Lord Eanraig the Bonesetter as Sovereign's Champion, and the outgoing and incoming champions were cheered by those assembled.
| Top 16 | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||
1 |
Eanraig the Bonesetter (63) | ||||
16 |
Dorian of Lewes (37) | Eanraig | |||
8 |
Kai MacLain (45) | Eanraig | |||
9 |
Safiya al-Naghira (43) | Safiya | |||
5 |
Ygraine of Kellswood (49) | Peter | Winner | ||
12 |
Broccin MacIvyr (42) | Ygraine | |||
4 |
Peter the Red (50) | Peter | |||
13 |
Ellyn Grene (41) | Peter | |||
6 |
Ander Tynegate (47) | ||||
11 |
Alberic Maqi Droata (42) | Ander | |||
3 |
Aloysius Sartore (52) | Aloysius | |||
14 |
Sojourner van Haarlem (39) | Aloysius | |||
7 |
Macsen Felinfoel (45) | Matteo | 2nd | ||
10 |
Matteo Genovese (43) | Matteo | |||
2 |
Antonius Hasebroek (54) | Matteo | |||
15 |
Thurayya bint Sitt al-Sirr (39) | Antonius |
Photos graciously provided by Baroness Arlyana van Wyck and Lord Eanraig the Bonesetter.
(Click on thumbnails to see larger versions.)