Alec Wheeler 2008		 Name: Alec Wheeler

Date of Birth: 7th March 1992

Club: Member of Clophill Archery Club since September 2004
www.clophillac.co.uk

Equipment:
Riser: 25" Hoyt GMX
Limbs: 38lb 990TX Long Limbs
Sight: Shibuya Ultima Recurve
Arrows: 31.5" Easton ACE410  with 1 piece 120 grain stainless points
Arrow Rest:  ARE Magnetic Rest
String: 66 ½” 17 strand 8125 string with diamond back end servings, halo centre serving with beiter no.2 nock point.

Coaches: Mark Wheeler and Jan Martin (Senior Archery GB Coach)

Sponsors:
 
Hi my name is Alec

I started shooting in September 2004. After 2 months of shooting I joined the Bedfordshire county squad and with the other archers have won a few junior team medals.
In November 2005 I joined the Great Britain Archery Team to begin training and refining my technique.

In the 2 years that followed I went through a lot of technical changes which if I am totally honest left me at times wondering whether I was doing the right thing.  During this time I had the total support of my coaches my Club and my Dad. Realising an ambition is only part of the dream. Without the support of these people the dream would have definitely remained a dream.
My daily routine consists of shooting and physical training. Archery is a sport which requires physical and mental strength.
 My Dad will be the first to admit that he thought this would be an inexpensive sport which would require the minimum amount of help or supervision. (Aye Dad)
 

2007 outdoor season saw the start of what I would consider to be the start of more positive things.
I was asked to shoot as a senior for the county which I was pleased about at the age of 15.
My first selection shoot, I was given a chance to shoot against other top juniors for a chance to shoot for GB.
Well as it turned out this was the first of three international events highlighted with a Bronze Team Medal in Ukraine.
In December 2007 I became Junior indoor Champion in my age group and overall Junior indoor Champion.
I cannot emphasise enough how important it has been to have the support that I have had since the start of 2007.

This is why I would like to thank the following people:
Tim Barber (Toms Dad) for mentioning my name to Graham Harris owner of Clickers Archery.
Graham Harris (Clickers Archery) without his support I would have not been able to continue to achieve this dream.
Drurys Engineering for sponsoring the costs I have incurred with the amount of equipment I have needed to get this far.
Without their support and help the dream would have ended at the beginning of 2007.

Finally I suppose it is worth mentioning that without my Dad I would have not been as focused. He has supported me as my coach, manager and parent. At times it has been difficult to separate any of these roles. Sometimes we have had words over various issues regarding my shooting but, we have worked though them and learned from them.


My goals for the future are to take part in lots more international events and overall be selected for the London 2012 Olympics.
 
Norfolk Weekend 2009
Date: 01/09/2009 19:56

Hi all,

Got home from Norfolk yesterday after a fun but tiring weekend.
Unfortunately I did not manage to finish the full FITA on the Saturday due to my shoulder injury but after a hour of rest shot some more with the help from Tim Barber who helped me a great deal and made me able to finish the whole FITA on the Sunday. (Cheers Tim)
The Sunday was a bit less windy than the Saturday but due to the changes the night before I was unable to maintain form for the full 12 dozen and did not get a great score. But none the less was still pleased to finish.
The Monday after an earlier start for the 720 my shooting was excellent in practice, but I completely lost the plot in the qualification and yet again, did not score the best of scores this year.
However a good first round to the head to heads kept my confidence up, only to lose in the next round to Tom Barber.
I would just like to add many thanks to Graham as well for keeping me cheery through out the whole weekend.

Write soon

A

 
Exmouth 720 and Head to Heads 2009
Date: 01/09/2009 19:47

Hi all,

Thought I would tell you that the end of this outdoor season has picked up slightly. I managed a 614 at Exmouth which is the highest this year. On top of that some improvements have been made on my shoulder injury just now need to get my stamina back to normal

Write soon

A
 
Northampton Field Shoot 2009

Hi all,

This weekend I took part in my first field tournament. I have to say it was a lot more fun than expected and is a lot different from target.
I think I will be attending a few more in the future but obviously mainly focusing on my target of course :).
I came 1st over the weekend which was a bonus, but... was the only one in my group :(

Write soon

A

 
 
AYOF 2009 Team Result

Hi all,

As I was saying the team event in Australia went really well. Up against Australia in the Semi Finals who were ranked as 2nd and us 3rd we knew it would be a tough match. We all shot really well and beat the Ozzies, which felt very rewarding.
In the finals we were up against Chinese Taipei ranked 1st and yet again a solid performance from all of us except me on my last arrow saw us take the win with 199.

All in all, Australia was my best trip for results, weather and just generally really enjoyed it.

Write soon

A
 
AYOF 2009 Individual Result

Date: 20/01/2009 17:24

Hi all,

Returned from Australia yesterday and I thought i'd write a blog about it. Unfortunately I was unable to write blogs out there as internet access was very limited when we reached the Olympic village.

It was one awesome trip, the shooting venue was a bit plain to say the least but none the less Great Britain managed to produce some very good results there.

Having being ranked 10th after qualification I had to stay focused through the knock out phases. 1/8th eliminations I was against number 7 from Chinese Taipei won the match on 98-95.

Quarter finals against Australias' own Taylor Worth seeded 2nd and also the top Aus. I kept my focus and shot well in the windy conditions and won the match 102-92.

Semi finals against Aus' number 2 Ryan Tyack. It was a close call but the strong wind proved too difficult for me and I lost the match 101-96, none the less still pleased to make it in to the bronze medal match against seeded 1st from Chinese Taipei.

Finals saw Mark Nesbitt GBR vs Ryan Tyak AUS for the gold and myself vs Hsiu-Yu Hu for the bronze. I went into the match very calm and shooting strong in the wind. Opened the match 1 point down. 1 point down in the second end and then 1 point in the lead after the 9th arrow. The final end saw us tied on 104 which meant a shoot off. A lot calmer then I thought I would be I shot first and shooting an X put me in a good position which Chinese Taipei followed up with a 9.

What a great match it was and to top it off Mark Nesbitt winning the gold with a score off 99-98.

Read Next blog for Team Final

A
 
The Aussie Trip so far

Brisbane, Australia January 2009

Date: 09/01/2009 12:44

Hi all,

Today is my 3rd day in the 30+ degrees country of Australia. What a place it is, nice weather, everyone seems friendly. Shooting quite well, just fine tuning my equipment.
Made new friends as well which is a bonus.

We have been practicing individual and team rounds, both of which have shown which way were heading.

Write soon
A
 
New Arrows

Date: 16/12/2008 20:28

Hi all,

Thought I'd write another blog about my new arrows. Got 2 sets of ACE's cut at 31.5", 370 spine and I am now experimenting between 110 and 120 grain points.
I'll let you know after another weekend at Lilleshall how it turns out.
 
AYOF (Australian Youth Olympic Festival)

Date: 16/12/2008 20:25

Hi all,

At the weekend I was up at Lilleshall. Training and making changes to my technique again. Was a good weekend over all, few words of advice from Tom and Tim Barber as well as Clickers Team Captain Mike.
All the training recently as some of you may know is towards the Australian Youth Olympic Festival which takes place in January.
18 archers, 6 countries along with team mates Mark Nesbitt and Anthony Wood, looking forward to the trip a lot.
Should be good

   
Youth World Champs (Turkey 2008)

Date: 13/10/2008 15:31

Hi all,
This morning I arrived back home after a eventful week in Turkey. What a great trip it was, the sun was out, the heat was up. Not too much wind all the time.
My qualification scores were very disappointing, due to my technique being on the weak side, however in the individual head to heads I moved my ranking up from 38th to 19th place.
My first match against a guy from South Africa ended on 106-105, which was a close match due to a 49 opening end. My second (1/32) against Yagiz Yilmaz of Turkey tied on a 109. A strong shot in the shoot of ended in 10-9 victory for me. Then in the (1/16) I was faced against Yu-Cheng Chen of Chinese Taipei seeded 6th and the end result was sadly 108-110.
However this result was still good as it moved my rank from 38th to 19th which is nothing to complain about. Also making me the highest rank Brit in the RCM division.
On the Thursday we shot in the team event. The cut off point being 16 we did well to qualify in 11th considering the tough opposition. First match was against Russia who were ranked in 6th and we over powered them with 221-213 which was a great opening score for the head to heads. Shooting a 76 out of 80 myself I was pleased with the result. Next match (1/4) against Italy. Ranked 3rd, shooting well as a team but unfortunately allowing a couple of mistakes from all 3 of us caused us to lose the match 212-221.
So all in all a great week. I have come back with a few points to work on, but nothing major so I shall let you know of my next competition.

 
   

I'm Ready for the Worlds (Turkey 2008)

Date: 21/09/2008 20:48

Right, well today I finished tuning my second bow and had a slight retune on my first.
The poundage up on both to 47.3 lbs and the arrows have come together nicely.
I’m really pleased with my new bow, and new arrows, both will be getting a lot of use.
Cheers Graham for getting it all to me when you did and to Drurys for your continued support.

 

 

 



World Champs Training Camp 13-14th Sept 2008
Date: 16/09/2008 22:07

 

This weekend I went up to Lilleshall for "Team Building" for the Worlds being held in early October.
The weekend went fairly well and I was pleased with how I shot.
My new equipment is shooting fine but obviously needs tuning properly before the big event.
All in all was a good weekend, got to shoot with Mark Nesbitt and Anthony Woods again which will be most beneficial when it comes to the team round.
   
Junior Nationals 2008
Date: 06/07/2008 21:46

I have just returned from the nationals today. What a weekend it was. Wind, rain and the odd patch of sunshine made it even better.
On the Saturday I shot a Ladies FITA and scored 1234. Wasn't my best; however was enough to get a win. I shot fairly well on the Saturday, so was pleased with the result.
On the Sunday I shot a Hereford and scored 1174. Again it was not what I had hoped for but it was enough to get me a win and be crowned the champion for my age group.
With Clophill Fita Fest fat approaching I am going to make a lot of preparation and I shall let you know how I get on.
   
Premiere Event 2008
Date: 29/06/2008 23:14

This weekend held the Premiere event at Lilleshall.
Saturday was not my day for shooting to say the least. However I bucked up my ideas and pulled through on the Sunday. I ended up with 2 team mates, neither of which I knew. We worked well together, making it all the way to the quarter finals.
I now have this week to prepare for the Junior Nationals which I shall inform you on at some point.
   
Turkey World Championship Selection Shoot
Date: 22/06/2008 19:00

 Yesterday I shot at Lilleshall to qualify for the World Outdoor Champs, being held at Turkey in October.
Well despite the weather being very wet, cold and windy, I still managed to produce a score of 625, which I felt was acceptable.
625 was enough to get me first place, however a rough patch in the head to heads caused me to drop down into second, giving 1st to Mark Nesbit.
However I still got enough points to get me to the World Champs, which I am very happy with, along with Mark Nesbit and Anthony Wood my team mates.
   
UK Masters 2008
Date: 19/06/2008 21:39

Sorry it’s a bit late. 2 weeks ago I shot at the UK Masters. This was my first year of doing it and I have to say it was enjoyable.
I came away with a new Personal Best on the Gents FITA of 1215 which I was pleased with.
I also had some coaching from Jan Martin which was beneficial and I ironed out a few minor problems.

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Kestrels Albion 2008
Date: 14/05/2008 21:02

Shot an Albion at a local shoot this weekend. Scored 894, which was enough to get me gold in the senior category. Wasn't the score I was looking for, but none the less was pleasing considering the very hot conditions.
   
Clophill FITA 4
Date: 14/04/2008 19:33

At the weekend I shot in the Clophill Fita 4. On the first day the wind was strong so I was not able to shoot my best scores but my technique as good and I stayed strong throughout the whole day. I scored 583 and 581.
On the Sunday however the morning was a cold start but there was hardly any wind which meant that I shot a new personal best of 610. It was still not as high as I would like but it was good enough for me. The afternoon the wind picked up and my shooting was not on top form and I only managed to shoot 579.
After the rounds had all finished I stayed behind and put my Samick Extreme's back on my bow weighing in at 43lbs and my arrows were flying straighter and also flew better through the wind.
   

Clophill Record Status Junior Portsmouth
 Date: 10/03/2008 19:52

 Shot a Portsmouth round on Sunday. Scored 580 which was a new personal best. I shot really well. Only allowing one arrow to slip out of the gold which yet again was another bonus as I’d never done that before.

All in all good day of shooting.
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New Arrows !! :D
Date: 25/02/2008 20:20

Just set up my new A/C/E 470's and they are amazing. Got new luminous yellow Socx on them and they look as well as they fly.
 Which is great   :)

Cheers Graham
   
London, Lords Cricket Ground
Date: 20/02/2008 20:40

Just returned from my trip down to Lords, well the venue is amazing, we got to see where everything will be held, unfortunately we were forced to shoot 30m and lost a lot of time to some cricketers.
However the venue is good and the day at Lilleshall today was good and we got a lot of shooting done and made a lot of improvement on my technique.
   
Senior Indoor Nationals 08
Date: 20/02/2008 20:29

On Saturday I took part in the Senior Nationals, well it wasn't my best of shoots but I feel I performed well. I had a bit of a cold so couldn't do my best.
Shot a 534 which wasn't enough to qualify, but I was pleased with the score as it was the best I could do.
   
Junior Training Camp 1-3rd Feb 08
Date: 03/02/2008 21:33

Sorry it's been a while, been quite busy/ill.
Just got back from the Sports Centre. All in all, it was a good weekend. Had lots of positive feedback from the coaches and Peter.
I have a few areas that I need to work on which were pointed out. I've come away feeling confident and motivated.
May even need to purchase some new arrows soon (Graham :P)
 
Junior National Indoor Champs 2007
Date: 03/12/2007 21:11

Yesterday I shot the last round of the Junior Indoor Champs. Well... my indoor so far this year has been nothing special but yesterday went very well. I turned up and decided to leave my tournament mind at home. I went to shoot my shot routine and nothing else. I shot with my lighter poundage bow which is weighing in at 38lbs.

Jan and Maggie my coaches were there helping me through out the day making sure I didn't start chasing my score and it worked.

I finished the round with a score of 574 which was a personal best for me, I was very pleased with it and with my attitude and mental state through out the shoot.

574 was enough to get me a win in my age group and also high enough to win the over all championship. The score was very tight indeed as Matthew Welbeck came second with 573.

All in all a good day of shooting :)
 
Portsmouth County Match
Date: 18/11/2007 13:47

Just got back from a County Match. Glad to report that Bedfordshire won :)
I shot with my new X7's and scored 571 which I’m happy with as I only first used them yesterday.
 
Mayflower FITA 18
Date: 06/11/2007 21:50

Shot 2 Fita 18's on Sunday. I was not particularly pleased with either of my scores. However I’m going through a big technique change again. I have found a few weak areas in my technique and I am now working on them. The main errors seem to be the pivot to aim at the 3 targets and my set-up position.

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Kestrels Portsmouth
Date: 14/10/2007 21:21

Shot a Portsmouth round today. First indoor competition of the year. Well I have to say it was not the best start to the indoor season scoring a very disappointing 569. However I am going through a slight technique change at the moment so I am sure everything will be all right when it is sorted out. Will keep you posted as usual through out the indoor season.   :D
 
Andover Senior County Shoot
Date: 23/09/2007 11:05

Last weekend I shot for my county for the first time as a senior. Well I actually shot very well but my score was not good. The wind was very strong all day, it was always changing direction and I was not the only person having problems with there score.
But I did enjoy my first senior county shoot!
 
National (Kestrels)
Date: 09/09/2007 20:44

Got back from Spain yesterday and won a competition today. It was not a big competition but I entered as a senior and still came away with a 140 point lead after the double round. Used the new bow which is working amazingly!! Really happy with it. Now just need a new V-Bar and all will be sorted (well from the equipment side anyway)
 
New Bow!!!
 Date: 27/08/2007 22:35
Set my new bow up today. Helix riser with Samick Extreme Limbs, weighing in at about 45 pounds. Tuned it up and shot really well with it. Good groups in the windy weather at Clophill Field. Think I’m going to do really well with it =D

 

Norfolk FITA Star
 Date: 27/08/2007 22:32


Shot the Sunday only at Norfolk, really good shoot. Nice weather and shooting with some friends who I have not seen in a while. Score was not brilliant but it did not get me down.
Here is a picture of Graham, Rupert and I from Sunday :)

 
 
SCAS Junior Teams
Date: 20/08/2007 14:08

Got back from Aveley last night from the SCAS Junior Team event. I shot really well, but equipment problems at the moment let me down a bit. Was a really good day though weather was a bit miserable but did not ruin the day.

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