Deborah Illman-Roberts Summer update 2024

Deborah writes "  The Fletcher's Day for Archers with a Disability which now seems a world away I think is as good a place as any. How to sum up that day; overwhelming, surprising; I'm still as lost for words about the whole experience as I was on the day. The day from start to finish was fantastic and I genuinely can't thank you all enough. in June saw me participate in four more competitions. I encountered some very wet and windy conditions that month as we travelled to competitions at Assheton, Audco and Morecambe Bay clubs. However, I was lucky enough to be able to secure new personal bests for a 1440 round, a Hereford round, a Double American round and a WA 50m round.  I do feel I let myself down in some ways, letting myself be distracted by the behaviour of others and not focusing 100% on my shots, but this gave me something to work on. July was a little quieter with just three competition days, shooting a new personal best for a Double Hereford round and a new personal best also for a Double WA 50m round. My personal best for a WA 50m now stands at 637, a 66 point increase from where I finished the 2023 outdoor season for this round. August has arguably been a challenging one for me in archery terms. Attending so far a WA1440, a Double WA50m, a Hereford and a Western but unfortunately only completing three of those. For the first time ever I withdrew part way through a shoot. I'd been struggling with equipment issues, but was determined to fight on, unfortunately my fight ran out and I just couldn't continue.

 I have learnt so much in 22 months since I joined the sport but realise I will never stop learning.  I am often too self-critical, when I need to be focusing on the huge strides I have made forward and all the achievements I have gained.  This outdoor season has seen me come home with various medals and badges, including my first 6 gold end claim, 1100 and 1200 WA Stars, Blue and Red English Crosses and several rose awards.  The biggest honour of all was most definitely being awarded the Des Clarke Memorial Cup, I'll forever treasure that memory.
 
Best wishes to you all and I hope to see you at the Disability Championships in Lilleshall.