First scoring round was a 29, but then things fell apart…
After a nice rest day, I was ready for my next comp. It was less than 48 hours after a National Record so I was curious what would come next.
Saturday morning started with a beautiful two hour drive. Even though the overnight temperature had dipped below zero, the colours of the leaves were amazing! I was caffeinated and feeling good when arriving in Vetlanda. The club was very cozy and the set up was a 60 arrow qualification then cut to top 8 finals for barebow, compound and recurve archers.
I did my equipment check, stretching and elastics. Nothing was different from the previous comps as this is how I have been doing it for years. Whatever has been causing those first rounds to score low is due to something else besides my warm up.
First arrow was a nice 10. Breathe. Shot a 9 and then another 10. Starting with a 29 was my goal for the day. Yes –> a 30 would have been nice but this was so much better than what had been happening so this was a good day already.
I was shooting 4B, so there was some time between my first and second ends.
The sight was a bit fuzzy when I went up for arrows 4 through 6. Even though I hit 9 9 8, something was weird. My bow arm maintained height, but my whole body was swaying. When I went back up for round 3 my heart was racing but I managed 10 10 8. Then came 9 9 6.
Something was wrong.
My heart was going super fast. Every time I took a deep breath, it actually felt worse. I kept blinking to clear my eyes. My balance was off.
Every time we went to the targets, it made me feel a bit better.
10 9 9 and then 10 7 7. More movements side to side.
I was not getting frustrated. I was getting concerned.
Then I saw it…
Many years ago, way back in the last century, I had a little trip to St.Kitts. As I am such a water baby, I expected a week of swimming and beach going. BUT after the first 48 hours, I ended up wrapped in towels hiding on the veranda and fearing all the beautiful sunshine and warm winds. It was not until some testing that I found out I was allergic to some local vegetation. It caused painful rashes, hives and breathing issues. The culprits were mustard and celery. Over the years, I have scrutinized multiple sandwich and salad wrappers, menus and grocery items. Those little buggers are in everything. My last incident was pizza in Iceland – it had mustard seeds in the sauce which was a little unexpected. I am careful but I really did not expect the hog dogs to turn on me.
Swedish culture means certain things. Fika is very good. Hot dogs with senap – not so much.
If I don’t touch it or eat it then I normally do not worry. On this day, it was in the air. Every breath felt worse. Though nobody’s at fault, I think the hotdogs being prepared at the back of the room, were spiced and the warming them up caused some fumes. There were also two bottles of mustard a few meters from my chair. At first I though maybe I had touched something, but the difference in air between the target side of the room and the back kitchen area, was the cause of the waves.
I struggled to keep shooting. Four times 10 9 9. By the 10th end I just wanted to stop. 9 8 8.
I had maxed out what I could do with a 268.
There was a break before the second half of the comp. I tried to eat and get fresh air at the far end of the range. It was a bit better until I walked back to my bow.
Enough.
It was not worth it to continue.
The judge was informed and I signed off my scorecard.
Just trying to grab my stuff and leave the room was causing more distress. I felt my heart rate climbing again, cold sweats, shortness of breath…
I got outside and dropped all my things on the ground.
Thankfully, there was blue skies and it was warm enough to just stop and be still.
There was no way I could have kept going in that competition. I hated having to withdraw but there was no other choice. Medically, I could have started having severe breathing issues, fainted or something else. And having a food allergy means I am responsible for what I do, not anyone else. No one did anything wrong. I would be OK, I just needed a little time.
I know what I need to do in these situations so I did them. To anyone who has issues, please learn how to be safe and what situations are risky for you. For those who want to help, please learn first aid and CPR. Anything can happen in a competition, so it is always good to have a few people who are trained up.
Once I got home, I had Fika.
FYI: There is no mustard in kanelbulle.
