You are cordially invited to a sport blowgun outdoor target shooting
competition ("blow-out"), hosted by the "Pennsylvania Chapter" of the
Metro Sport Blowgun Association at Noon Saturday, January 1st, 2005.
(RSVP by 12/28/04, if you are attending, and indicate 1st, 2nd, and
3rd choice of match style listed below.) Locale: Northampton
County, PA.

Match competition styles:
(A.) "Flight" style (solely for distance), (B.) Long Distance Target
style, and (C.) Field competition style, in addition to the standard
10-meter target shooting for rank certification purposes (This part -
the Point competition is for registered NSBA members, or IFA
Affiliated organization members only. It will be held first.)

Venues for the competition will depend on how many are attending, and
the type of match competition.
This is a "rain-or-shine" (or snow) event - so dress appropriately if
you plan on coming. (Note - expected snowfall in excess of three
inches, temperatures below Zero degrees F., or winds at or gusting
above 20 MPH, or lightning storms are reasons for post-ponement.
Post-ponement date is the following Saturday, 01/08/05.)

A note on cold weather shooting: Temperatures in the teens or single
digits make shooting accurately extremely difficult if there is an
excess buildup of frost inside the barrel. In as few as 60 shots,
even with regular swabbing to remove moisture - condensation can
accumulate in the muzzle area (final 6 - 12 inches) of the barrel.
Frost can build up on the tailcone, increasing the tail weight
causing excessive flight waggle, and due to the increased friction
in the barrel, reduce dart flight speed appreciably. Erratic dart
flight (much like shooting in gusty wind conditions) can occur.
Because of this additional hazard, no one on a "side-by-side"
shooting range will be allowed to score and retrieve their shot
darts until all shooters have completed their round. ( I experienced
this first hand a few days ago in a practice session. The
temperature was 10 degrees F., with about a 38% Relative Humidity,
and winds North at 7 MPH, steady. Yes - it was COLD!)

I hope to see you there. Directions via e-mail upon request.
Possible venues include: my home practice range (for 10 Meter
shooting), the local football field (for distance shooting), or back
to Bear Swamp Archery complex (10 Meter shooting, Long Distance
Target, and/or Field style) - depending on selections and number of
attendees. (Photos of the Bear Swamp complex are on the BGNW MSN
forum in the photos section).

Thanks. Hope to hear from you soon - please respond only if you are
going to attend, and which types of Match competition (1st, 2nd, and
3rd preferences) you'd like to compete in. I will assign 1 point to
each 3rd, 2 points to 2nd, and 3 points to 1st - and the highest
preference will be the match style selected.

May your darts always fly true!

My email address is on the National Sport Blowgun Association website
http://www.enter.net/~craftsman/nsba/nsba.htm on the Partners page -
Pennsylvania State Rep.