Rain, Wind And Coldness: The Dutch Championship Field in Autumn

During the weekend of October 4 and 5, the Dutch National Championships Field Archery took place in the forests near Tienray, the Netherlands.
The tournament was organized by ’t Trefpunt, a club that already set out a great course earlier this year.

This time, there were so many sign-ups that the organizers had to include three waiting targets.
With a whopping 108 archers in the field, it marked a significant increase in participation compared to previous years.

Autumn weather

The two autumn days were marked by rain and strong winds.
On Saturday, gusts of up to 60 km/h presented a serious challenge for the archers.
Add to that 20 mm of rain, and you can imagine how difficult it was to find the center of the targets.
The image below sums up the weekend perfectly: cold and rainy.

New Categories For Youth

A new addition to this year’s Nationals was the inclusion of youth categories, giving young archers their own class to compete for gold.
Previously, they had to compete in the senior category, which is highly competitive and filled with experienced archers.

The course itself featured several clever challenges, as the course builders made great effort to make distance judging more difficult.
They also changed the layout compared to the earlier event in Tienray, ensuring that returning archers couldn’t rely on memory alone for an advantage.

IOA Media Livestream

IOA Media provided a livestream on both days, featuring a GoPro attached to a body harness or hat.
The stream showcased the course, the beautiful nature, and the archers in action, while also offering a behind-the-scenes look at how photos are taken. During the whole live stream I shared a few insights about archery and the event itself.

Despite the rough weather, most archers improved their scores on the second day compared to the first.
You can find all results on Ianseo: Results NK Veld.

Next year, the Dutch Field Nationals will be held in Hapert, near the Belgian border, on 26-27 September. Just like in 2024 and this year, the Dutch Nationals Field is organized relatively late compared to all the other Dutch Championships outdoors. What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments or via Instagram.

To read more about the locations of the Dutch Field Nationals for the coming years, check out our previous article: NK Field Locations Announced.