Main Discussion Area > Bow of the Month Contest

Is BOM melting down?

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Fred Arnold:
I neglect the BOM post more than I should. Unless one entry stands out hands down better than the others I may not even cast a vote because it seems unfair to vote for just one.

Also never entered a bow, main reason being I personally don't feel qualified to compete at my present level.

I will say that a lot of my inspiration and ideas come from the bowyers who participate on a regular basis. The bows are month after month some of the best I've seen anywhere. It would be a terrible shame not to be able to view the great work that is done here.

That being said, possibly I'll try to get more involved and may even enter one for a start. Even finishing last would no doubt be better than not entering the race.

Weylin:
Glad this is being talked about. I really enjoy the BOM. It created some extra motivation for me to put more effort into my bows. I have tried to submit my bows faithfully even if I knew there would be stiff competition. It's discouraging to see participation slide off and the pleasure of winning is certainly diminished by the lack of entries. I'd much rather lose 10 and win one with lots of great bows in the mix than to win 10 and lose one with only a couple of bows and a handful of votes.

I echo Del's sentiment of not complaining when I have little to add. I'm not in a position commit extra time to help out and I also really enjoy competing and feel that if I helped to organize then it wouldn't be right for me to enter.

We can't stop entering our bows or we are just driving the nails in the coffin of BOM. When I was just starting to make bows I would have never been very interested in entering BOM if I didn't see the best bowyers in the contest. I didn't care if I won or not but it was fun to see my bow up there with the other beautiful bows. If people are staying out of the contest because they are seeing Simon's awesome bows there every month then that is their problem, not Simon's. They should be stoked to go up against his bows, I know I am. We may not be able to change PA's mind about the subscription issue but we can put our energy into encouraging more submissions. I think if there was a concerted effort from the right people we could easily affect the numbers. I saw it happen a few months back when the Chris's got fired up about it. For one or two months we had a ton of bows and a ton of votes. We just have to sustain the energy for longer. I'm willing to do my part. I'll make sure to post on people's bows and encourage them to enter. The bow trades should help bolster the contest as well.

derrick morgan:
I'm one of the newbies who ain't ever posted a bow yet but enjoy watching a lot!
it's sure hard for most to compete against the beauties that some of you "elephants" keep coming, but i think that if people like you simson, stop entering their work, that won't get the BOM nowhere, just makes it less interesting.
every time i see the new top notch bows it inspires me a lot for my own work. even though i won't ever reach a state to create such masterpieces, it's not at all discouraging - it awakens the appetite for carving!

simson:
Thank you all for your interesting input! This is a good thread.

Like Weylin I like the BOM and I'm with him, it adds extra motivation to take part. I was here often, maybe too often. I don't want to be a wall for anybody, but I will support the BOM nonetheless.

I think it is good to make a pause for some months. But I promise, I'm here every month to vote for the best!


@ Derrick: You are welcome!
Don't hesitate to post your bows. I have waited way too long chiming in and did my thing alone the hard way. Don't do it like me.
Here is a great community, in case of you need help - you will get it here.

hammertime:
I would hate to see the BOM go away and when I first came upon this site(2006) I was just amazed at peoples bows and the talent on display. Yet in the same breath the same people to seem to win all the time and yes their  bows are awesome but someone who builds a great bow dose not have a chance competing with someone who is well known on the site or "part of the club"  I do appreciate the time that Cip and all others have put in but I think this is one reason folks are not posting. just my two cents-Hammertime

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