I can try to provide some history on the wind speed debate. It is not a new idea. The wind factor has been debated numerous times in the last 100 years, and I am sure it was debated in the 1000 years before that among the Turks. I will summarize why it hasn't gained traction up to this point in time.
1) The majority, if not all the top record shots have not taken place in high winds, regardless of wind direction. High winds tend to be very turbulent wreaking havoc on longer arrow flights.
2) A wind gauge at ground level doesn't necessarily indicate the wind conditions higher above the ground. I've shot in winds blowing hard in the opposite direction 100 feet above the ground. Unlike the fastest car events, we are dealing with three dimensional space with our arrows.
3) A wind gauge says nothing about one of the biggest weather-related influences on long distance arrow flight, which is upward and downward thermals.
4) We have no control over the weather, so we are just introducing a layer of complexity to the event that will lead to potential delays and cancellations. Either the conditions are safe for shooting, or they are not, and we don't shoot.
In the past, we have decided to take an early lunch break if the conditions are absolutely dead. Instead, I would favor shooting more rounds rather than sit tight and try to second guess the weather.
Alan
