Unlike the last decade, this year was different when I was planning my trip to the First Leg of the IBO National Triple Crown. Instead of being able to put a lot into it and prepare to the best of my ability, my time was limited due to new employment and my schedule. Although I went to two regional tournaments two weeks ago, that was about the extent of my shooting. I would also have to get out of work and hit the road immediately, as time no longer allows me to get to the venue, relax, practice and prepare myself for the days to come. I guess that's all a part of change, and if you're not willing to embrace change, things can become miserable in a hurry and weigh you down. Change can be good at times... and necessary.
Practice Day
After arriving in Pipestem, W.V., at 1:30 a.m. on Friday, we were able to get some rest before heading to the venue, where Dad, Doug, Tom, Wade and Logan would begin their tournament later in the day. Unlike pros who have assigned shooting times, amateurs are allowed to shoot at their leisure.
My practice day was a train wreck. It started off well, but quickly spiraled into a bottomless pit full of two-headed vipers, fire-breathing dragons, and no weapons to ward them off. In all honesty, I didn't even attempt to beat them off. I let them slither up my legs and arms and wrap themselves around my neck while roasting the hair off my head. I felt beaten. I didn't care if they wrapped around my neck and suffocated me.
After chatting with Digger as he was ranging, and joking with Ted and Sara Kay while they were practicing, I laughed it off. When all was said and done, I had shot about six or seven fives on the 15 practice targets I shot. Fortunately, we had to call it a day when they blew the horn for everyone to get off the ranges due to bad weather.
We rushed to the truck to head to the range to pick up Logan and Dad, as they had finished 10 targets before getting told they had to call it a day. When I picked them up, I learned that everyone had struggled out of the gate, and the weather delay would most likely lend them a well-needed hand.
Day 1
All pros had to meet on the golf course to get their target assignments, so we made our way to the meeting area and sat down to chit-chat while people showed up. It was good to see a few people I haven't seen since last year. Although I don't see many of these people often, they are my extended family, and I enjoy the little bit of time I get to spend with them every year. Although many of them are my competitors, I still find it easy to root for them. I always want people to shoot to the best of their ability on the given weekend.
When assignments were called out, I learned I would be sharing the stake for the day with Jim Livak, Tate Gerald and Tony Tazza. Lately, it seems like I'm in Tony's group at every shoot, and I could never ask for a better person with whom to shoot. Tony is always positive, optimistic and supportive. Like me, he always roots for others, too. While he wants to win and gets frustrated when he doesn't live up to his own standards, he always offers support. I value Tony's friendship, and I'm thankful for the kind words he always offers. He's the true definition of a professional. He could shoot the worst round of his life or the best round of his life, and you would never know the difference by his demeanor. Many pros could take a lesson from him on the way to carry themselves while on the range and in the vendor area.
When I arrived at the target where I would start, I saw a bedded buck on the other side of a blow down. As I always do, I rolled my sight to the zip code I believed the target was sitting in. I felt confident about my initial number and never moved the sight after giving the target an in-depth look.
When the "Shoot-m up" rang through the woods, I was ready. After practice, I wasn't expecting much, but I also know I have the ability to put those things behind me and never give them another thought; that's what I did. Then, finally, I drew my bow to begin my 2025 IBO National season. The bow sat relatively still and the sight picture was slightly better than normal for the first target, making me calm. This allowed the release to fire quickly, and I started off with a solid 10.
In no time at all, we were thrown to the wolves and the wolves kept coming. Although there was a pack of wolves, I'm still not sure where the alpha wolf was hiding. Was it the lynx on the tee box, the brown bear behind the cut logs, the bedded stone sheep in the swamp, the coyote on the side hill, or was it the bomb antelope in the field with mach-9 winds to compete with?
I got off to a so-so start, shooting a few 10s and a few 8s. Although the 8s showed up on the card, I felt OK with my shooting. I didn't feel great, but that was most likely because it was the first time I had a handheld release in my hand at a national event in eight years. So what did I choose to make a change?
I felt like I needed to change something. Things have gotten stale with the caliper, and I felt like my accuracy was suffering. My execution was getting choppy, and I just wanted to go back to my old reliable release. I pulled out my green and silver Stanislawski 4-finger SX2 button, the release that helped me win a few national events and a few IBO World Championships in amateur classes. Why not give it a whirl again?
Although I was executing well enough to hold my own, I wasn't enjoying how anything was feeling. Nothing felt repeatable, but I put my head down and stayed the course. I got through some tough targets, including a long uphill Impala that ate many people up, and a bedded stone sheep in a swamp. However, when I got to a lynx that appeared much closer to many archers than it was, I felt confident with my number. Leading it off, I drew the bow in the wind and prayed I could get the shot off without the wind blowing me off the target. The wind was swirling around the tee box where the target was located and the stake was on a slight hill just outside the woods.
When I hit full draw and anchored, I began moving the pin toward the 10. Just before I got to it, I layed my thumb on the button and the release fired, sending my heart into my throat. Then, I got a quick dose of relief when I heard someone say, "It's an 8, above the 10."
While I was blessed with a little luck, I was also cursed at the same time. I smiled and realized an 8 on a lynx where it was set was probably a good thing. However, glancing toward the target we would be shooting after gathering our arrows, I realized it was going to be another tough one. Still on the golf course, we would be shooting a brown bear that was tucked behind a pile of logs that had been stacked after someone had cut a fallen tree next to it. The bright sun combined with the dark log pile made it difficult to see. The wind was also hammering at that time.
When Tony led off, he decided to hold slightly to the right to compensate for wind drift. Unfortunately, the wind didn't move the arrow and he hit behind the pin for an 8. That's one of those bad breaks we all run into now and then.
By the time everyone in the group had shot the target, there wasn't one arrow in the 10-ring. The brown bear had gotten all of us, and there was no pattern to where we hit. We had arrows sprayed all over it. Between the wind and a slightly short number, I hit the bear a tad low and right. I didn't give it much thought, as everyone else walked away in the same boat as me.
Walking to the the next target, a grazing doe that was set at the end of a long pond in the shadows, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Although it seemed like a chip shot compared to all the other targets we had shot, it still ended up proving to be as difficult as all the others. Fortunately, I made a good shot on the target and scared the crap out of the 11... I would do the same on the next target. Actually, by the time the day ended, I had scared many 11s and never hit one of them. Since they began counting 11s, it's the first time I've ever gone on a 20-target stretch without hitting one 11.
In a short stretch, I made my best shots of the day, and my absolute best one of the day came on a standing bear. It was a nice set between a bunch of trees, giving it a tunnel effect. I executed the best shot I could've asked for, and the arrow landed a fingernail-width over the 10-ring. I couldn't complain about it, though.
After shooting the bear, we made our way into the field portion of the course, where we would shoot six of our remaining nine targets. Although I'm not sure of the wind speeds, I'd guess there were gusts that were up to 40 mph when we were shooting in the field. The wind showed no mercy. Some people got lucky and shot between gusts, and others had no choice but to grin and bear it.
When it was my turn to shoot the elk, I made a choice that I'd like to go back and change, but decisions can't be changed once they are executed. With the wind hammering, I decided to get the pin to the middle as quickly as possible and get the shot off to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, I rushed too much and didn't pay attention to where the pin was sitting when I shot the arrow. I made a great shot on the elk but walked away with an 8 that I never should've shot, as the arrow hit behind the pin.
As we picked our way through the last four targets of our round, we battled the continuous nasty winds. After surviving a long black bear that was set where the woods met the field, I knew the best was yet to come, as the remaining targets were not the least bit protected from the wind.
When I executed a perfect shot on the mule deer and barely missed an 11, I came to the conclusion that an 11 was not in the deck of cards for the day. I couldn't have made a better shot on the mule deer, yet I still missed the 11.
Moving to the antelope, I knew I had to give it everything I had, both on my sight tape and on the back and front end of my shot. When I hit full draw and settled in, the shot fired instantly, and I expected it would land perfectly. I was correct, as I was able to record another 10 on my card.
As I walked up to the last target of the round, a leopard, I felt confident with my number. My shooting had turned around over the last eight targets, and I had only dropped two points in the stretch. With three arrows already in the 10-ring, it was my job to finish the day for our group. I executed another good shot and hit a hair to the right of the 11. I was happy to be done for the day.
Walking back to the vendor area, I wasn't sure what to feel. I was satisfied with my round, even though it was a roller coaster with my shooting. I felt good about my numbers, and at day's end, my shots seem to fall into place and bring me back to the days of old. However, I dealt with the same thing that has hindered me with a handheld release for a long time: I dealt with uneven pressure on my release hand and battled some tension issues. Knowing I should've scored better, I was a little disappointed but satisfied. My shooting has been shaky at best lately, and I came out of the pack sitting in a tie for 8th place but fell to 10th due to having the least number of bonus rings of the three people with the same score. It was the first time in the history of my shooting that I shot a round without recording a single bonus ring. I did scare a lot of them but was never able to hit one.
Day 2
When I saw my target assignment for Day 2, I was ecstatic. I would be shooting with Tony Tazza again, Darrin Christenberry, and Gregg Ayers. I could never ask for a better group than these guys. They are all friends, and they all have calm, relaxing personalities. They all show their support, and they are all true competitors. Shooting with guys like them makes me want to go to every event. There's nothing better than shooting with your friends at the highest level. Far too often, things get cutthroat, and it makes the rounds hard to enjoy. However, when you're around people who think and act like you, it's easier to feel at ease and relax.
Gregg and I arrived at the target at the same time to find ourselves looking at a gator. It was set on a steep side hill that rolled from left to right. The steep hill would make the shot even tougher than normal. Although we would be shooting directly across the hill, the bubble would play a big part. It was no chip shot either. It appeared to be in the big number area of the sight tape.
Unlike the first day, when Tony followed me, I would be following him on Day 2. After he and Gregg placed arrows nicely in the 10-ring, it was up to me to follow suit. My hold started well, and I sat there and admired it instead of executing my shot. Before I realized what was going on, the shot began to deteriorate and "let down" suddenly entered my mind. Unfortunately, my conscience mind wasn't in tune with my subconscious and the shot fired. I knew I had lost the shot when it began getting weak and it blew out the right side of the 10. I felt fortunate to walk away with an 8. I got away with one, and I needed to make sure I followed my plan and set every shot up well before executing it.
Then, in a blink of an eye, I was staring into a deep, dark hole. Instead of moving my sight at the target butt, I decided to leave it alone. Within five targets, I realized I had made a mistake that would cost me dearly. I had executed every shot well after the gator, but I found myself losing points out the top of almost every target. In the first five targets, I had two 8s and a 5 on my card.
Knowing I needed to rectify the problem in a hurry, I made the decision to leave the sight alone and subtract two yards from all of my guesses. I figured that would make up for the amount I had been missing on the target butt before the round started. I've always believed the difference between Joes and pros is that pros make adjustments on the fly that can keep them on track, and Joes sometimes wait too long.
As we meandered through the rest of the course, I felt like the old me jumped out of a tree and landed on my shoulder. As my old self was sitting there watching me, he didn't chatter in my ear at all. Instead, he beat the monkey with a stick and flicked him onto the forest floor. The monkey devil was gone for the day. With every shot, I gained confidence, and I felt like my old competitive self. The majority of my shots were powerful, and I made sure to let down if anything warned me of the potential of a sub-par shot being fired. I stuck to the plan and enjoyed the feeling that was encompassing my body... and mind. "I can do this again," I thought. It felt good to gain confidence as the round progresses. I got the old feeling that I used to get when I thought I would smoke every target. Although a few targets gave me a tough time, it was the hesitation in believing in my number that caused the issues.
When I got to the second to last target of the day, an Impala in the 40ish yard range, many shooters who had finished began making their way past us on the road behind the stake. Being the last shooter in our group on the target, things turned comical before I shot. Jacob Marlowe stopped to talk to us and entertained us for a few minutes before continuing down the road. Laughing to myself after letting down a few times, I finally executed a perfect shot. The arrow struck directly below the 11, and I was ready to finish the day on a long Dahl sheep that was down a steep hill and behind a giant tree. The tree momentarily played a few head games with me, but I recognized the size of the target and ignored the tree that made the target look closer. I ended the day with a 10 and walked off the range knowing I had let an opportunity at being in the shootdown round slip away by playing stupid games. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes. My prize was an 8th place finish, five points out of the shootdown round. I should've moved the sight and knew enough to do so. However, after chatting with Jacob the night before at dinner, I was trying something new and didn't trust myself enough until three of the four wheels had fallen off the bus.
Final Thoughts
Before this tournament began, I considered hanging up my national archery career. Although I've held my own and had some decent moments the last two years, it seems like every event has been more of a struggle than I'd like to continue battling. There comes a time for everyone when you have to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you want to continue doing what you're doing. I was there, and I took a long look. Still somewhat undecided at the beginning of the tournament, I definitely had varying thoughts about it. This tournament might've held the key to my immediate future. To state the battle in terms everyone can more easily understand: shooting in tournaments hasn't been much fun the last few years, especially last year since it was the first year I didn't find myself in a shoot down round since 2021. It can make you question yourself, even when you're the first guy out multiple times. Then, when I take a step back and really look at it from a distance, I see all the upheavals I've experienced in my life. This doesn't lend to a calm, clear mind, which is essential to shooting well. Without focus, it's impossible to achieve your true potential.
After the round on Saturday, I was content with where I was sitting going into Day 2, and I felt confident about my chances. I figured two of us from my group would make it into the shootdown round. Although I was confident, I was concerned about a few things I battled during the round, especially since it was the first time I had used a handheld release at a national event in a long time.
At dinner with all of my friends, I sat at the end of the table next to Jacob. As the evening neared an end, we began talking about an issue I've battled. After discussing it, he gave me some advice on how I might be able to beat it. I've beaten my head against the wall with this issue since the early 2000s. Although I've found some success along the way, I've never felt overly comfortable and entirely confident. Instead, I've always found little things that served the purpose at the time. I've gotten advice from many good coaches about it too, including Mike Price, Mark Myers and Tim Strickland. While they all had great advice that probably worked with many others, nothing ever stuck with me.
Well, after discussing the issue with Jacob, he gave me some very simple advice and showed it to me with his hand. I decided I would go all in and try to do the same thing he showed me. Trying it on the practice butt the next morning, I realized it was going to work. Then, from start to finish on my round, I experienced minimal to no negative tension in my release hand. My shots were powerful, and my confidence began building throughout the round. It brought me back to the guy's mind who was in the mix at every event in 2021-2023. It made me realize that I can still compete at the highest level.
I'm not saying the road wasn't still a little bumpy at times on Day 2, but I could tell that with a little work, I can get back to a place I've been and feel comfortable. That's why it's important to discuss things with your closest friends whom you shoot with the most. We tend to know the tendencies of the people whom we shoot with the most. I'm thankful for Jacob's advice. I'm sure it will take some work getting used to the
change, but I'm willing to give it an honest effort. After all, the first day of trying something new provided me with a great memory, some new confidence, and something to continue practicing. I'm excited to get to work and see where it takes me. The only downfall is it's giving me a pretty good blister on my knuckle, but I had that in the past, so I'm sure it'll be fine once it gets used to the new grip on the release.
I've already said it, but I had the best group I've ever shot with at a national event on Day 2. While Day 1's group was phenomenal too, the people I shared the day with on Day 2 are some of my absolute favorite people I've ever met in archery. All three of those guys are the true definition of a what a professional should be. If I could ever live up to the standard they set for all of us pros to follow, I would be honored. I'm thankful I was able to concentrate on the advice Jacob gave me without any extracurricular distractions that sometimes come along with peer groups, especially on Day 2. We also had a few arrow calls that were seen differently by all of us, but nobody got bent out of shape. We all voiced our opinions, accepted the final result and moved on. That was the end of it, and that's the way it should be done. Respecting the game and respecting the individuals in the process is what true sportsmanship is all about. They guys represent that to the fullest.
This past weekend gave me a little hope as I move forward. Without much time to practice and a new job preventing me from shooting the tournaments I normally shoot, I will make the most of what is available for the rest of the summer. Life is different for me now, and I'll just move along and continue living.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to all of our regional shooters who jumped into pro classes this year. I hope you all had a good time in your first national event as a professional. Keep putting the work in and see where it takes you. I'll be rooting for all of you and wishing you success along the way.
I'd also like to congratulate Ray Young on his win in the Senior Pro class. Ray is one of the nicest guys I've ever met in archery. He's a man of few words, but he's kind, supportive and genuinely nice. Ray's honest, and he's a great guy to have in your group. I've shot with Ray numerous times, and he always does his thing quietly and proficiently. It's always a pleasure watching him. You will never know by looking at Ray whether he shot the worst round of his life or the best round of his life. He is very level-headed and he always brings his game to the top. He's proof that if you still want it, you can get it done. You just have to grind it out and follow the path on your own. If you have the ability, you'll get your chances. Congratulations, Ray. I'm super happy for you. I hope you're still enjoying it.
