An Archer's Journey: Gaining Confidence

  Confidence.............where does it come from? What's the best way to get it? What makes it disappear? When we lose it, is there a chance that it will never come back?  When we have it, it feels like we aren't capable of making a bad shot, and if we do make bad shots, we know they will hit in the highest scoring area.

  If any of you are like me, you have battled with the little confidence demon many times. This year has been a struggle for me, as any of you who have been reading this on a weekly basis know. I've been fairly confident in my own space this year while practicing but not to the point where I think I can go to a tournament and not miss. I can honestly say that it has been a long time since that has happened to me. Over the course of the last three years, I feel like I'm going to win every time I decide to hop in the car and drive to a shoot. Unfortunately, I haven't had that feeling too often this year. I have had it a few times, and those couple of times are the tournaments that I have been lucky enough to have great rounds. I've been having an incredibly difficult time going to tournaments and tackling them with the "I don't give a crap" attitude. However, looking back at my past performances, the tournaments in which I have been able to focus on having fun and shooting good shots have been the ones I have been able to perform at my best. 

  I took the picture above after changing arrows this week and shooting that group at 40 yards. I've been struggling all year and haven't been able to figure out what is causing some of the issues. After sitting down and thinking about it, I realized that I've been shooting arrows that spine out right on the borderline of being too weak. I've been shooting Gold Tip 500 Pierce Platinums at 27 1/2 inches with 100 grain points. This week I changed back to my old reliable arrows, which are Lightspeed 3D 500s at 26 1/2 inches and 100 grain points. Out of the gate, I started shooting better groups. The first night I made the change, I shot eights arrows from 80 yards at the 122 cm target. I shot six 10s and two 8s, and the 8s were due to making less-than-perfect shots. I made the change on Monday night and continued shooting throughout the week. The groups opened up a little bit as the days moved forward, but I still felt better about the choice to change arrows. On Wednesday night, I put the arrows to the test and shot in my weekly 3D league at Hudson Falls Fish and Game Club. I executed some great shots and ended the 15 target course without shooting an 8. I felt like I didn't shoot any better or worse than I had shot all year. It made me believe that the arrows were a little more forgiving on the shots that weren't executed perfectly.  Here's the card from that night, even though it's a mess. Keep in mind that every lane we shot was a new lane. This league has been giving me great practice because nothing is ever the same. Compliments to Gary Wood and the archery committee for being on top of this. As you can see, I can't add too well, but I caught the mistake. 

  I've noticed that I've been shooting a lot better on target faces this summer than I have on 3Ds. I've been having a hard time engaging in my shot on the 3Ds, and I think it's because I don't have a defined aiming spot. I've never had that problem in all the years I've shot. Although today seemed much better, I know it's an issue I have to pay attention to. 

  I couldn't decide what I wanted to do this weekend, so I eventually decided to go to a local marked yardage money shoot. It was titled "The Extreme Challenge," so I didn't know what to expect. The max yardage was advertised as 75 yards, and there wouldn't be any dots on the targets. Since I knew all of the targets were going to be Rineharts, I figured I would go to get some practice on the targets that are shot at IBO events. It's always good to see those targets as much as possible. 

  I started off with an 8 on a dinosaur that was set at about 50 yards. In the beginning, I was shaking profusely, and it made it hard to hold the pin in the 10 ring. Unlike when I go to other shoots, I drank two ice teas on my way to the shoot and took an allergy pill. The combination of the two things made it very difficult to hold the bow steady in the beginning. As the day moved forward, my hold got steadier, and I began executing good shots. The shoot fit the advertisement of "extreme." The majority of targets, big or small, were shot at distances beyond 50 yards. Having a lot of terrain to work with made it difficult to shoot good shots. There were uphill, downhill and side hill shots throughout the day. I noticed that I'm still having the most difficult time with uphill shots as compared to all others. If I'm on flat ground or a slight downhill, it seems that I can shoot great shots. 

  About a third of the way into the course, I discovered something I haven't been doing over the last few weeks. My bow arm has gotten a little loose. When I discovered the problem and got it so it was in a position that locked the bones, I started executing some great shots. Throughout the day, I felt like Jesse Broadwater on some shots, and I felt like I had never shot a bow in my life on other shots. It was a really odd day. My good shots were absolutely fantastic,  and my bad shots seemed to be somewhat okay. When I did miss the higher scoring rings, I barely missed. On the way home, my dad commented on the fact that he couldn't believe how close my misses were when I missed. I also held my line for the better part of the day. I think I missed one target to the right, but I couldn't identify my aiming spot, and I think the arrow hit behind the pin. I need to take the bow arm with me going into the next few weeks and make sure to keep it solid. 

  When I talked to Sean Roberts today, we talked about he bow arm. He said that he thinks he finally got his draw length in the right place so he can maintain solid pressure up front and in the back, which will allow him to relax in the other areas. As soon as he said that, I realized that I shoot my best when I can replicate that feeling. Unfortunately, the feeling seems fleeting. On a positive note, I did replicate it often today, so that it is a good thing. 

  I'm going to skip the archer's profile part for this week. I'm also going to try to avoid shooting many arrows this week to give my body some time to heal and relax. I'd like a fresh start. I don't know what to anticipate for the New England Trail Shoot. It's not a game I will prepare for, so when I don't prepare, I usually get what's to be expected. Although I could pull off a good day, it's tough if you're not shooting at the orange dots, or even field targets, to prepare. I didn't want to change my 3D setup for the game, which will probably hurt a little bit. For me to shoot field archery dots, I usually need to use a higher power lens in my scope. I have a really hard time with 3X and a small fiber. It makes it look like the pin is doing jumping jacks as I'm trying to aim. I'm sure many of you will read that and think that the 3X works fine for you. Well, that's where everyone is different. My setup works great for the 50-yard 3D game. When I've played field archery, I have always shot higher magnification and used a dot on the lens instead of a fiber. Therefore, I'll do my best and see what happens. I'm not expecting any miracles. 

  In the next few weeks, I'm going to try to work on my numbers a little bit since I will be attending the last leg of the IBO National Triple Crown in Pennsylvania in early July. I'd like to go and make a good showing. I'm still undecided what class I will shoot. I enjoy shooting with pins, and I enjoy shooting a moveable. Since there's a slim possibility I might go to the IBO World, I'm unsure if I would like to shoot a moveable or if I would like to shoot pins and see if I can repeat some of my success I've had there in the past. I do know that there aren't many people left in that class, but the ones who are left are some of the best who have ever shot pins from long distances. All of them are hard to beat, especially at that level. And the way this year has gone, I'd be happy just to shoot a respectable score. I have a few weeks to make that choice. Anyone have any opinions? What would you do..............defend a title............or show up with moveable and shoot the equipment that has brought you the most success since the early '90s? It's a tough call for me, especially with all of the form changes I've made. 

  One more note before I sign off for the night. I'm headed to the eye doctor's office on Tuesday morning. It's to check on a a few inner-eye problems I've had for a while and to make sure my diabetes isn't claiming a new victim along the way. I'm hoping for good news, but I never know what will happen when I head into these appointments. 

--------------------------------> practice hard, have fun, never quit and give it your best shot.

An Archer's Journey: Stubborn

That sculpture sits on top of my desk, and I stare at it often when I'm writing. It reminds me that if I shoot for the moon, there's no doubt that if I miss, I will end up someplace among the stars. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm stubborn when it comes to changing things on my bow. I might even be more stubborn than my buddy George, but I'm not totally convinced of that.

  All season I've felt like my bow isn't forgiving. I feel like I've made some shots that should hang in the 10-ring, and they seem to find their way to the left or right of it. Lately, I've focused a lot of my time on long distance shooting. Although most people of my age and skill level might be satisfied with what I've been shooting for groups, I know I can shoot better. I've been getting a slightly horizontal group, and I can't find a solution to the problem. The groups have been good enough to shoot good scores on the 122cm target, but the issue shows up on field archery targets and FITA targets. Although I'm not missing my much, the misses are big enough to keep me from shooting good scores. I'd like to shoot well at the upcoming trail shoot and the CT marked team shoot, but I just don't feel like the bow and setup is forcing enough to help me out. Simply put, I haven't been able to get away with any remotely bad shot. I'm trying to fix that problem.

  I spent a lot of time this week with the arrows I've been shooting all spring/summer. I'm almost to the point where I think I might be better off trying a different arrow combination. I'm going to try to give my shoulders and mind a break for a few days and try a new arrow when I get back at it. I've been using Gold Tip Platinum Pierces, but I'm going to break out my old reliable Easton Lightspeed 3Ds. I've had a lot of luck with Easton arrows, so I think that might be a good fit for my setup. I'll know more by the end of the week. I can always go back to where I'm at now with the GTs if they don't work. I feel it's time to give something different a whirl.

  I've discussed some other issues with a lot of my friends, too. Many of them feel that my bow might just be tired, and I have to agree with them. I'm not sure if I've ever shot a bow as much as I've shot this one. The only I have that might compare is my old Martin Slayr. I shot that one so much I wore the anodization off the handle. I've only ever seen one other bow do that, and that is my buddy Aron Stevenson's Hoyt Ultra-Tec, which he is still shooting. I think that bow is about 15 years old .

  I'm hoping to be ready for the Trail Shoot, but if I don't get there, I'll keep plugging. My shot is good right now...............I think. I need to get down to see Mark Myers in the near future. He let me borrow a set of arrows a month or two ago, and I need to get them back to him. It's good to have great friends who share equipment so freely. I feel very fortunate to have all of the incredible people in my archery circle.

  This week I saw the Mathews archery profile that was done on Chris Reed. For as long as I can remember I've seen Reedy's Archery shirts on people across the region -- and country -- while shooting in different tournaments. I met Chris many years ago at the AMO show and the shop I was associated with at the time, John's Outdoor Sports, formed a great relationship with him. Chris' shop was always a go-to shop for us to call if we needed something ASAP, and more times than not Chris shipped us what we needed. It helped me out on a number of occasions because it was the stuff that I personally needed for tournament and 3D archery. It was good to see Mathews recognizing one of their best dealers, a guy that has gone out of his way to help people he doesn't even know. Kudos to him and everything he has done for the archers of Massachusetts and Mathews Inc.

  Although I've done most of my business with John's Outdoor Sports over the years, John retired a few years ago. That's why I've always tried to keep an open line of communication with different shops in my region. I try to give all of them some support, and I feel like I've been treated more than fairly by all of them. Some of them have treated me far better than others, and it wouldn't be fair of me not to mention Jim Despart of Flying Arrow Sports. He has gone out of his way to give me opportunities to try things I never would have been able to try otherwise. I'll be forever appreciative of those opportunities. Jeff Frasier has always helped me out, too. Jeff is always available for conversations and input about different things. He loves working on things and tinkering to get better results. Between those two guys, I couldn't ask for better shops to help me out.

  I'm going to try to take the next couple of days off from shooting. I shot a local course today, Hudson Falls, and once again they had an entirely new course. Gary Wood has gone out of his way to create awesome courses since the took over the archery program at the club. If you haven't been shooting their shoots, you've been missing out. Every event that they put on is like a national event. Sometimes change is good, and this club has really turned a corner. It feels awesome to be involved and have my feedback heard. We have some new and exciting things coming up in December and early January to prepare people for Lancaster. I look forward to it. I need to take a few days off to let my body recuperate and get my mind back on track. I've been overdoing it lately. I shot pretty good today, shooting a 148 on the first 15 and a 143 on the second 15 for a total of 291. Last year, I shot over 300 in 3/4 of the shoots I shot, so I know I have a ways to go to get back there. I'm thinking of  trying one particular bow that has a cam that feels really good to me. I'd like to see if a different model has different results. Here's how I spent Saturday. We went into the Adirondacks and had a fantastic day to celebrate Karen's son's birthday, who too the picture of me, Karen, Jerry and Cheryl. it was good to get out and enjoy what my region has to offer.

   Every week when I pick the shooter profile, I try to do it randomly. I usually do it based on something that happens to the person during that week. Sometimes it's from a conversation and other times I might have shot with the person that week. Well, this week's profile goes to Jacob Slusarz. I've been waiting for this one, and this is the week. He just won the second leg of the IBO National Triple Crown in the Semi-pro class by a landslide. 

   

  Jacob has been around since he's been old enough to go to the bathroom alone. He decided when he was little that he wanted to shoot a bow, and he decided early on that he wanted to be the best at it that he could possibly be. Anyone who has shot with him can see that he is driven to succeed. Great is never good enough, and he always pushes himself to eliminate mistakes. I've enjoyed getting to know Jacob and shooting with him a lot over the last few years. I've always been a quiet person, a person whose accomplishments have often been overlooked or gone unnoticed. That's because I quietly did the work behind the scenes, put my time in, and never drew attention to myself for the accomplishments along the way. Jacob has followed that same type of path. He goes about his business and does his own thing his own way. He's driven to succeed, and he puts his time in. He has a plan, too. 

  Watching Jacob shoot is a pleasure. He never talks down to anyone, and he can quietly stand in the back as someone struggles and never mention it. I shot three phenomenal rounds with him last year, rounds that even impressed me for the difficulty level of the courses.We still talk about the strutting turkey that got both of us in Massachusetts. It still bothers me, and I know it bothers me. I think it was a 46 yard bomb over a hump. I'm not sure if that was the number, but I do know it was long. That target was the only one that got me..........with three left. Although I shot the 5 I still shot up. Jacob sat in the background and had his "normal" day, shooting about 12-15 up. 

  I told everyone that he would be dominating the following year, and many people gave me the, "No he won't. That 50-yard max will get him." I politely responded with, "I'll bet you all of the money in my pocket that it won't. I bet he continues his winning ways and shoot the same scores once he gets a few shoots under his belt and feels comfortable on the courses."

  Well, that just happened this weekend and he pounded, clearing the field by 10 points and shooting the same scores as the top pros on the same course. I could go on and on about Jacob's ability because it is second to none. 

  Although dot shooting bores him, I've told him over and over that he could probably make a living by shooting a bow if the made a concentrated effort to focus on the United States Archery team and FITA tournaments. He has that ability. His accomplishments for this year have been overlooked because he dropped one X at the indoor nationals..........not even a fingernail width out of the X, and he shot one of the highest qualifying pro scores at Lancaster and made his way through the elimination bracket before eventually losing to the guy who won the tournament. 

  Last year I talked Jacob into being my teammate at Shawn Couture's shoot, and we had a great time. I actually played my part in the team that day, and we got lucky and secured our first ever team event win. I'm looking forward to our two team events this year, the CT marked yardage one and Shawn's shoot at the end of the summer. I'm just hoping I don't hold him back at these shoots. 

  Well, I could go on and on about Jacob, but I'll end by telling you that I'm proud of him He listens to people and takes what he can from them. He's a winner. He knows how to win, and he's only going to get better. I like telling people that he comes from my area and I've had the ability to shoot with him many times. Great job this weekend, Jacob. Big Angry and me were pulling for you. It's always good to have Little Angry fall in line and get a big win like that on the big state, especially in that class. 

Until next week ----------------------> shoot straight. Hopefully, I'll have good news about the bow tuning and arrow selection.

An Archer's Journey: Catching Lightning in a Bottle

  That picture is the story of my archery career. Most people who know me know that I don't say much about past success. I don't base my performances on wins or losses, just like I don't base my day on my score. I've won some tournaments along the way by a landslide and shot horribly in the process. I've also lost some tournaments when there's no possible way I could've shot any better. It's never fun to lose, but I can usually take it if someone beats me on my best day, a day on which I know I left it all on the course.

  I've always gone about my business silently. I work really hard in my spare time to perfect different parts of my game. Although that's the main reason I started this blog, I have definitely veered away from my original intentions. I wanted to share with you how hard I work during the week from day to day.

  This week I decided to do some long range shooting and sort through releases. Lately, I feel like I'm not shooting the release which is the most accurate. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a release junky. I think I've owned almost every release made in the last 20 years. I currently have more than 25 releases. Amazingly, I shoot all of these releases on a fairly regular basis. So throughout the week I decided to give a handful of the ones I shoot the most a shot at earning the starting job. I decided to shoot groups of six from 50 and 60 yards at a 5-spot target. After charting where the arrows hit and grading the shots, I would see if any of the releases performed more accurately than the others.

  In the end, I narrowed it down to three releases: Stan Element, Stan Shootoff and TruBall HBC. The Element gave me my best groups and best feeling shot. I pounded with it in the yard, but I didn't feel like I had enough time behind it to shoot it in a tournament. Shooting the release also taught me a lot about what I've been doing that doesn't work. After getting in a groove with it, I realized that I need to hold the release with more pressure while executing the shot. I've always been in between when I shoot my releases, and I try to relax into it. With the Element, I realized that I have to grip it and pull the limbs off the bow. This method is somewhat different to me.

  The Trump-Ball HBC stacked up with the Element for the most accurate of the releases. I was keeping most of my arrows in the white on a 5-spot target at 50 yards while shooting it. At 60 yards, I was averaging about 4 out of 6 in the white, and when I missed, I didn't miss by too terribly much. Although my Stan Shootoff finished in 3rd place, I feel the most comfortable with a button because that's what I've always used in tournaments, even though I've used a Stan SX2 almost exclusively for the last four years, and I feel like that release is part of my hand. Unfortunately, in my testing, I found out that the SX2 just isn't comparable in the accuracy department, even though it wins hands down in the execution and comfort departments.

  After practicing every evening for a brief amount of time, I sat down and evaluated how the session had gone. That's when I looked in the mirror and said, "You are shooting awesome. You need to realize that you are shooting as good in the yard right now as you have ever shot. Quit whining about 3D shoots every weekend and go get after it. You have the ability to pound."

  So I showed up in Rhode Island with my old attitude of believing in myself and my abilities. I decided to use the Shootoff and stick with it. Fortunately, it was a great course to work on different things. There were a lot of technical shots, some flat shots, some great yardages to decipher, and almost any type of shot I might see at the big dance. I shot really well on the first half of the course. Anyone who has shot with me on a regular basis knows that I'm one of those guys who usually uses up my letdowns throughout the course of the day. On the first 15 targets I only let down three times and those times were on uphill shots.

  I did forget to mention that I decided to shoot MBR at this shoot to give my mind a little break. I've always shot pins well, and it's easy to ease my mind while shooting with pins. I don't try to be overly precise with them. Instead, I just try to execute good shots, and I did just that. I also didn't tell you that this was my first shoot ever with this particular bow. I decided to use my Elite Energy 35 V-grip. I shot SuperDrive 23s out of it, and the poundage is set at 61lbs. I feel like the bow has a little too much let-off, but it holds like a rock. I had very little movement in the sight picture, and I never missed an 11 on any of the 3D targets out to 45 yards or a dot while shooting on the practice range. My shot felt great. I was ready for this day. Going into it, I felt like Old Todd was ready to run loose. I would have a much better idea in a few minutes.

  When the range official was calling out names for the different groups, I waited to see who I would draw for the day. When he called my name, I was excited to shoot with John Libby, Ben Lambert and Jason Kennedy. Could I ask for a better group of shooters? I guess I lucked out for the day. I knew it would be fun. There were four IBO World Championship titles between the four shooters in the group. It's amazing how many title holders there are in New England and New York, and I've been really fortunate to have so many of them in my groups this year. It's almost always easier to shoot with guys of that level. I'll give some advice to all of you guys who want to get better. Find the best guy you can find and go shoot with that guy. Try to get away from your local homeboys and challenge yourself. It's good to feel uncomfortable. I'll be the first to tell you that I have always been a top performer in peer groups or in tournaments in which cuts must be made to advance to the final round. I think I shoot better in these situations because I usually don't have a close relationship with any of the other shooters. It forces me to concentrate solely on myself and my game. My concentration doesn't swerve into other lanes; it stays on the straight and narrow path.

  I got off to a good start by shooting a low 10. Although i was a little disappointed with my score after 10 targets, I knew I was having a good day. My shot was breaking with good timing and flawless execution. I misjudged two targets: a bedded ram and a strutting turkey. After the first 10, I only had one 11. As we continued through the course, my shot began to feel better and better. I think I shot the most aggressive shots I've ever shot. I ended up shooting one more 8 on a brown bear, with the arrow hitting just over the 10-ring. When the day ended, I was really happy with my day. I made great shots, and I only shot one arrow that was more than an inch left or right of center. I think it was the best left/right day I've ever had while shooting, and that's saying something. I'll give the day a solid A for all aspects of my game, including yardage judging, pin gapping, execution and timing. Old Todd came out for the day, and he loved what he saw. Yes, he can still play this game at a high level. He needs to listen to himself when he's practicing in his own yard. There's no way I could not give a shoutout to the other guys in my group. They all shot really well and helped me throughout the day through positive feedback and great shooting. Here's the card for the day.

   As anyone knows who shoots archery, you're only as good as your last tournament. With that being said, I knew there would be no rest. I would have to get back on the horse on Sunday and see if I could keep strolling down the same recognizable path that Old Todd found himself on the day before. 

  Since I had the mental relaxation day on Saturday, I figured I would shoot my open setup on Sunday and get back on the raging bull that has bucked me off and battered me against the fence for the better part of this 3D season. I'm getting very close to taking off my helmet, grabbing the bull by the horns and wrestling him to the ground. I'm going to take my full 8 seconds on his back and withstand everything he has to give me.

  When I got to the shoot on Sunday morning, it was really busy. I hoped to get assigned to another good group. I figured I would be able to continue working on my shot and hopefully build more confidence from my successful day. When I heard the names called and realized I was in a group with George Connors, Scott Tozier and my dad, I felt good about the beginning of the day. I've shot with all of these people, and I knew I would always have an arrow around the 10-ring. I was expecting a relatively easy course because I had shot this tournament in previous years, and it was never too terribly difficult. 

  When I started off on the bedded elk, I liked the feel of things. I executed a good shot that landed squarely in the middle of the 11. When I stepped up to the next stake, which I had to lead off, I was a little startled when I saw the Rinehart small bear on a stump. I took the average of my three guesses and decided to shoot it for 43 yards. The pin sat near the bottom of the 10-ring, and when the bow fired, the arrow hit behind the pin in the 8-ring just below the 10. I was ecstatic with the result due to the difficulty of the shot.

  As we continued through the course, it didn't get easier. I had to work to get every number out there, and we shot a lot of targets that were set at long yardages. It's the kind of course I like, especially when I have good numbers. 

  After I shot the first four targets, the day turned into a nightmare. I used my maximum number of letdowns many times throughout the day. On the bright side, when the shot did fire, the execution was really good. Since I was shooting my camouflage E35 with the banana grip, the bow I've had all of the success with, I instantly realized that the draw length is a hair long. The bow I shot the previous day was spot on, which is why I didn't have any problems with execution. I will change the draw on this bow before the end of the week. I'm going to take it easy this week and give my body a little bit of a break.  I'm thinking the draw length is so close that I might be able to change it one or two twists in the string or cables and get it where I need it. Being a hair too long, my elbow is caving in to the right while at full draw, which sometimes gives the appearance that the draw is too short. Scott and I have shot together enough to be well aware of how the other person does things. I can pick things up on him, and he can pick things up on me. He caught me doing the bad stuff with the elbow, and I instantly knew that's where a lot of my lefts and rights have come from in the near past. I will continue working on that. Thanks, Scott, for catching this for me and pointing out. I always appreciate your help. I hope I don't mess you up when I lend some of my advice to you.

  George told me my day didn't look nearly as bad as it felt. He told me my shots looked great when they went. He told me to focus on that and build from it. I will definitely do that. I love shooting with positive people. If you shoot with negative people or any people who harp on the negative things, you need to distance yourself from them and surround yourself with positivity. 

  Although I struggled today, and I told you the day turned into a nightmare, the scorecard turned out just fine. I have to take the positive of the day. I did execute great shots when they went. I had a lot of problems with tension in my release hand today. I also had a lot of problems committing to the shot due to the yardage estimations I was making. My yardage judging was spot on today for almost the entire course. Finally, as we neared the end, I shot three 8s, which ended up ruining what I would have considered a phenomenal day for the difficulty level of the course. Still, I feel really good about where I ended up. I shot a 293 on a really difficult course, and I'm happy with that, even if I come in dead last.  Here's my card for the day in New York on the toughest yardage course I've shot all year. I feel great about my numbers. 

  To sum up the week in a sentence: I am a really good shooter, and I am back. I need to continue working on my confidence and understanding that I'm shooting really well again. I need to trust that fact and accept it. Instead of fighting it and pretending I'm not shooting well, I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. I will do that because it felt good to get through 60 targets without shooting a 5. It felt even better to shoot a 30-target course without shooting a bad shot. I will do that again, because now I know that I can do it again.

Shooter profile of the week: Jason Kennedy

  I met Jason a few years ago at the Rhode Island state championship. Jason was with Don Doherty, and I got assigned to their group, and Mike Speed was the fourth guy. When Donny introduced us, Jason missed my name, so when we got to the first stake, I said, "My name is Donny, Donny Dumbo." 

  Of course, Donny burst out laughing, and Jason extended his hand and said, "I'm Jason. It's nice to meet you, Donny." I laughed and busted on him about it. Then, I told him my real name and we began shooting. That's the first day I ever shot with Jason, but since that day, I have watched him from afar and wished I could shoot like him. Besides Jon Purdy, he probably has the shot I like to watch the most. I enjoy watching both of those guys shoot their bows. They look smooth and they make it look effortless. I often think that if I could look like them, then maybe I would shoot better. Guys like Jason drive me to become better. I want people to look at me when I shoot and say, "Man, I'd like to shoot like that guy."

  It may sound funny, but when I shoot, I usually think to myself, "I wonder what the hell people think when they watch me shoot. Do I look as good as some of these other guys?" As I think about it, I often don't want the answer. I hope I look that good, but I never get the chance to watch myself, except in my visualization process right before I execute shoots, and that usually looks pretty good. 

  When that day ended, I had won the state championship in my class, and Jason had won in his class. It was a true pleasure to watch him shoot. Since then, I have watched him from near and far. He has won quite a few events, and he is always in the hunt. Jason reminds me of myself. He's always looking for something to put him over the top. He also likes to try a lot of new things, whether it's new releases, sights, bows, or arrows.

  When we shot together on Saturday, I watched him put on a shooting clinic. He looked flawless -- as usual -- and he appeared to be mentally strong. He let out quite a bit of emotion after he got the last target of the day. He was excited because he shot his highest score at a state shoot. I was really happy for him. He was solid all day.

  Jason is a good person. If we had more people like him on the range, we would all be better off. He  has graciously let me borrow a bow, and he has let me have a string and cable set that he was't using. He also sold a stabilizer to me for a very reasonable price. I'm thankful because he has gone out of his way to help me. 

  If any of you see Jason at the target butt make sure you watch him shoot. It's a pleasure to watch. If you model yourself after him, you will definitely be headed down the right path. 

I'll leave you with a few thoughts until next week. Good luck to all of you who are going to the second leg of the IBO National Triple Crown. I've had some of my best memories and finishes at that leg. It's a good leg to maintain and gain. If you maintain while others put pressure on themselves, then you will gain. I have faith in you guys. Just go there, do your thing and have fun.

  I had a good time this weekend. I've realized that my confidence has been waning, but my confidence has been at a very high level at home. I finally understood that I needed to pack that confidence in my shooting stool with my snacks and bring it with my this weekend. When I opened the stool to eat my first snack on the weekend at the target butt before starting my round, the confidence jumped out of depths of the bag and smothered itself on my back. It stayed there throughout the weekend and thinks it would like to keep riding on my shoulders. Be confident and shoot strong -------------------->> you're only as good as you think you are. Believe you can do it, and you will achieve it. Imagine it, and it will happen. Visualize it, then see it happen for real. You might be battling Bigfoot, but if you can shoot groups like this on him at 74 yards, you can do anything.  Two 10s and an 8...................judging the yardage and readjusting after the first shot. My dad shot the green-fletched arrows, and I shot the orange ones. Maybe we should make the IBO max 80 yards. :-)

An Archer's Journey: Expectations........avoid having any.....it will help

  Why did I post that picture? It's because expectations always arise from success of some sort or another. Some people have realistic expectations, and others have expectations that even the best of the best couldn't fulfill. I can tell you firsthand that the best shooters don't have any expectations at all. They can avoid the pitfall that comes along with being successful on the biggest stage. Those guys just go shoot their bows. While they might get ticked off about their scores from time to time, they don't let it bother them to the point that it creates tension.

  When I won the award above, I was on a roll. Although it's a team award, everyone knows you have to pull your own weight on a team. Fortunately, IBO teams are made up of four shooters and the lowest score of the four shooters gets dropped. Well, the year I signed the team up for this event, I figured we had a really good team. After finishing the tournament, I found out that we only had three guys: Wade Chandler, Mike Parker and myself. When the scores were tallied, we didn't have an extra person to drop a score. Instead, we had to keep all three of our scores. Amazingly, all three of us finished in the top 15, with two of us in the top 10, and that year there were approximately 800 shooters in the class.

  Looking back at it, I had no expectations, even though I had just come off a year with two top 10s in two legs and a top 10 in the triple crown. I think that's probably why it was so easy for me to go and continue my run.........I just went and shot my bow.

  The stuff I just wrote about is the reason why you see so many people get to the top, then disappear from the leaderboard. You might see them here and there along the way, but you never see that steady appearance like the one year they couldn't seem to have a bad tournament. I've been on both sides of the fence, and I'll tell you that it's a hell of a lot easier to get to the top than it is to stay there. With success comes expectations, and with expectations comes a whole lot of self-induced pressure.

  I shot with three of my friends today, all of whom I respect a great deal. I respect them as people and as archers. Any of them would do anything to help me, and I appreciate their honesty and encouragement. Although none of them saw me at my best, they have all seen me perform at a fairly high level over the last few years. I consider these people to be a lot like me, and knowing myself, I'm sure they probably see my aggravation, frustration and disappointment building from week to week. I've watched people in similar predicaments over the years, and it's never fun to watch if the person is one of your friends. So with those thoughts in mind, I apologize to any of the people I've shot with over the last month or so if I'm bringing you down. Trust me when I tell you I'm trying, and I'll continue trying until I'm blue in the face. I have considered taking some time off from 3D shooting, but every week, I can't seem to make myself do it. I always think that this week is the week, the week I will break out of it and old Todd will enter from stage right and stand in the center of the stage while the audience stares in disbelief.

  Well, that week most definitely was not this week. I basically stunk the joint up this week. My one bad course did me in, and that's the story of my year. For some unknown reason I can't avoid the one horrendous course. When you shoot two fives and two eights on your first four targets, it makes it hard to feel good about the start of your day. I always try to stay positive, but sometimes that's hard to do, especially when it feels like the archery world I have always known is caving in around me. Today, when I shot the New Hampshire IBO State Championship, the first loop of 10 targets made me feel like I didn't know how to shoot a bow properly. My incredible week of practice flew right out of the chicken coop with the bats and rats. The nasty little critters ran wild once they got out from behind the chicken wire, and that's exactly how I felt my arrows appeared on the target. They hit  everywhere except where they were supposed to be hitting. Unlike most days recently, these arrows deserved to be where they hit. After getting that out of my system, I seemed to do okay. I definitely didn't shoot well, but I did okay considering many of the "obstacles" encountered on the course, which is a topic that needs to be discussed............at least with a few words so people get a general idea about what I'm talking about.

  I've been shooting in state, regional, national and world events since 1989, so I believe I have the foundation to voice some concerns. I've seen archery increase and decrease in participation and have realized that it's a cyclical sport. All of the different types of archery have peaks and valleys, and most of them have survived, although a few of them are treading water.

  For many years in the '90s, I never missed a national or world IBO event. In that time, I can count on one hand the number of targets that I shot which were purposely set up to have any type of angle on them. While I did see a few here and there that were mistakenly set up so there might have been a slightly quartering angle, very rarely -- if ever -- did I come across a target that wasn't broadside. People travel many miles to attend these events, and they spend a lot of money to shoot. The vast majority of these people will NEVER win an event, or for that matter, even come close to the top of the pack. Those are the people that we need to cater to. We need to give them a reason to keep coming back, whether it is helping them to get better or keeping our heads on our shoulders while setting courses. In all of those years of shooting, I can also remember some of the shots I had where the footing was not good, and most of those shots were either in Nelsonville, Ohio, at the third leg or they were at one of the mountain resorts (Peak n' Peak, Snowshoe, Holiday Valley, Seven Springs), and the reason the footing wasn't good was because there was no place else to pound the stake. The people setting the courses DO NOT go out of their way to purposely set stakes up so it's virtually impossible to stand and make a "safe" shot. Stakes do not need to be put where the footing is horrible to get people ready for national events, simply because you're just not going to see that type of stuff on any regular basis. When I beat someone, I want to beat him because I had a better number. I don't want to beat him because I got lucky and didn't lose footing, and he slipped loss back tension and hit a target in the back (like I did today). There's absolutely no reason for that. The courses are hard enough without having to feel the need to go out of your way to make the footing that ridiculous. That's just my opinion on the topic, and I'm sure many will agree -- and disagree. I'm just basing my opinion on all of my years of shooting national level shoots in three different organizations and what I've seen at them.  Many people don't realize that angling a javelina, coyote or badger when it is more than 35 yards when they're on hills basically cuts the kill in half or even more.  Good shooters will probably still get the 10 and average shooters might miss or spray arrows all over. People like shooting good scores, and last week's comments from many people tell me that. Some people can't decipher the difficulty level of courses from week to week and many can. I do know that high scores usually make a whole lot of people happy. I think we should all work together to sort out a few issues that we've encountered and listen to the people who have traveled all over the country to shoot.

  Okay, enough of that. I felt bad for my dad today because he was telling me he couldn't wait to shoot in the Massachusetts Senior Games next weekend. Barry Gates had already told me that the Mass. games were being held today. Dad has been shooting scores in the 880 range on the 900 round, and he almost always shoots the same scores in practice as he does in the tournaments. He was a little disappointed that he had written down the wrong dates.

  The target shooting thing brings me to a concern I've encountered recently. Am I putting too much pressure on myself to perform at these weekly state and regional shoots? Honestly, I don't feel like I am doing that, but many people seem to think that I am. Although I'm disappointed, I don't feel like I'm trying too hard. If anything, I might not be concentrating hard enough. I've been a superhero in my backyard shooting at dots, but the success hasn't followed me anyplace I've been. That's getting really discouraging. Last year, I think I shot even or up at three of the shoots in New England and two of them in New York. I really don't think the courses have gotten any harder, which makes me realize that I'm a million miles away from where I was just a year ago. Those miles in front of me right now feel like I'm heading into them with no soles on my boots and blisters all over the bottom of my feet.

  I guess Sean might have put it in perspective today when he asked me what Mike Price said to me when I was out there in the winter when I made the form changes. He told me it would take a while, maybe months to get back to where I was in the past. Then, when talking with the guys on the way home, they said something to me that I thought might have some truth behind it, too. They said, "You watch, one of these days it will just come back like it was never gone."

  I think I'm going to approach it that way and see what happens. I do know that I'm thinking too much about how to shoot a bow right now. My conscious mind has been overly involved, and I believe that might be getting in the way a little bit. It doesn't seem to do that in the yard. There's no fear of missing in the yard, so I just wing arrows until I'm tired. If I miss, it's no big deal. I'll just shoot another arrow.

The lesson of the week is to leave your expectations in the truck. Actually, you can leave them in a far-off land. After you win, the win is done and over. You aren't going to win that tournament again, and you are never going to shoot in that one again. Leave that one behind and go after the next one. People have already forgotten who won last week. Although you remember, nobody else does. The same holds true if you lay an egg. People don't remember. They might gossip a little bit, but it will never affect you. Lets all try to move forward with no expectations, and let's all try to make our courses better  to achiever more positive feedback. Once we receive the feedback, we should listen and make the adjustments. It makes it more enjoyable for everyone involved.

  Although I usually post a picture of my score card, it's not possible today because I didn't take a picture. I was preoccupied when I finished and totally forgot about it. To sum it up, on the three courses I shot 83,93,94. While it's not stellar, I guess if I could just get rid of a few blunders along the way, I might gain some ground.

Shooter Profile of the Week: George Connors

  Most of you in New England know George. How can you not know him? He's the guy who drives the short bus that sometimes gets taken home on a flatbed. I think the coolest sight I've seen is when he and his Vermont pals showed up at the Rhode Island state shoot in a Ford Focus they had to rent after the big daddy Ford broke down on the highway. Four Vermonters packed into that Ford Focus was a pretty sight. Poor guy, if he had driven a Chevy, he probably would have just suffered from "Chevy Knee," as he calls it.

  Well, anyhow, the year after my shoulder surgery, I spent some time at my local club. I  hadn't shot much and I was on the mend. I couldn't shoot many arrows, but I spent a lot of time there with my dad. That's when I met George and Chuck, two hillbillies from Vermont. They figured they would come to the indoor winter league and shoot 20-yard bullseyes and never miss. Well, they were right.............they very rarely missed the 15x15 sheet of paper that all of the bullseyes were on. I didn't say much to either one of them, but like I always do, I watched from afar. I never offer an opinion unless asked. I did hear both of them say they were going to the Lancaster Classic. I laughed to myself and told my dad that they were going to have a rude awakening. I also told them about many of my friends from years of shooting, and I'm not sure they believed me. I told them to introduce themselves to those guys and tell them that I said hello. At least they believed me when they came home and all of those dudes in the magazines knew me and sent the good words back to me. 

  Well, they came home after finishing right at the bottom of the pack. On their way home, they realized they needed to do something to improve. That's when they started asking around for help. I'm not sure who pointed them in my direction, but someone told them to look me up and ask me their questions because I had had a lot of success at national events. I really liked these guys, so I told both of them that I would help them. George was a trigger punching fool. I'm not sure I've ever seen a guy who could turn a Carter Chocolate Addiction into something that looked more like chocolate diarrhea, but he accomplished it. I gently told him we would have to work on fixing that problem. I also made it very clear to both of them that many winners aren't liked. I asked both of them if they had thick skin because they were going to need it. I told them that I had faith in both of them, and since many people respected me but didn't exactly like me, they would hear a lot of shit and become outcasts. They both laughed a little, and I'm sure they didn't believe me at the time. 

  Once we started working on correcting the few problems that George had in his shooting, we quickly started making headway. Before long, they were both shooting better, and George jumped to an elite level. He stayed there for a bit but was missing a few things. He frustrated the living hell out of me because he just wouldn't do something I kept telling him to do, and I knew he would be a lot better if he did it: he needed to lower his bow shoulder.

  Finally, I convinced him to go the first leg of the national triple crown with me in West Virginia. We drove through the night and got there to shoot in some rain and less than ideal conditions. I had a good weekend and finished it off with a 3rd place finish. George, however, had a less than stellar weekend and finished second from last or thereabouts. The silver lining in that cloud is that George got to shoot with Bobby Worthington, a world famous hunter and recurve archer. Bobby told George the same thing I had been telling him about the bow shoulder, and it finally clicked. It's just that way sometimes. Sometimes someone different speaks a different dialect, and we just get it. That was the case with George and Bobby. George finally got it. When he came home, he went to work and began destroying people. He wasn't just winning, he was crushing people. He shot a 317 in one of the state shoots and continued shooting at that pace through the end when he won the NY and NE Championships. 

  The success didn't stop there, though. George went on to win the Indoor New England Sectional, then made the cut at the Lancaster Classic, advancing through a few stages before finally being eliminated. Yes, the same George Connors who finished dead last and centimeters away from making it into the last stage of shoot-offs on the big screen. 

  Although George's work schedule doesn't work well for traveling to the big stuff, I finally convinced him to go to the IBO World last year. He got out of work at 7 p.m. and drove through the night to shoot. He got up the first day after sleeping for two hours, and he left a few points on the course, which would later haunt him. He ended up being the first guy to miss the cut, a position I'm all too familiar with since I've been there in SPM, MBO and MBR. I've been in the same place multiple times, and it flat out sucks. Every time it happened to me, I honestly felt like crying.........and could have. Well, since George is such a ball buster, he had this once coming to him. When I got up to get ready to go to the shoot-off that year, our buddy Doug Vaughn ran into the room and said, "George, George, you're late for your shoot-off time!! You better get going." After George looked at him, Doug smiled and said, "Awww, I'm sorry George. I forgot, you're the guy who missed by a point." We all laughed, but I did -- and do -- feel George's pain, especially because he doesn't get the opportunity to travel like many of us.

  It wouldn't be right for me not to mention George's help, either. George has gone out of his way to help me become better. He spends countless hours working on my equipment. Although we work together from time to time, he does much of there work on his own. His help has allowed my father and I to secure some really big wins. Although I know how to work on bows, I don't like doing it to the same level that George does, and he loves doing it. This makes it nice for me because we can bounce things off from each other. So George, I want you to know how thankful I am for your time and friendship, even though you owe me and Chuck the AW belt buckle. 

  I enjoy seeing people I help get to the top; it feels pretty good. Many people would get mad, too, if their student surpasses the them. This doesn't matter to me at all. It makes me proud to admit that George shoots better than me. I feel like it's a direct reflection of a tiny bit of my influence. I'm glad I was able to help him a tiny bit as much as he has helped me.

I'll end with a few thoughts. Courses don't need all sorts of crazy stake settings to be difficult. They just need a creative mind. Think of ways you can fool someone. I'm very proud of the course I set last year in which so many compliments were given. There was no bad footing, no shooting around trees, no targets put in the dark and being shot from a lighted area. Instead, the targets were set using deep thought about how I could most easily trick someone. I thought of things that trick me, and I tried to work some magic. I was ecstatic that not one person complained about any part of the course. Instead, they applauded the efforts. Strive for that if you ever set a course. Think of the things you can do for compliments rather than complaints. 

Here's a picture of my dad and Barry Gates. It looks like Dad gave Barry a lesson on killing elk. Barry, I hope you listened, because this guy is as good as it gets when bugling elk are in front of him. I apologize for all of the typos. I'm not reading it over.  I also applaud the 1,600 readers that read my rant from the middle of the week. I hope many of you take the constructive criticism that was presented. We can all work together to support each other. I'm working for you, and I will work even harder if you work with me and for me. Thank you for you support.