An Archer's Journey: Recapping the Year

  My competitive archery year started on New Year’s Day. Although I hadn’t shot my bow much, I dug it out during Christmas week and sighted it in. Since I had committed to going to Nimrod for the annual New Year’s Day shoot with George, Chuck and Jeff, I wanted to make sure that my bow was sighted in, even if it wasn’t shooting good. 

  My first go of the year went well, as I banged out a 449 with a moderate to high X count. I felt pretty good about it. I was able to win my first elimination match before getting knocked out by Jason VanHillo. A few weeks later I found myself heading to Heritage Archery Academy in Phelps, N.Y., on Martin Luther King Day to see Mike Price. I went with one goal in mind: I wanted to relieve some of the pressure in my shoulders and see if I could eliminate some of my tension and shakiness when I became nervous during competitions. After spending the day with Mike, I headed home with an entirely new look. My draw was substantially longer than when I had arrived. I needed to go home and learn how to shoot again, even if it was going to take me the entire year to do so. After all, I went in with a specific plan, which was to be ready for the year I’m old enough to shoot in the senior class. I figured if I could do that, I might just give Senior Pro a shot for a year or two.

  As one month led into the next, I worked tirelessly on my shot. I was using muscles, bones and joints that I never knew existed. I ran into some elbow issues, but they gradually took a backseat as time moved forward. Although my elbow still hurts, the pain is somewhat manageable now.

  My 3D year was filled with ups and downs as I kept trying to determine where my new draw length needed to be set at to allow me to make the best shots possible. This time period caused me to show up at shoots every week with different things going on. I’ve always been a person who doesn’t change much, so the nonstop changes didn’t allow me to gain confidence in my equipment. 

  Finally, I settled in with a 29’ draw length, yup 2 ¼ inches longer than I’ve ever shot but very close to the original draw length I had in the ‘90s and early 2000s when I had all of my success on the national scene in SPM.

  After getting the draw length set, I changed bows and went to an Elite Energy 35 with a V-grip. At first, the bow felt awkward to me, like I was at full draw and holding nothing. I worked at it and finally got used to it. That’s when I began pounding with it, and my confidence soared through the roof. Old Todd, who had been hiding behind the surface, was ready to be unleashed. 

  Then, he jumped out of the depths of my soul and stood front and center and shouted, “Look at me!!” at the top of his lungs. Over the next three to four weeks, I went on a roll, shooting up in three of the shoots I attended and no more than 10 down in a few others. I also attended the New England trail shoot, in which I dropped 12 points, and I felt like I was very close to winning. I actually had a winning performance, but a little bit of bad luck kept me off off the podium. I was still satisfied with a 5^thplace finish since all of the best shooters in New England were at the shoot.

  After that performance and the 304, 301 and 300 that I shot, I was ready. I had crawled out of the depths of despair and made myself realize that I could still shoot at the same level I had become accustomed to over the last few years. Actually, I felt like I was shooting even better than that, but the scores hadn’t caught up to my shooting yet.

 That’s when I decided to head to the third leg of the National Triple Crown to see where I stood against the best shooters in the country. If I could go to a national event and hold my own, I would know that a lot of my work was finally beginning to pay off. Well, I attended the event and finished in the money. I also had a rough patch in the middle due to a few minor issues. I shot incredibly well for about 35 targets, and once again, I felt like I had a winning performance. My shots were clicking, and the arrows were hitting behind the pin. It felt really good.

  After the long drive home, Dad and I headed to the New Hampshire Senior Games the next day so I could try my hand at outdoor target archery with my new form. Without the equipment problems in the middle of the round, I would have easily shot the highest score of the tournament by a substantial margin. Even with the problems and having to sight back in during the scoring round, I still managed to put up a respectable score. I gained more confidence in that event and realized I could surpass my expectations and shoot even better scores than I had in a long time.

  Over the course of the next month, I struggled a little bit, but I also had a lot on my mind. I wasn’t really focused, and when I was focused, my mind wasn’t centered on the task I was trying to accomplish. I knew I could still shoot.

  All of those things brought me to the IBO World Championship. I went into it without any expectations, and when I handed the scorecard in at the end of the weekend, I knew that I had had a winning performance once again. Unfortunately, a little bit of bad luck kept me from shooting on the last day, but I knew I shot well enough to be there. It was an awesome way to end the season. 

  Before hanging the bow up for the season, I attended the Royalston team money shoot last weekend. My shooting had basically been pretty strong for the last month and a half, so I expected to shoot well. Although Jacob and I got off to a rough start, we made short work of that and began doing what we do well: we started shooting good shots. 

  As the day progressed, I began making better shots. Eventually, I felt like I couldn’t miss. I had come full circle since that cold day in January when I went to Mike Price and asked him for help. I had accomplished my goal. Every time I hit full draw and settled into anchor, I looked through the pin and began pulling. Most of the shots fired effortlessly and landed in or near the 11-ring. It was an incredible feeling after dealing with all of the struggles I encountered over the last eight months. The road has been long…………………..and I’m not close to the end. I know I have a lot more work to do, and I’m going to work with Mark Myers to improve upon some of the things that might be holding me from reaching my true potential. I’ll probably give up the score gig this winter, too, so Mark and I can work together to put that missing piece where it needs to be to get me to where I want to go. I’m a goal setter, so even if it's tremendously hard, I accept the challenge and look forward to conquering the demon that lies beneath the surface. Being a goal setter, I have had this piece of paper hanging in my bow workshop since 1991. It has helped me stay the course when I felt like giving up at certain times. I firmly believe that this piece of paper has helped me win many significant events along the way. It has helped me accomplish thing that many others haven't been able to accomplish. Surround yourself with people who talk in this manner and avoid the ones who spew negativity out of their mouths. You'll be amazed at how much you improve just by following that simple rule. Copy this and paste in your bow room. It will work wonders, especially for you younger guys, the guys who want so desperately to be more consistent and find themselves in the winner's circle. 

  I’d like to thank everyone who followed me along on my journey this year, and I hope you enjoyed what I had to say. I’m glad that many of you told me you enjoyed the ride and the stories made you feel good when you realized that I also go through the same things that many of you go through. I’m not sure if I’ll do the same thing this winter or if I’ll just let it go. If any of you have any thoughts, I’d love to hear them.

  Oh, I’ve also been trying out some new bows lately. I’ve been looking for a cam system that gives me more feedback during my shot and when my shot fires. I think this would be better for me in the long term. I’ve been shooting a PSE PerformX 3D, and that bow feels good. It drives tacks and holds on the spot very well. I like the response it gives to me, and I might have one of these in my hands going into next 3D season. I’d like to try the new Supra for indoor and outdoor target archery, but I think I’d probably have to win the lottery for that to happen. I wish I had an unlimited amount of money to buy bows and try them, but for now, I think I might just try these PSEs and see what happens. Of course, that could all change tomorrow, but the shooting I’ve done in my backyard over the last week or two tells me that I should really pursue that option and see if it improves my game a little bit more. After all, we are always looking for another edge that might gain us some points on our competitors or even toward our personal bests. Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to find out if my choices lead to either of those things.