Two IBO State Championships in a Weekend

  This was a rough week to get any practice in since so many things were going on at once. Softball leagues started this week, and the rain and wind didn't want to let up to get any decent practice in. I did practice my numbers three times during the week, and the results of my practice seemed to be good but not great. I figured I could keep most of my arrows around the 10-ring for the weekend. It's hard to shoot well in IBO shoots if you don't practice your numbers, so I aways try to find time to practice numbers. I envy the people who don't have to practice yardage. Sometimes I feel like I have to work way too hard to be somewhat competitive. That's why I keep this journal updated for all of you. I know that all of you work hard, too, so I just try to share my journey with you.

                                      Time To Grow Up for a Handful of Adults

  I was highly disappointed with the turnout at the NY shoot. Unfortunately, the date was voted upon for the shoot last July and the agreed-upon stipulations were not followed. We voted to have the tournament be the first of all state tournaments, including the New England shoots, figuring we would get a great turnout for it since it was located within a reasonable driving distance for most New Englanders, too. When I saw the "tentative" schedules being handed out at the IBO World, it didn't take long for me to notice that two New England shoots had been scheduled in April and the NY one was tentatively listed for Memorial Day, a weekend that was never discussed. I feel it's incredibly sad that whatever happened after leaving that meeting happened. I guess I'd say that's why I'm probably the most disappointed with the turnout, which in fact probably had nothing to do with the shooters but had everything to do with whatever happened behind the scenes, disregarding the discussions that went on.

  Since I don't get overly involved in all of the political BS that goes on, I'm not sure what went on with everything that led to where it is now, but I have noticed that many of my IBO colleagues and some former colleagues have given me the cold shoulder over the last few months, dating back to early winter. I haven't been able to figure that out until having a conversation with someone about it this morning. That's when everything clicked. I quickly realized that the old saying, "Don't assume, it makes an ass out of you and me," fits perfectly.

  Some people took it upon themselves to assume things about me without ever asking me. I deal with passive aggressive people on a daily basis. Let's be real folks, it's time to grow up. We are not in grade school or elementary school anymore. Most people know that I'm very straight forward and in your face. I don't hide how I feel or what I think. If I'm responsible for things I take action and own it. I do not beat around the bush about things. Some people like me for that, and some people dislike me for that, but I am what I am. Instead of being passive aggressive, why don't some of you come to the source and find out for yourselves where I stand or if I was even involved with whatever has gone on  or is going on. I'll gladly share my thoughts with you and give you any insight you might be missing that you "think" you know. I could also care less if anyone wants to talk to me. I'm personable and have always gone out of my way to support archery and help others along the way. I do know I have a very large following. I can see the numbers every week. They come up on the stat sheets. I'm not sure where the average of 2,000 readers a week come from, but I know they're here, and I know they see things, email me, and voice their own opinions to me. I'm thinking it's probably because I listen without speaking. I've always tried to to the best by the people and speak for all archers as a whole. Feel free to email me or give me a call. You all have my number and email address. Ok, now that that's out there let's move on to the two great shoots I attended this weekend.

                                                Rhode Island IBO State Championship

  I decided to shoot in Rhode Island on Saturday because the New York shoot was much closer to my house. I figured I would get the traveling out of the way on Saturday. The ride out turned into an adventure when Doug Vaughn got a pop-up alert on his phone that the exit ramp where we needed to get off was closed due to an accident. We quickly made our own detour and arrived at the shoot around 8:45 a.m.

  There were a lot of cars in the parking lot, but not many people were warming up at the target butts. Since they had 3D targets at the butts, I decided to shoot them. I shot at 25, 35, 45 and 50 yards. I shot multiple arrows at all distances and only missed one 11. Although it was marked yardage, I knew I was going to have a decent day. I was holding good and executing well enough to stay in the 11s if I got the right numbers. I couldn't wait to get out on the course.

  My dad and Doug got sent out with another guy, and I had to wait a few minutes for my assignment. I got paired up with Jacob Slusarz, his dad, and Billy "Bob" Hyer, whom I had never shot with. Knowing Bill and having shared a few dinners with him along the way, I looked forward to shooting with him. I knew we would have a good day.

  When we headed to the first target, I was concerned with the wind. It was howling like some of the winds I've seen blowing tumbleweed across the Kansas prairie when I've hunted there a number of times. I just wanted to hold my own and try my best to keep the arrows in the 10-ring. I figured I would have my hands full. I also looked forward to shooting with John and Jacob. I hadn't shot with John in a year or so, and it's always a pleasure to shoot with Jacob to see if I can learn something. Never forget that young people sometimes have more knowledge than people who have been shooting for years. It's an opportunity for us older people to take advantage of what the younger ones can teach us. Always pay attention to the people around you when you're shooting.

  The first target was a Big 10 buck, the same target that I started on in Massachusetts a few weeks ago, and it was about the same yardage. Before I set my sight, something in my gut told me I wasn't giving it enough. I settled in and broke a great shot. The arrow landed in exactly the same place as the one I shot in Massachusetts, hitting just barely under the 10-ring but clearly out of it. Once again, I was going to have to dig out of a hole right from the get go.

  When I walked to the second target, I had a feeling the wheels could quickly fall off the bus. With the wind howling and having already lost two points on the previous target, I wanted to hold on and get back on my feet. I executed a good shot and felt good about moving forward.

  As the day progressed, my shots broke cleanly and I remained tension free. I have noticed the last few weeks that I have some issues breaking a shot when I'm a little unsure of my number. Although it doesn't seem to be any great problem, I will need to work on that a little bit and clean it up from week to week. I've made steady progress with it and expect to keep moving in the right direction with it. I also noticed that many good shooters have the same type of issue when they're unsure of the yardage.

  This course was one that required me to use all of the marks on my sight. Some people might have considered it a soft course, but I never consider any course soft. They are all hard in their own way. Some people think that long courses are really difficult. I find every course to be about the same due to a variety of things you see on all types of courses.

  This was a course that gave me many more highs than lows. When thinking about it, I can vividly remember a few awesome shots. There was a really steep downhill ram near the end, and I executed one of the best shots I've executed all year. The pin sat in the middle and I made a perfect shot. I can't remember if I got an 11 or if it landed a hair to the left of it. Either way, it didn't matter because that shot stuck with me. In the future, when I see a steep downhill shot like that ram, I will draw from the confidence I gained from that one shot. I'll see it and feel it for a long time to come. Make sure you always draw something from the really good ones. Let the less-than par ones go and build off from the good ones. Whenever I asked people how they're doing, they always talk about their bad ones. I try to let those go and move on to the next target. I take great pride in the fact that I almost always back up a bad one with a good one. I very rarely let things snowball out of control after something bad happens. I'll fight until the end.

  When the day ended, I was satisfied with my performance. I had a winning performance and felt good about the day. Some days you're the winner, and some days you're the wiener. I was a winner inside my mind on my ride home -- and even as I sit here writing this tonight. You don't always win after a winning performance, but you win inside your own mind. If you build your mental strength through things like this, you will come out on top more often than not.

  I had a great time in Rhode Island with great guys. Whenever I shoot with John, he always shoots well. I felt that I had shot well, but after adding the cards up at the end of the day, I thought that maybe I hadn't performed as well as I had thought. I finished in 3rd place in my group of four. I gotta say that the others just beat me. I gave it my best, but John an and Jacob just did what they do. I had to remind myself that I still shot well.

  Jacob and I have good memories for targets we have shot in the past. As we wandered through this course we realized that only three targets from last year's event had been moved. Although we couldn't remember numbers, we remembered the targets. After asking some people about it who are familiar with the course, they said that nothing ever moves on that course. Everything stays the same and remains that way all year, with targets outside and in the sam exact spot. That's a little disappointing, especially when a lot of guys drive great distances to test their skills against others. It's hard for many guys in many classes to know how they really panned out against everyone because they don't know who shoots there regularly and who doesn't. It was really good for me to judge yardage and test my skills. Some of my friends from out that way didn't shoot because it's always the same. I missed seeing them there and hoped for more. Here are a few pictures from my day.








                                                    NY IBO State Championship

  Well, I woke up to a nice, sunny morning. On my ride to the tournament, the skies turned gray, and it started to drizzle. The thermometer didn't move much off from 35 degrees for my entire drive. It surely doesn't seem like it's almost May.

  After getting there and catching up with some people I haven't seen in a long time, I headed to the target butt to shoot a few arrows before heading onto the range. I fired a handful of arrows and waited for my assignment.

  When I received the cards, I knew I was going to have to hang with the big dogs, the biggest baddest dogs of New York and New England. A senior pro national IBO winner, a semi-pro national triple crown winner and a semi-pro IBO World Champion, with two of the shooters having been in the professional NFAA indoor national finals shootoff in the past. The talent we have spread across New England and New York is nothing short of amazing. So my group comprised Jacob Slusarz, John Vozzy, Sean Roberts and me.

  We started on a long bedded doe. I was battling low blood sugar on my way to my first target. Although I slugged down some Gatorade, I could still feel the affects of my blood sugar level. After settling into my aiming process, the pin wavered and wandered before the shot broke. I knew it wasn't going to be good when the arrow started its journey. The arrow landed just a tad to the left of the 10-ring, no more than an inch outside. I have to take the blame for it because my body wasn't prepared to start.

  I battled the issue for the first few targets, shooting three 8s in the first seven. I figured it was going to be a long day after starting that way. I continued battling and tried to stay above water. I felt a little better when I made a perfect shot on a razorback boar. I hit full draw, started to pull, and the arrow appeared directly behind the pin. I couldn't have been closer to the center of the 11 if I had walked up and placed the arrow in it. My confidence grew from there, and I trusted my shot and my ability.

  Throughout the first half of the shoot, I found my mind wandering. I was being easily distracted and had a hard time brushing it off. Sometimes, it felt like a pesky fly buzzing around my head. I swatted at it but couldn't ever get it to stop landing in my hair and buzzing around the back of my head. The monkeys kept jumping off the branches and slapping my ears. They tried with all of their power to get inside my head and start a party. I focused and swatted them back onto the limbs of the trees. My focus returned and remained for the rest of the day. It was a true battle to to send the monkeys on their way. Jacob has a tremendous ability to let the monkey sit in the trees above. Sean and I sometimes let them sit on our shoulders and poke us in the neck with prickly pine needles. John always seems to be in total control. He's calm under pressure, and he just goes through the motions.

  Speaking of Vozzy, it was a pleasure to watch him shoot today. This guy ceases to amaze me. His progress has been steady since his shoulder replacement. This guy has worked so hard to be able to shoot his bow again. Once again, one of those guys whom you never see working at it. He goes above and beyond what most others can comprehend. He's the ultimate competitor and does everything he can so he doesn't ever beat himself. I enjoy watching him in action. A lot can be learned from a seasoned veteran. When I shoot with him, it reminds me a lot of when I used to shoot with another great from my area, Jeff Alderman. Neither one of them ever gets too high or too low. They just focus on every shot and keep things in perspective. I'll be routing for Vozzy when he heads to the IBO Triple Crown next month. I'd love to see him get it done. He definitely works hard at it.

  When I got to the second half of the tournament, I felt good about my shooting. I started off on hogzilla, and the arrow hit directly behind the pin. Unfortunately, it was less than an inch to the left of the 11. You can't be disappointed when you hit behind the pin. I guess I need to pay more attention to where I'm aiming.

  I was nervous when I got to the next target, which was a javelina. I couldn't get a number to stick in my head when I kept looking at it, I got a variety of numbers that varied by six yards. Finally, I dialed it in and settled nicely onto the white spot in the 11-ring. I felt the pressure build in my back, and it felt like somebody cut the string from my hand. The arrow instantly appeared in the 11-ring. What a shot! It was one of those shots that people dream about. Everything was done perfectly. These shots continued the rest of the day, and I cleaned the second half with 10s and 11s. I executed every shot like I was shooting a Vegas target at 10 yards. My focus and concentration went to another level during the last 15 targets.

  When I finally got to the last target, a gobbling turkey, the number stuck out to me. I dialed my sight in and looked at Sean's arrow and Jacob's arrow. They were both in the 10-ring, so I buried my pin between their arrows and did my thing. My arrow it right next to Jacob's arrow, and that was the end of my day.



  My hat goes off to Rhit Wilcox. This guy is a worker. He does everything he can to provide people with a great experience. He went above and beyond to make sure Guan Ho Ha put on a fantastic tournament. He surpassed my expectations. If you see Rhit out there on the tournament trail make sure to thank him for his dedication to archery in our region. He supports everyone, and he offers us with a lot of opportunities to shoot at the club where he is the archery director.

                                                  My Take on the Weekend

  I did a lot of traveling this weekend to shoot 60 targets. I've been trying to determine if I want to go to the first leg of the national triple crown. I'm still somewhat undecided. I know I'm shooting well enough to go give it a whirl, but I'm not sure if I have it in me to waste money and travel. I've done it for many years. I enjoy the competition, and I also enjoy seeing all of my friends from all over the country. I have some bow work to do the next few weeks before I make a decision. I'm enjoying the new camp we have, so I might just go spend some time there. This will also be my last year in the IBO before going into MSR.

  The last three events I've attended, I've had winning performances. If you give yourself a chance by shooting solid shots and not worrying about the outcome, things seem to be a lot easier. I've been able to shoot without any tension so far this spring. It's an incredible feeling as compared to the last few years. I can't even begin to explain what a difference it makes when I'm at full draw. Of the 90 arrows I've shot at the last three arrows, I've only shot three arrows more than an inch or two to the left or right of center. This is solely from the lack of tension in the release hand, a battle I've fought for about 15 years. Many wealthy people in the world never would have gotten rich if they didn't take chances..........risk versus reward. I took a chance near the end of indoor season, and it seem to be working out in my favor.

  If you could have given Jacob and I an inch on a ruler this weekend, we both would have shot a lot more 11s, and I would have avoided five of my six 8s. Every 8 I shot, except one, was less than an inch out the bottom of the 10. Jacob stayed out of the 8-ring all weekend. I think he ended up in it twice, but once was because he blew Vozzy's pin nock apart and glanced into the 8. That's just some bad luck.

  A lot of people shot really well this weekend. That Senior Hunter class is one of the most competitive classes out there. I'm not sure who won in Rhode Island, but after watching John Layou shoot, I'm fairly certain he won. If he didn't win, someone else must have put on one hell of a shooting display. He was pounding all day long, and it was awesome to watch. George Connors is always one of the guys to beat, too, and he laid it down today at the NY shoot. Although I didn't shoot with him, I'd say his day was probably similar to John's day on Saturday. Those guys got it going. I can't leave out Gary Jones. Yet another one of Mark Myer's students who is getting it done. He's always in the hunt now. He has been putting his time in and the results are finally starting to show up. It's always nice to see people improve with Mark's help. Great job, Mark. Vozzy is looking great, and Jacob is applying many things you have taught him. You have made the archers in our area much better, and it is helping all of us.

  I finally broke the ice while shooting with Sean Roberts. I've never shot a good round when I've been paired with him. Today, I broke that mold and headed in the right direction. I shot with two phenomenal groups this weekend, and everyone in both groups shot well. That always makes it easier to shoot well.

  I'm signing out for the night. I hope everyone had fun this weekend. Work hard in silence and let your arrows speak for you. Oh, and keep drinking the poison and sharing it with your army, homemade whiskey burns like hell going down and can easily kill you if you assume you know how to make it and drink it. ;-)--------------------------->

 

Massachusetts IBO State Championship

  After last weekend's shoot, I was beyond irritated. Although I hadn't had any time behind my bow outside, the results of my performance were far less than acceptable. That's why I headed to John Vozzy's on Monday night. I decided I would try the high letoff module and see if that would solve my problem with the unsteady sight picture.

  The next night, I made a handful of trips from my yard to the bow press while trying to get the draw length right. When I thought I had it where it needed to be, I began adding and subtracting weight to make sure the bow was going to be good to go. After getting to the spot I thought I needed it, I headed to my dad's place to shoot a few 3D targets that he had set up. After shooting at three of them, I realized the bow just wasn't holding well enough for me to be confident with it, especially going to the Massachusetts IBO state championship, where the terrain would not help anyone who was having a hard time holding the bow on flat ground. On my drive home, I bitched and swore a little bit and decided I just couldn't bring myself to shoot the bow on Saturday. I decided to take the sight off it and  put it on one of my bows hanging on the rack. I simply had enough for this week. Sometimes changes are good, and sometimes you pay the price. I figured things definitely couldn't get much worse on the 3D range after last weekend's dumpster fire.

  The bow change brought me into Wednesday not knowing what to expect. The forecast looked to be good for shooting on Wednesday and Thursday, so I hoped I could get my marks and shoot enough arrows to feel comfortable behind the string before heading out before daybreak on Saturday morning.

  When I walked outside to get my marks on Wednesday after getting out of work, I started close to the bale. After hitting full draw with the first arrow, the bow lurched forward. The arrow skipped off the top of the target and found a home in the neighbor's yard. In my head, I said, "Oh, this is just elfin great. I'm going to the shoot with this bow and just misfired and arrow with it, the first arrow out of it since last summer."

  The cam had an entirely different feel that the cams I've been shooting, which caused the bow to jump forward when I slammed into the wall. The quick motion caused my finger to trip the trigger and send the arrow through the woods and into the neighbor's yard. It didn't do a lot for confidence building and made me very hesitant every time I drew the bow.

  A few hours later when I came into the house, I had regained my confidence and knew that I had made the right choice for the weekend. While the bow felt a little long at full draw, I decided to leave it there. The pin was holding good in the white on a 5-spot target at 40 and 45 yards, and I was staying in the white with my groups of five arrows. The groups weren't as tight as I would have liked, but they were consistent. I knew I would be able to get some more arrows in on Thursday after work, before the rain came on Friday.

  Thursday afternoon greeted me with a mess. A water pipe exploded in the house, and I had to deal with ankle deep water in my basement. As you an imagine, I wasn't able to shoot my bow. With the rain in forecast for Friday, I knew I would have to go to the shoot with less than a couple of hours of practice with the new rig. I felt confident because I had shot this bow last summer.

  Friday afternoon when I got out of work, the rain was lightly falling from the sky. I wanted to shoot a few more arrows, so I went outside and gave it a whirl In the process, I changed released and released the length of the strap on one of them made me hold steadier. The pin didn't float at all. Unfortunately, my shot timing was affected, and I had a hard time getting the shot to break consistently. I didn't pay much attention to it, figuring that my shoulders and back hurt from all of the work I had done in the basemen the day before while trying to take care of the water issues.

                              Saturday Morning, Massachusetts IBO State Championship

  The drive over from New York was an adventure. I miss the exit and had to take an alternate route to  get to the tournament. We drove through rain the entire way and expected that we would probably be shooting in rain for the day. I guess the time we spent lost worked in our favor. By the time we pulled into the parking lot, the rain had stopped, most people were already on the course, and the parking lot was full of trucks and cars.

  I can usually get a good feel for how my day is going to do when I step to the line at the target butt. When I pulled up for my first few arrows and the pin didn't move, I knew the bow was going to hold steady for the day, which gave me a lot of confidence. Normally, I start at 20 yards and shoot a bunch of arrows from that distance. I usually don't shoot any arrows at other distances because I just work on feeling my shot, and it is easy to feel things at 20 without worrying about aiming or where the arrows are hitting. However, since the 20 and 30-yard bales were crowded, I shot at the 50-yard bale. My first four arrows hit behind the pin. The trend continued when I moved to 40, 30 and finished at 20. I was definitely ready to roll.

                                              When My Group Got Called to Start

  There were a lot of people around when I was getting ready to start. When my group was called to go out, I felt fortunate to see that Scott Tozier was in my group. I usually shoot well when I shoot with Scott, and I enjoy shooting with him. Ted Butler, a guy who used to always be in the top peer group of the Northeast Triple Crown in the early '90s, was also in our group, along with my dad. I knew it would be a good day. Ted is just finding his way back to 3D archery after about a 25-year hiatus.

                                                      The Shoot Begins

  It was a long walk to the first target. We started at the top of the hill with the range that had the Big 10 buck on it. When Ted shot under the target and Dad hit it in the belly, I figured they both were having a rough time gauging distance since they hadn't done any estimating recently.

  When I drew the bow, settled into anchor and transferred my shot into my back, I had a few of the first-target jitters show up in my sight picture. Although it wasn't moving all over the place like it sometimes does, it was definitely a little jittery, and I had no problems seeing it. The best thing about it was that although things were moving around, the pin stayed solidly in the 10-ring. When the shot finally broke, I expected to see my nock show up in the 10-ring. Unfortunately, the arrow landed squarely between the 10 and the 8 at 6 o'clock.........perfect line. I was happy with the line but really disappointed with the bad number.

  I quickly put the shot behind me and moved along to the next target, a large black bear down a hill and in a dark, swampy area. It was a great set, and I felt really confident with my number. With a good marker in the target, I executed a perfect shot and the arrow hit behind the pin -- a solid 11. That shot was one of my best shots of the day. I can still feel it as I sit here and tell you about it. Always cherish those good shots and give them the praise they deserve. They can get you through some rough patches when you need to find something positive to look back on while you're on a course.

  When I walked up to the next stake and glanced up the hill, I saw a coyote looking down at me. If this were a national event, this is one of the shots that is put on the course to separate the field. If you get it, you probably gain a few points on the field. If you miss it, you start digging a hole that might bury you. I knew I had already missed one that shouldn't have been missed, so I knew I needed this one. That's not a good place to be in when you've only shot two targets, but I alway approach these shoots like I'm at a national. It allows me to have the same mindset when I'm at the big show.  The number stood out to me when I looked at the target, and I executed another good shot. I hit it a touch over the 11, but it had a perfect line. Here's that shot, thanks to Scott's photography.



  As we progressed through the course, my shots remained clean, but I struggled to get them off. I was battling a problem I didn't have last weekend. The pin locked on the target and barely moved. I had minimal to no pin movement on most targets, which slowed things down and made me admire the pin. I had a bear of a time getting the release to fire, but it wasn't beating me up. Unlike the days when that happens with a handheld release and tension builds within my body, I didn't have any tension and didn't feel it in my hands, forearms, neck and shoulders. The release wasn't firing because I wasn't applying enough pressure on the trigger when I started my shot. Instead, I barely laid my finger on the trigger and didn't pay attention to putting solid pressure on it. Thinking about when I decided on that release, I knew I had a hard time getting it to fire consistently. The same thing was showing up on the range. It might just be because I didn't have any time behind this particular release and was uncomfortable with it. I picked my way through the first 10 targets and felt good about my numbers and my shot, even though my shot was sometimes taking me to the maximum number of letdowns. Although I got there a few times during the day, I always managed to get the shot off fairly easily when I had to. By the time I got to the last target on the loop, I knew that I had made up the 8 that I had shot on the first target. Here's the caribou, the last target of the loop. I scored a solid 11 on this shot.








  Going into the second leg of targets, I felt confident. My numbers seemed to be coming to be without much effort, and the pin was sitting steadier than I ever could have asked for. I've always shot an 18-inch or a 24-inch bar outside, but after talking to Jacob at the indoor state shoot, he told me he was going to try a 27' bar outside this year, so I decided I would give it a whirl too. I've never shot a lot of weight on my bows, so I decided to go with a 27' front bar with 4 ounces on it and a 15 inch back bar with 16 ounces on it -- light according to what most people use these days.

  The first target on the next loop was a strutting turkey on an uphill grade. Turkeys are always tough, but this one was even tougher with the uphill grade added into the mix. I had a fairly good aiming spot to guide me, so I used it and secured a 10 to start the loop. I was satisfied with that. I picked my way through the course and did well with it. As we neared the end of the course, a few things distracted me and I began thinking about the difficult footing. I missed the gator high, hitting the 8 line, luckily avoiding a 5. The next target was the big muley, and I couldn't get good enough footing to make any type of good shot. I did the best I could with it and took what it gave me, which was an 8 the landed an inch left of the 10-ring. I've never been a fan of having shots that are based on luck. Lets' face it, this is target archery, and we never see purposely made bad footing at national events. If you do see bad footing, it's because they stake could not possibly go anywhere else. When luck comes into play on a shot, I believe the stake has not been properly set. Nobody in my group could hold the bow steady. We all went from the back to the belly and from the front to the back. Everyone gasped when their shot went off, and everyone expected the worse due to the nature of the hold. Some of us got "lucky" and some of us didn't. Nothing should really come down to luck in my eyes. I could be wrong, but after shooting for 30 years on the national scene, I've never seen much of that unless there is absolutely no other option. It's just food for thought and a little constructive criticism. Other than that one shot, I thought everything else was stellar.

  After getting those two 8s out of the way and heading to the final loop of targets, I was spent. Mentally, I checked out and didn't feel like shooting the rest of the tournament. When we got to the first target of the last loop, there were three groups waiting to start.

  When I finally got to the stake, I had totally lost my flow and focus -- it was totally gone. It took me a little bit to get going, as I just couldn't get focused again. I tried to regain my good mental state after botching the second 8, which was the only shot of the day that I would like back. Unlike the past, of the 30 shots I executed, that one 8 on the gray ram was the only one that I felt any type of tension. I had a lot of tension, and I could see it in my sight picture. I couldn't get the pin to sit down at all. I missed the target out the top, but I knew I was going to hit there before I shot the arrow. After doing this, I quickly jumped back onto the train that was cruising in the zone, not in the chaos of distractions.

  After making the adjustment, I put my nose to the grind and kept plowing ahead. My numbers remained good and so did my shot. Near the end of the round, I executed a perfect shot on a black panther and a white standing bear. I believe this is the shot on the black panther, if not it might have been the target out by the solar panels. Either way, I got both of those targets and made great shots.



 When I shot the last target of the day, a bedded buck, I knew something wasn't quite right. I knew I had the right number, and the arrow landed at the bottom of the 10-ring, cutting the line in half. When the shot broke, I was almost certain I was going to 11 it. I didn't pay much attention to it until I shot my bow this afternoon. My first three shots all landed at the bottom of the blue on a 5-spot target at 40 yards. Looking at the bow, the draw stop had loosened up and was sliding around in the groove. This is the first time that has ever happened to me.  So the moral of the story is to pay attention to the little things.



                                                      My Take on the Day

  Flat out -- this was a tough shoot. Looking back at the day, I think the club did a great job with the blue and green stakes. I think they probably averaged close to the same distance for total yards and they made both groups of shooters really work to get their numbers. I thought this was fantastically done to keep both groups of shooters on their toes. Whoever did that deserves a hats off.

  If someone watched me from a distance, he probably would have thought I struggled like crazy today because of the number of times I let down. I think I can just attribute that to the release that I hadn't shot at all. Although I have two of them, I hadn't shot this one at all before the few times I shot it the previous night. Like I said earlier, normally I would be exhausted after a shoot like that, but the letting down didn't affect me because it wasn't related to any type of tension. It was just because I was  too unfamiliar with the trigger on it.

  My pin sat down better than it has in a long time. It's amazing how the pin didn't sit down at all last week. Sometimes little changes -- or big changes -- can lead to a better result. The secret is to try things without overdoing it. Some people like to change things every week, and I don't believe that's a good thing. If you can get confidence in your equipment and run with it without changing things, the confidence will continue to grow.

  I talked with my buddy Sean Roberts today, and we joked about how I have to shoot with someone other than him to shoot well. It's kind of funny, but I've never shot well with Sean, except one time when Jacob and I shot against him and Binger at Shawn Couture's shoot. Over the years, I've realized that the people we shoot with sometimes affect the outcome, even if we don't know why. I'm not really sure whey I haven't shot well with Sean, and it might just be pure coincidence. I know I've always shot well with Scott over the years. I know that I've always been at my best in peer groups or in groups of people in which I don't know anyone in the group. I'd suggest that a lot of you up and comers should seek out people who you admire and try to shoot with him. If you shoot with people who are better than you, you will probably improve. You can always learn things, and it will make you work harder to keep up with them. Also, try shooting with people who you don't know at all. Experience things a little and see what you learn about yourself and your shooting.

  I almost forget to write this, but I can't because over the years, I've watched a lot of shooters shoot their bows. I've always been fascinated with the shots of a few different people. I got to shoot behind Pete Swanney for a loop of 10 targets. I haven't shot with Pete since the early 2000s in Roanoke, VA, at one of the ASA Pro-Ams when we were shooting in the Semi-pro Class. I think that was the year I had the arrow explode upon release after it had gotten dinged on the previous shot. I always wished I could shoot a shot like he can. Watching him shoot on Saturday was no different than it used to be. He makes shooting look so incredibly easy. I envy people like that. One of these days, I'll figure it out. I'm not sure whose shot I like better, Jason Kennedy's or Pete's. They both look great. If anyone wants to model himself after someone watch those two guys shoot an arrow. It's like poetry in motion.

It was also nice to meet and chat with Pat Hlavana this weekend when I was done shooting. I hope we didn't slow you down, Pat. We got out money's worth for the day. Wade and Jeff told me you were a good guy, and now I can say that that definitely told me the truth. Keep shooting and keep having fun.

  Congratulations to all of the guys and girls that went out, competed and had fun. I did notice that a lot of Mark Myers' students did really well. Mark helped Gary Jones to a podium finish, and he helped me, Barry Gates, Mark Smith, Chuck Weeden, Bob Bain, George Connors, Tim Schlegel, John Vozzy and Gary Wood to work on different things to improve our game. Great job, Mark. Keep up the good work. Everyone appreciates your sacrifices to help them improve.  I'm not reading any of this before posting, so I apologize for the errors.

Oh, and here's my day at my camp today. Living in upstate NY sucks.





 

Figuring Things Out: First 3D of the Year

  My 3D career feels like it's a million miles away from where it was when this picture was taken. Amazingly, that photo was taken on target number 1 on my second day of the IBO World a few years ago. I sat at the top after the first day and figured nothing would get in my way. After this picture was snapped, the arrow landed in the 5-ring due to a misjudged gator......nothing like putting yourself in the hole five points on day two on the first target. On the next 4 targets, I shot three more 8s and was treading water to stay alive, gasping for air with everything I had inside.  I would go on to shoot 13 11s on the last 15 targets and finish even for the day, making it into the finals. I learned a lesson: never give up, no matter how bad it might seem.

  In some aspects, today reminded me of that day. I treaded water all day. The waves splashed in my face, and I tried my hardest to fight off hypothermia. I gasped for air as the water couldn't avoid going into my throat. At times, I thought I was going under, but I tried to remain focused with the task at hand: finding a way to survive the day and make the necessary changes to fix the problems when I got home.

  When I drew my bow at the practice bags, I knew it was going to be a long day. I couldn't hold the pin still to save my life. It danced all around the bale and made it difficult to commit to the shot as I've committed to it all winter. This bow just has a totally different feel.

  The few times I was able to shoot in the yard to get marks last week, I noticed that it takes me a lot of arrows before the pin sits down. Unfortunately, you don't get to shoot a lot of arrows when you're shooting a 3D tournament. I figured out quickly that the bow wasn't going to sit down and let me make great shots. I would need to figure out a way to get through the course without having all of the wheels fall off the buss and pass me on the way down the hill.

  As I made my way through the first half, I struggled mightily to hold the pin in the kill zone. Looking deep inside my own mind, I couldn't come up with a reason why I could hold the pin solidly in the white on a 5-spot target at home and never shoot an arrow out of the white, yet on this particular 3D course, I could barely keep the pin in the 10-ring. Considering all of the battles I was fighting in the beginning, I held my own and continued marching toward the finish line.

  My arrows were finding their mark every time my shot broke before the hold deteriorated from the unusually high holding weight on my bow. When the hold broke down, the pin quickly fell out the bottom and the release fired. Although I didn't deal with that on every shot, it did show up on about seven of the 30 shots. I can't consider those shots bad because I saved a few of them when the pin started to go south,  and I was able to let down and start over, but there were three that I couldn't catch up to before the bow fired. I knew that I had the yardage on all three of the shots, yet I took my three 5s on the chin. The release fired as soon as the pin darted toward the belly. They weren't really bad shots, the shots were just poorly timed. I'll make the necessary changes this week to avoid those mistakes next week.

  With about 10 targets left, I changed releases, and my shots began to go off a little better than they had throughout the day. I didn't have to fight so hard to get through my shot. Although, I still had one shot that bobbed out of the kill zone and fired, the aiming calmed down quite a bit, and I was able to make what I thought were much better shots than I had made earlier in the day. I felt good about the way they were firing.

  When the day of shooting finished, I was not a happy camper. I didn't have fun shooting my bow today. I did have fun with my friends throughout the day. It's always nice when you share the range with other guys who like archery as much as me. I'd like to give all of the people from Massachusetts and Connecticut a big thanks for showing your support for the IBO shoot in New York. It goes a long way, and it is appreciated. I hope all of you enjoyed your day.

  Today made it seem like all of my hard work throughout the winter decided to get up and leave. I had an extremely hard time feeling my shot with the higher holding weight. Although I thought it would be better for me, I now know that I need to get it down a bit to make my aiming better. If my aiming settles down, I will be able to relax much easier, which will allow me to make confident, strong shots. I expect next week to be much better, providing I can iron things out and get them fixed.

  I'd like to give a shout out to three of the guys who came out of the BBO class and shot in the MBO class today. All of you did a great job with the transition, and I expect that you will all learn a lot this year and have a good time doing it. Those guys are Jacob, Jeremy and Ethan. Nice job today guys, especially on a challenging course. If you handled it like you did today, you shouldn't have any problems the rest of the way. That was a great piece of shooting from all of you.

  I'd like to write more, but my mind is fried tonight. I have too much to process. It was a long weekend, and I'm ready for the new week to start. Considering all of the issues I faced throughout the day, I only made three bad shots, and they really weren't all that bad. I had great numbers for not being outside at all. I haven't looked at a 3D target outside since Shawn Couture's shoot the weekend after the IBO World last year, so I'll take today as a successful warmup. Hopefully, I put the three-headed monster to rest, and he'll subside into the darkness. I've had enough of his three pesky heads for this year.