Northeast ASA at Baypath

    This year has been a battle with my own mind. It seems that random thoughts come and go in my mind while at full draw, causing me to have to let down and regroup. Although I've encountered issues like that in the past, I'm battling them almost every time out this year. I'm convinced that it's because there's no rhythm to shooting this year. I've only attended a few shoots, and my mind is overloaded with other things that take priority over archery. It has been a challenging 3D year.

  On Saturday, I headed to Baypath Archers in Southbridge, Mass., to participate in the ASA federation tournament. I didn't expect much since I haven't shot at any lower 12s since the days I participated on the national ASA circuit with my dad and friends. Although it was so many years ago, the feeling came back quickly when I got on the course.

  When I took a glance at the first target of my day, I saw a brown bear in a dark hole. Jacob and Donny both had arrows close to the 12. I couldn't' tell if they were in it, but they gave me a good reference point. I put the pin between their arrows and executed a good shot. The arrow hit behind the pin, and I started my day with a 12. That's when I realized that it's hard not to aim at the highest scoring ring on the target, even when you're guessing the yardage. Although I haven't shot much this year, I have put the work in at home. I've practiced my shot and my yardage regularly. I need to spend more time on my mental training. I've let that slide this year due to the lack of tournaments.

  As we pulled our arrows and began the march to the next target, I felt like I was looking back in time. Rick Baker and Bill Romanchick were waiting in the group behind us, and Don Doherty was in my group. I've always loved shooting with these guys over the years, and I'm glad that they have all stayed in it over the years. I've had a lot of great laughs with all of them, and we have some good memories over the years. I can still remember shooting with Billy at the Vermont IBO State Championship in the mid '90s and again at the first leg of the Northeast IBO Triple Crown in Nashua, N.H., one year when he and Bryan Hunt shot with me and my dad. Billy has always been a fierce competitor, but he always keeps it light along the way. My dad nicknamed him the Mayor of Middleburgh many years ago and it stuck. I always like the Back-Brace Billy moniker we tagged him with. He has always been a good sport about it, too. I'm glad to call him a friend.

  Ricky and I have been at this as long as anyone in New England. We both started as kids and are still at it today. Archery is a part of our lives that has always been there and will stay with us until the end. Although I'm in the senior class now, where our heroes were when we were growing up, Rick will be with me in a few years. It doesn't seem possible that I've reached that class so quickly. Where does time go?

  It seems like just a few years ago when Pete Lucas was running the ASA Trifecta, a three series shoot, in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, and I was in a group with Scott Tozier, Brett DuFour and Rick. We all gunned at the lower 12s and had a good time doing it. When the dust settled, I came out on top that day in Sturbridge, Mass. I'm thankful for having competition like that in the old days and still having it today.

  So as I walked to the next target, I thought about the experience surrounding me. Everyone in my group had won IBO National Triple Crowns and IBO World titles and everyone in the group behind me had made the cut at the IBO World. It's pretty impressive when you realize all of the people are your close friends. It makes you route for your friends and competitors. It's also pretty cool when you know you're shooting with one of the best shooters in the country.

  As we picked our way through the course, we tried adjusting to the McKenzie targets. I didn't have that many problems with them. My yardage judging went well, and I really only got fooled on one target. It was a medium buck with really big antlers. I thought it was a large deer, but Jacob warned me that the target was small. I shot at the 12 and still shot out the top of it, hitting the 8 line. If I had shot at the middle of the 10, I would have surely gotten a 5... the benefits of a misjudged target in ASA when you judge it as longer than it is.

  I felt like my judging carried me through the first half. I got a few 12s and missed a few, too. As an unmarked shooter, I try to play relatively safe and only aim directly at the ones that I think I'm absolutely sure I have the yardage pegged. I thought I had one pegged halfway through because it was long. I put the pin right on it and executed a good shot. The arrow landed pretty low and barely caught an 8. That's the disadvantage of a missed number on the low side in the ASA. You just have to stay in the game and have a plan as you continue through an ASA course, whether you're shooting known or unknown. You must have a plan and stick to it.

  As we headed onto the second half, the heat had turned up a notch, but I didn't sweat. It was nice with all of the canopy in the woods creating a lot of shade. My numbers stayed good throughout the day, but not quite good enough to get many 12s. I got the close ones that I aimed at, but there weren't many close ones as far as unmarked yardage goes.

  When I got to the chamois up near the solar panels, I had a hard time getting a number. The target was lit up in bright sunlight and looked really big, but the ground distance told me it was a lot farther than it looked. When I settled the pin down around the 12, I didn't feel comfortable with it and had a hard time committing to the shot. When the release finally fired, I watched the arrow hit about an inch over the 10 ring. I knew it was going to go there before I shot it. That's all part of the game.

  As our day was coming to an end, I had to lead off the last target, which I think was a warthog. I had a great aiming spot, as the 12 was lit up by a sunspot. I thought I had a perfect number, so I held right on it. The pin sat nicely but dropped right as the bow fired. My heart missed a beat when the bow fired, and I thought I had my first five of the day. Stepping away from the stake, I saw that the shot wasn't as bad as I had thought. The arrow was sitting just underneath the 12, putting me at 2 down for the tournament. I'll take that for not shooting at lower 12s in almost 20 years.



                                                    My Take on the Day

   I was happy with the way things went. I had adjusted the trigger on my release the night before the shoot. I made it stiffer and shortened the length of the strap on the release. These things allowed my shot to go off a little better, but I struggled holding the bow steady because the shot felt a little different. I think it will be much better as I get used to it.

  I enjoyed the course, as Baypath always puts on a good shoot. It's a good location because it's somewhat centrally located. It only takes me about 2 1/2 hours to get there. They have a lot of terrain, so you get everything you want to test your 3D shooting skills. There are downhills, side hills, uphills, flat shots, shots into tunnels and shots in the open. I thought it was one of the best IBO-type sets I've seen in a while. The yardage was really well hidden, and it was extremely tough to judge.

  Being an ASA shoot, I kind of wish it had more of an ASA feel. Now that we have the two organizations in the same region, it's a great opportunity to express the differences in each and show the people how both are run at the nationals.

  I've always enjoyed both types of tournaments. I enjoy the walk through the woods and never knowing what's coming next with the IBO shoots. I always feel like I'm hunting. I also always liked the ASA events because they were like a big social gathering while shooting. You could see everyone because you were all on the same road together and you would pass each other on the road. If someone was on the course, you would definitely see that person. I liked it because you never had to walk very far either. I'm hoping that we get something like that as time goes on. I don't mind it this way, but it would be cool to get that social gathering type of thing at one or two of them. I used to like the lazy-man tournament where all targets are side by side and you have to wait for shooters on each side of you to finish before going to the target to pull arrows.

  With all of the chaos going on about the IBO World being canceled, there's a possibility that I've shot my last 3D tournament of the summer. In all reality, it wouldn't bother me if that's the case.

Second Leg of the IBO National Triple Crown

   That pictures sums up my weekend. As I hemmed and hawed about what day to head to Pennsylvania to participate in the second leg of the national triple crown, I finally decided the rain wouldn't be too bad, and I would shoot all 40 targets on Saturday. Heck, I've always shot well in the rain, and the forecast called for intermittent showers. As the week wore on, the forecast changed multiple times, and I just gave up looking at it. I figured I would just go and shoot my arrows and come home. So that's what I did.

  While Jeff and I were traveling to the shoot, the temperature climbed so high that I could feel its effects through the windshield in Buffalo. We watched the thermometer go from 94 to 100. It never got above 100, but that's where it topped off.



  When we got out near Erie, Pa., the temperature started to drop, and by the time we arrived in Franklin, the thermometer hung steady at 80 degrees. We picked up our cards and headed to the motel  for the night. After watching Vozzy trying to get some net on the hoop at the hotel, we went inside and got a good night's rest. Oh, the Vozz looked awesome on slow-mo video. He was only 16 inches short of touching the net. We are hoping he might break out his high-tops from the early '80s for his next try. Stuff like that is what makes the traveling to archery tournaments worth it. You can share memories with your friends that will last a lifetime. I'll be forever thankful for my ability to go to so many tournaments over the years.

                                             Saturday Morning

  When Jeff and I got out of the car and put our bows together at the target butt, we figured we were going to have a dismal morning to shoot. Although it wasn't raining, it was dark and dreary. Within minutes, all of that changed and the heavens let loose. The rain came down in buckets.

  Walking to the tent for our range assignment, we readied ourselves for what was ahead of us. The rain has temporarily stopped, but the woods were so dark you could barely see 30 yards. Some of the Heritage Archery Academy shooters on the youth range said they could't even see some of the targets they were supposed to shoot.

  Standing under the tent, I caught up with Brian DiBona and Dave Ferguson. They had shot 30 targets the day before and were looking to finish their last 10. Within a few minutes, any chance of that happening was washed away as the rain started coming down again and the woods became even darker. Dave said there was no way he was going out. I didn't blame him one bit. Unfortunately, Jeff and I didn't have a choice. I only had the hotel room for one night, and we had already used that night. We had planned on shooting all 40 on Saturday, and nothing was going to prevent that from happening.

                                                 The Tournament Begins

  Finally, we found someone to accompany us onto the range. We shot with a crossbow guy named Joe. I had shot with him in the past, and he's a nice guy. He was from Kentucky but had moved there from New York. After walking a considerable distance to the first target, the rain started coming down again.

  Looking down the hill, I could see a coyote on a log. What a way to start! I started it off and caught a 10 on the left side, perfect height. I made a good shot and it broke smoothly, even though I had a few shakes going on due to the adrenaline of the beginning of the tournament. I also had the shakes because my blood sugar level was at 49. I had walked a long way from the target butt to where I was at that point, and my blood sugar was plummeting. I sucked down a small bottle of apple juice and figured I would be good to go.

  Unfortunately, we wandered our way through the range, and my blood sugar would not come up no matter what I did. A combination of everything finally caught up to me when we got to a long uphill white ram. The rain was coming down in sheets, and I could feel a steady stream of water running down my back, into the crack of my ass, down my legs, and into my boots. It was't a comforting feeling, but I ignored it. My aim quickly deteriorated on the white ram and my blood sugar could't keep up with my activities for the morning. Not being able to hold the bow or see the target due to the rain, the shot fired and I hit the target in the middle of the rear ham, about 13 inches from the back of the 8 line. My chances of doing anything at this tournament had faded with my blood sugar. When I got to the last target on the course, my level finally reached 92.

  When we got to the bedded ram to start the next 10 targets, the rain was coming down in sheets. I couldn't see through my scope at all, so I held it in the area I thought might be okay and pulled. When the arrow came off the bowstring, water parted on both sides of the tube as it plowed toward the target. It looked like a vapor trail behind a jet, but it was a trail of water behind my SuperDrive 23. The arrow found its way into the 10 ring. I'm still amazed I even hit the target when I look back at the conditions at that moment in time.

  The rain didn't let up, and we didn't stop marching through the course. When I walked up to the black panther at the next station, I just shook my head. It had a bit of an angle on it and it was anything but a chip shot. I made what I thought was a perfect shot, and I watched the water part on both sides of the arrow again as it made its way into the black foam. I hit it just barely out of the 10-ring on the top side. I'm fairly certain the arrow hit directly behind the pin. Standing at the stake, I thought I had pounded the center of the 10-ring. I was disappointed when I got to it and realized I had shot an 8.

  I was beginning to feel my shot at this point. I stroked the next target, and impala, and felt good about my shot on a downhill bedded buck and a fallow deer in a swampy area. The fallow deer was almost impossible to shoot. The rain had made the area feel like ice. The mud was so greasy, I could barely stand up. I fought hard to make a good shot, and I did it well. It might have been one of my best shots of the day.

  The rain didn't want to let up, and I began battling my blood sugar again. It had risen quickly when we finished the last course, so I took a dose of insulin to counteract the rise. Well, it started falling like a rock again due to the dosage. The first 20 targets gave me a battle unlike I've ever experienced while shooting. Although it was warm out,  being soaked can make you get chilly quickly. As we neared the end of our second 10, my hands were shot. They felt and looked like raisins.



 When we finally finished the first 20, I wasn't too terribly happy. I was down 16 points, and every lost point except two were due to poorly executed shots. I felt like I held my own under the conditions and made a vow to somehow try to minimize the damage the rest of the way. I figured I would be somewhat ok if I kept my score around 380. I knew most people had shot on Friday because we didn't see hardly any people on the course. I would just have to do the best I could and accept the results. I made sure to never cave in and become defeated. When you do that, you are done. I always fight and claw until the end. I always look at it with the mindset that if I'm struggling, the other good shooters will probably struggle too. We parted ways with Joe at the end of 20 and waited for two hours to find someone else to shoot another range. I highly recommend the bow umbrella. It helped keep my bow dry one year during the IBO World, allowing me to win, and it also helped me this time. It's important to keep your strings as dry as possible. Unfortunately, I watched Jeff's strings become waterlogged, and he lost about 4-5 yards off his sight. It made for a very unfortunate situation.



                                                              The Last 20

  After waiting two hours, we finally got paired up with a young lad who was shooting in the MBR class. He was a good shooter, and it finally gave Jeff and I some arrows to aim at. Unlike our first 20, we could now use this kid's arrows for markers. It made my life a lot easier.

  I changed releases for this 20 targets. The release I shot on the first 20 wasn't breaking cleanly, and I felt like I was getting hung up on it and my aiming was suffering. The attachment is a hair longer on that release. With the hills and the rain, I changed to a shorter release. I could see the change on the first target, as my shot broke perfectly. I was excited to get it rolling. When I got to a javelina that was  straight up the hill near the end of the course, the rain was pounding off the trees -- and us. I just looked at everyone in the group and laughed. Somehow, I smoked the 11 on it and continued to the end. I'm still not sure how I got the 11 on it. I guess it's true when Mark Meyers tells me that a lot of my success comes from my ability to concentrate far more than most people. When we added the scores for the 10 targets, I had a 101........I was holding on to a miserable day. I had saved the light from fading into nothingness, but I still had 10 to go, and the rain wasn't helping matters.

  After waiting another two hours for someone to go out with us, a group finally approached the tent. There were five people in the group, and one of them was Mike Guraly, a great shooter. I was happy when he decided to go out with us. I knew I would have good arrows to look at, and he's a nice guy who is as passionate about archery as me. He has a list of accomplishments in archery as long as anyone I know, and you would never know it by talking to him. That's my kind of person. He just shoots his bow and lets the rest speak for itself. The few times I've been around him, it has been a pleasure.

  Dealing with the day we had, my nerves and body were about shot when we headed onto the course. I knew I would have to dig deep to stay in the game. I started off with a few good shots and managed to pick up an 11 or two along the way. I was a little perturbed when I made a perfect shot on a leopard and a strutting turkey and shot out the top of both of them, barely missing the 10-ring. The arrow on the turkey slapped Mike's arrow, which was nicely placed in the 10-ring. The arrow on the leopard was no more than 1/4 of an inch out.

  When I pulled my bow back on the gator, the last target of tournament for me, I was happy when I executed a shaky shot and the arrow found it's way into the 10-ring. I couldn't have been happier. Somehow, I had survived the day after getting walloped in the beginning. I held on with everything I had and refused to quit. Although my score wasn't great, I was proud that I stuck it out through the entire day and made a slight comeback. When all was said and done I finished in fifth place. I guess I'll take that since I'd imagine most others in the class didn't shoot in torrential rain. I've always done well in inclement weather. I never let it bother me. I just shoot my bow. Mike moved on to shoot another 10 targets, and I knew I had done ok on that loop. Mike and I finished within a point of each other, and whenever I finish close to him, I consider it a success.

  When I got back to the car, my boots were filled with water and my clothes felt like they weighed about 10 pounds. I rung out my shirt and shorts and changed in the parking lot. I didn't give a hoot about standing bare-assed in the field to change. It felt incredibly refreshing to put on dry clothes and get into the car to begin our eight-hour trip home.


  I'd like to give a shout out to Rob LeLacheur. He shot all 40 in the same conditions I shot in, and he brought home the bacon, getting his best finish ever at a national event. Way to go, Rob!! I'd also like to congratulate Sara Kay. She's on a roll this year. She notched her second victory of the year. I sure bet she and Ted are glad they decided at the last minute to attend the triple crown. Sometimes that's the way it works. Things just have a way of coming together. And last but not least are the Thygesen boys, father and son, as they flat-out pounded and made a statement for New England. Thank you guys for holding our place on the map as good shooters. There's a longstanding tradition in the IBO for great shooters out of New England. I'm glad you guys did your part in keeping us relevant. These guys attend their first-ever IBO national and Tyler brought home a win, crushing the rest of the competitors in the class.


 


I'm sure that was a good feeling, as I can remember my first trip to a national many many moons ago. There were 1,250 shooters in MBO that weekend and somehow I was lucky enough to come home with some hardware. It's still one of my most memorable tournaments of all time. I shot a zero on the second to last target due to a spring breaking in my Carter Big Kid 3D during the draw, but I still finished near the top. Great job to everyone who shot. Here's the damage. It wasn't pretty, but I'll take solace in the fact that I got the train back on the tracks when it started careening out of control along the riverbank.