Over the years, I've attended a fair number of shoots on Mother's Day. Fortunately, I have an incredible mother who understands my drive to succeed and my passion. This year, I've put in more time than usual to prepare myself for the national events. It's been a long time since I stepped onto the podium to accept my awards in the Semi-pro class. It doesn't seem like 20 years have passed since I gradually began getting shoulder pain and had to steer myself in a different direction than where I had intended on going. Things quickly deteriorated to the point that I couldn't shoot without having severe pain in my shoulders. Eventually, I had to have reconstructive shoulder surgery and I figured my archery career was over. When I came back, I decided to not take it as seriously as I once had because I could no longer hold the bow as steady as I believed was necessary to compete at the higher levels. Well, nine years have already passed since I had surgery, and I decided to jump back into the fire at the highest level. My practice has gone well, and I feel confident. So I headed to Guan Ho Ha to have one last practice tournament before heading to West Virginia at the end of this week. 

                                                            The Start of the Tournament

  After a long walk to the first target, my heart rate was accelerated due to the uphill stretch right before the first stake. Then, I had to lead it off. Looking at the fallow deer, the target appeared large to me, but the ground indicated the target shouldn't be as large as it looked. Since I don't have that target, I had to trust my judgment and go with the estimate that I came up with after taking the average of my three guesses.

  Unlike last week in Massachusetts, I knew I wasn't going to have a good holding day. My pin was jiving around pretty good on the target butts, and I knew I would have to accept the movement and go with it. When I drew on the fallow deer, the pin sat down alright but not like it had been sitting in my practice sessions throughout the week. I relaxed and the bow fired. When nobody said a word, I hesitantly stepped back from the stake and glassed it... 10. I was off to the races, shooting just like I had finished the previous week. I executed a perfect shot, and the arrow hit behind the pin. It barely missed the 11. 

As we began meandering down the road, I made one strong shot after another. When I glanced at the gobbling turkey, the number stuck out to me, and I executed a perfect shot. The pin was sitting just left of the dark marking on the wing when it fired, and the arrow split the 11 in two. Although it wasn't one of the most difficult shots I've ever taken, an 11 on a turkey is usually a 3-point swing for most shooters.

  Looking at the coyote, I quickly got a number. Having that target, the size of it gave me the number. When Jeff hit it high, I instantly knew what he had guessed. If I didn't have the target and study yardage on it, I probably would have done the same. I let my pin settle just below the line of black dots... and the bow fired... 11. I was rolling. I continued shooting 11s to the standing bear and my shots were effortless.  I knew I was on my way to shooting 11s on half of the 30 targets. My numbers were spot on, and my shots were breaking like a hot knife going through butter. Unlike many shooters who cripple themselves after a great performance, I was on my way to following up my great performance last week with one that was on par with that one because that's how I shoot. After eight targets, I had shot six 11s and barely missed the other two. I was totally relaxed and only let down two times.

  Moving to the Big 10, I suddenly got distracted as we began seeing two-way traffic, which created a lot of talking and thinking. With the blue stake set on the opposite side of the road, it required people to either wait while you were shooting or walk through in between shooters. Seeing the group of shooters from Massachusetts a few targets away, I began paying more attention to them instead of what I was doing. When I drew on the Big 10, my aim wouldn't settle down, and I didn't make the best of shots. The 8 stung. Seeing it on the card ticked me off. Nothing gets under my skin more than taking an 8 on a target that I guessed the right yardage on. 

  Irritated... and seeing some more people I haven't seen in a while, I began chit-chatting as I waited for to shoot. When I drew on the javelina, I knew I was going to 11 it. My pin sat steady just under the white mark at the top of the 11. When the arrow struck the 8 line straight above 4 inches above the 11, I was not happy. Going to the next target, I looked at my sight and realized I had not set it correctly on the  javelina. This is a mistake I never make. Lesson of the day: pay attention to what you're doing and be ALL there when you're doing it. If you are practicing, turn your phone off and practice. If you are at a shoot and see people you know, talk to them and refocus on your task. In quick fashion. I had dropped four points from being careless. 

  Going to the next target, I knew I was going to get it. The yardage stuck out to me and the huge white goat beckoned me to shoot my arrow into the 11. When my shot broke, I felt confident it had struck the 11. Unfortunately, I hit a liner 10, but it didn't catch the line. At that point my blood was boiling. The 10 minutes, I had erased my start and knew the rest of the day was going to be an all-out battle to stay above water. 

  When I got to the wolf, the number stuck out, and I executed a perfect shot. As the shot broke, I knew it was going to be an 11. Although it ended up being a 10, I accepted it because it was an 11 shot. At that distance, you can't complain when you hit an inch under the 11. 

  Moving to the scraping buck, the number was easy to figure out. It was a straight up 50. The numbers have been coming to me like I'm shooting marked yardage. As I drew my bow, I was listening to a conversation about a contracting job and how long it took individuals to get to Wilton, N.Y. for the job. As I was traveling up I-87 from Schoharie to get to the job site, my bow fired and the arrow landed to the right of the 10-ring... perfect height. 

  Now, my blood is boiling, and I'm ready to blow a pipe. I'm raging inside but calm on the outside. Looking at a McKenzie hyena put me just about over the edge. I let it gnaw at me for some reason and lost focus. Once again, I hit the target to the right. 

  Stepping aside, I had to recollect myself. I had all but lost my great start because I got distracted. I knew I shouldn't have let it happen, and I was going to bear down and chip away at the damage on the second half. 

  When I got to the first target, an elk, I knew I was going to get it. My shot broke perfectly and the arrow was less than a quarter of an inch under the 11. I felt great but disappointed. A shot that good seemed like it should have been rewarded with an 11. 

 Looking at the bedded doe, I could see the 10-ring with my naked eye, even though the target wasn't in my face. Since it could see the lines so well, I centered the pin and pulled. POW!! 11!! Man, what a shot. I haven't shot too many shots that well in a long time. 

  After Jeff put a perfect arrow in the Big 10, I had a great aiming spot. I held my pin on his nock and broke another perfect shot. I lit it up and found the 11. My shot was back on track, and the 11s were finding their way onto my card again... shoot don't think.

  Moving to the howling wolf, I felt confident. My pin locked on a little discolored spot I could see, and the shot fired. Yup, 11. I executed a flawless shot, and it felt like stroking a perfect drive down the fairway when everyone is watching while waiting on the edge of the tee box. 

  The bedded buck stuck out to me. Although I don't have that target, the yardage stuck out to me. I settled in quickly but had to let down a few times. Somewhere in my mind the squirrels started throwing nuts off the inside of my skull. As the squirrels chattered and chased each other around the tree, I pulled with all of my might... POW! Another perfect shot had left my bowstring. The arrow struck in a direct line above the 11, and I reminded myself that 10 is my friend. 

  When I got to the red stag, the wind was hammering up the hill and blowing to from right to left. It made it almost impossible to hold on the target . On my second attempt, the wind gusted and the shot fired. I hit it dead left. Although it pissed me off, I couldn't do anything about it. Sometimes the elements creep up and get us. Since we can't control the weather, we have to move on. After shooting my arrow, Jeff stepped up and the wind completely stopped. That has been my story this year. The wind is challenging me at every shoot, but I'm up for the challenge. I've kicked its ass more than it has kicked mine. 

  As the squirrels chased me through the rest of the course, I stayed on the path and struggled to the end. When I got to the hen turkey to finish my day, I wasn't happy about seeing it. It's just one of my pet peeves. When my shot broke, I thought I smoked the 11 ring. Unfortunately, it hit just to the left of it... 21 points for the two turkeys on the day. I'm glad I made turkeys my favorite target. That has helped me immensely over the years and helped me with the IBO World a few times. Make your least favorite target your favorite, and you'll never have a problem with it again. 

                                                           My Take on the Day

  It's like me to shoot a lot of 11s when I'm relaxed and even when I'm tense. I judge yardage really well, too. Today, it became blatantly obvious that I need to really work on staying focused. My attention to detail is what has allowed me to get off to a good start this year. I need to work on not letting little things distract me, even if I think I'm not distracted. The proof was in the pudding today. I had a stretch of six targets that I guessed the yardage correctly on every one of them, yet I lost a lot of points. 

  My shot started off really well today. At first, I wasn't sure why everything became a struggle as the day progressed, but when I sat back and thought about it, I believe it's because of what I did on Saturday. I went for 9-plus mile hike with a friend to check out some new deer hunting areas. I carried a backpack, which made my shoulders a little sore and overtired. I'm pretty sure that's why I did't hold that well today. This bow has been holding really well, and today I just didn't feel comfortable behind the steering wheel. I felt like was wandering onto the rumble strip regularly throughout my travels. 

  Overall, this was not a bad day. I learned I can survive peaks and valleys and stay on the path. It's important to not get sucked into the black hole when it opens up in front of you. If you tinkle your toes in it, it will suck you in and throw you into the spin cycle. 

  Here are a few lessons from the day: 

1.) I asked Joe Ricard how he was shooting. He told me he was having a good day. I picked their cards up off a stool and looked at the cards. I noticed everyone in the group was consistent. They were all staying in the 10 for the most part. They all had some 8s and 11s mixed in. I was happy to see that they had a battle going in their own group for the top spot. Everyone was within striking distance. It wasn't until later that I learned Joe had shot a zero. With his consistency, I never noticed it on the card or acknowledged it. We all have shot zeros, 5s, 8s, 10s, and 11s, and we will all shoot a lot more of them on our journeys. We just need to remember it's only one arrow. One arrow can't do us in, but a bad attitude after one arrow can affect us the rest of the day. I also saw that Jeremy was in the lead, although the gap was narrow. I whispered some encouragement into his ear as I walked away. They had about 7 targets left and I said, "Finish this off. You are a good finisher." You should always encourage people. Avoid the negative and put positive thoughts in their heads. If you believe you can do something and someone tells you that you can... it will happen. Believe in yourself. 

2.) Walter Muzzey made the journey to Guan Ho Ha from New Hampshire and came by himself. He did it because he wanted to shoot with George Connors, the guy whom many people believe is the man to beat when he's on his game. I watched Wally shoot his first target of the day, and I remembered seeing myself in his shoes. He shot a five on that first target, and I asked him afterward if it was from nerves. He told me it was from nerves. He was jacked up and really nervous. He put himself in an awkward place by shooting with one of the best in his class. This class is just brutal. Almost everyone in it can lay it down, Wally included, but nerves got to him. Yes, nerves get all of us. Wally didn't let it bother him. He get refocused and tried crawling out of the hole the rest of the day. He almost made it back to even, and he only shot three 8s the rest of the way out. That's some great shooting when you're shooting in a group with one of the best shooters out there and you know that man has won almost everything there is to win in his region. So what's the moral of the story? Shoot with people who are better than you or at your same level. This will bring your concentration to another level, and it will expose you to nerves that you don't normally feel. It's an awkward feeling when you're finally shooting with that guy whom you strive to beat. Then, you realize he's just like you. 

  The boys from Massachusetts were all shooting together. Unlike Wally, these guys were all in the same class and they all want to win. Although they might be slightly more relaxed, they still have the pressure to beat each other. Everyone wants to win. So they challenged themselves and all put up good scores because of the internal pressure between them. Try these things and it will help you get better. 

  I'm off to West Virginia this week. We'll see how it goes. This is where we find out if we've prepared properly. Good luck to anyone who is going.