Although I headed to the national ASA Pro-Am in Kentucky for the weekend, I was disappointed that I couldn't shoot the Massachusetts Senior Games, the RBD or the Massachusetts IBO State Championship. Not having been to a national ASA in 15 years, I didn't know what to expect. Then again, the last one I shot before that one 15 years ago was in the early 2000s. I guess you could say time has gotten away from me.
People who have never gone to an ASA have always asked me my opinion on the tournaments, and after this weekend, I still have generally the same opinion I used to have on them. That is the reason I prefer shooting in IBO tournaments. I've never been able to fathom how they organize the range assignments.
In the old days, the team shoot was always held on the same identical range that at least one class would be shooting in the real event. Therefore, anyone who shot in the team event was basically shooting an "unmarked" range the following day for their real tournament score. After being on a team and discussing the yardage, these people would be competing against people who hadn't shot in the team event. I guess it just gave incentive to participate in the team shoot. I just always thought it was unfair from a competitive viewpoint. Half the people on the course already knew the yardage if they participated in the team event.
So this weekend, although that didn't happen, I shot on a range the second day that the Known Pro class had competed on the day prior. At this day in age, I can't understand how there are two classes on the same range and one is known and the other is unknown and the known shoots it first. You can say what you want, but it doesn't take long for word to travel about how far certain shots are on the course. Granted, the stakes could have been changed but I still think it's something that should be avoided. There's simply too much on the line for this to be considered ethical.
OK, now that that little rant is over, I'll move on to the shoot.
Practice Day
The drive to Kentucky didn't seem too terribly bad. When we arrived, we hopped out of the truck and began shooting some arrows at the practice butts. My arrows hit behind the pin, and I felt confident with my shot. Although I had been sick since Tuesday, I didn't feel too terribly bad. I was weak, light-headed and a little dizzy. I could still feel he congestion in my chest and a nagging headache persisted as we walked toward the 3D practice range.
While waiting in line for about 40 minutes to get onto the range, we listened to all sorts of entertaining conversations. I often wonder if people listen to what they actually say. Some conversations go in all sorts of crazy directions, but almost always the conversations revolve around all of the negative things in someone's archery game. If more people focused on the positive, we would probably have more great archers out there. When people always want to tell you about the negative things, it reinforces those things in the shooters' minds. It creates a never-ending cycle that's hard to escape. I challenge all of you who normally follow this to talk about any one positive thing you encountered next time someone asks you how your day went.
After getting onto the range and progressing up the road, I realized I was going to have to climb a really steep hill to survive the weekend. My sickness and cold had left me extremely weak. We shot nine targets on the practice range, and I managed to only shoot two 10s on the nine targets. I couldn't hold well and my shot wasn't relaxed and powerful like I like it to be.
First Day of Scoring
When I woke up the first morning of the tournament, I didn't feel well at all. I almost felt as if my cold was reaching its climax. I also hoped that being in the high heat all day would burn it out of me. My shots weren't the best on the target butt and I hit a little low but not super low. I knew it was because I was feeling weak. As people piled into the area around the butts, the staff set up a chronograph for people to shoot through. I worked hard at getting my bow to go 294 for this tournament. I figured I would be all set and have room to spare. I turned the limbs down a turn for the shoot and it did the trick. Well, when I shot my first arrow through the chronograph, it went 299. Great... that's all I need. Then, I decided I needed to shoot all of my arrows through the chronograph. I had 10 arrows in my chair and shot all of them separately. When all was said and done, that first arrow was the only one that went through the graph too fast. The rest of them fell between 293-297. A few others shot through the graph and said it was a few feet faster than their chronographs too. I've never been a fan of outdoor lighting for chronographs. I've seen these situations give a lot of variations. I've always used mine inside with a light kit on it. Unfortunately, in my rush, I never separated my arrows when I put them back into my stool so at the end of my trial, I was no further ahead. I still had the one arrow in there somewhere. It just sucks to have that on your mind. Thankfully, I knew it wouldn't matter after the end of the day.
After drawing cards on the first target, I was selected to lead it off. It was a lynx that was set behind a huge tree. The diameter of the tree definitely played into the picture when judging the distance. After setting my sight and feeling confident I drew my bow. Being the first target of my return to the ASA, I held a little longer than normal and didn't get out of it when I should have. Struggling with the lighting and being weak, I made a weak shot... and it wasn't good. I knew as soon as the shot broke that I needed a higher power to save the arrow from ricocheting through the woods. When I heard foam, I was happy. Sometimes, one shot can set the tone for the day and other days it will help you to refocus. In my head, I knew I had shot plenty of fives in my life, and I'll shoot plenty more in the years of archery I have in front of me. A five is no big deal... it happens.
Moving to the second target, I felt good when I saw a deer at the other end of the lane. The number stuck out to me, and I knew I would stroke it. Being the last shooter, I listened to all of the arrows that were shot in front of me. The sound confirmed the number I had picked, and I couldn't wait to shoot it. I knew I would be able to get back a few of the points I had just dropped.
When the shot fired, it barely caught foam in the belly. Once again, I didn't have the strength to execute a great shot. Instantly, I realized that I needed to pay close attention to the feeling in my back during my setup. I couldn't afford to leak any pressure at all, and I needed to make sure all areas of my shot were locked and loaded.
After making the adjustment, I made a goal to somehow get back to even. I had no idea what was in front of me, but I know it only takes one arrow to start a streak. My third arrow of the day landed directly in the 12-ring, and I knew I had a chance to plug away at the early deficit I had put myself in. From the third target through my 14th target of the day, I stayed in the 10-ring and found another 12. With six targets left for the day, I knew I had a chance of getting back to even.
That's when all the wheels on the bus went flat and I had to keep from falling out of the emergency door. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I realized it when Jacob and I got back to the truck. I just hit the wall at target 14. With my body fighting the cold I had battled for the week, I just didn't have anything left in the tank. I lost my focus and my strength and everything went out the door. I had survived the round to the best of my ability. I wasn't happy with the end result, dropping 11 points in the last five shots, but for the things I battled during the day, I knew I couldn't ask for much more. Some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield. I was certainly the bug on that day.
Day 2
I knew the first day wasn't good, and I had earned the right to start near the bottom of the pack the second day. It's kind of like NASCAR racers. They don't always finish at the top. They encounter a lot of disappointing situations throughout the year. If they hit the wall, blow a tire, or lose an engine, they just start working toward the next week. You're only as good as your next finish. There's no sense in beating yourself up for a bad one. The winner of the Daytona 500 doesn't win or even place in every race of the season. You just have to keep putting the work in and accept the bumps along the way.
I had a good group of guys for the second day, and we started on a long, uphill coyote. Once again, I felt confident with my number. Once again, I made a really weak shot with a good number and barely caught foam. The 7:30 start time combined with the restless night brought me back to where I had been nearly 24 hours earlier. Again, I made it my goal to dig out of the hole. By target 10, I had gotten back to three down and felt good about my chances.
As we neared the last few targets of the round, I could feel myself going to the place I ended up in the day before. Combined with some difficult lighting conditions and not feeling the best, I lost a few points at the end of the round and ended up a nine down. For everything that went on, I guess I have to take it on the chin and move on. There's a very fine line between shooting a great score and shooting a great round. I shot a very good round, but you would never know it by looking at the scorecard. That's why scores don't really matter when you're telling people about your performance. A handful of weak shots over the course of two days showed up on my card, and I paid the price. That's the way it works sometimes.
Jacob Makes the Shootoff
After finishing my round, I searched for Jacob. When I found him, I saw that he was on his last target... a 50-yard wolverine. Watching through my binoculars, I saw the arrow land in the 12 when his shot broke. I was really excited for him. Watching the leaderboard about 20 yards to my right, I knew that shot secured him a place in the top five.
I'm still not sure how he was able to keep it together through the regular round and the shootoff. When we got up in the morning, he informed me that his grandfather had died. There's not much you can do as a friend at that point, other than offer your support and try to keep his mind busy. I tried to keep it light and not talk about what he was going through. I think if the mind can sometimes find peace in another place, if even momentarily, it better serves a person who is suffering. I"m not sure if I did the right or wrong thing, I just did what I thought to be the best thing.
We hung out after our round and went onto Dad's range to watch him shoot. With 10 targets left, Dad was sitting at 12 up for the day. Unfortunately, he ran out of gas too and took a huge tumble. He just doesn't have the stamina that he used to have. This disease has surely taken its toll on him, and it hasn't been fun to watch. I'd gladly take what he has battled and add it to my battle with Type 1 diabetes if it could help return him to his former self. Things that seemed so easy a year and a half ago are now more difficult than I ever imagined they would be for the toughest man I've ever known. He has the strength, determination and courage of a lion, so I know he faces the challenge head-on and will continue battling it.
Jacob started the shootoff on the large deer and felt confident with his number. After he made the shot, he told me he couldn't believe how nervous he felt. We both laughed a little bit and I asked if he was as nervous as when he's in the shootoffs indoors. He told me they were a lot easier because they were closer and he knows how far the target is so he can't see the movement. We had a good laugh about it and moved to the next target, the strutting turkey.
While holding the umbrella, I could tell he made a great shot, but he just missed the 12. Moving to the wolverine, we were pretty sure he would get it. He broke a great shot and barely missed it. Meanwhile, we saw that Chris Hacker had shot an 8 on the turkey. We talked about the next shot, the chamois, and decided if he got it, he would be in really good shape. He broke another perfect shot and hit behind the pin. We both thought he had it. Once again, he barely missed it. He just couldn't buy a break. At the same time, Hacker shot a 14 on the wolverine, putting him back ahead of Jacob by a point. I figured if Jacob got a 12 on the pig, he would probably get by Hacker. Once again, he couldn't find any luck and had to settle for a 10.
When the dust cleared, Jacob had once again earned himself a fourth place at another national shoot. Hopefully, he will get that little break that he needs to get over the hump. His mental game this weekend was far better than anything I've ever experienced while watching anyone else. With the load on his shoulders that could crack most people, he found a way to grind it out.
Congratulations, Jacob. I'm proud of you and we are all thinking about you and your family this week while you cherish the memories of your grandfather and say goodbye to him. There is no doubt in my mind that you made (and have made) him very proud of you.
My Final Thoughts
This weekend was really tough on me. I really wasn't prepared, and I didn't put a lot of effort into this ASA. I'm glad I went so my dad could participate in the tournament. The last thing he did before he became deathly ill was participate in the Foley ASA last year. It has been a really tough year and a half since that tournament, and we have experienced things that we never saw coming. It just shows you that you need to live every moment as if it's your last one. I never imagined seeing what I've experienced over the last year, but it gives me a tremendous amount of pride to look at my dad and see everything he has been able to overcome. The doctors had all but ruled him out, and he has continued battling and showing everyone that mental strength is everything. Thank you, Dad, for everything you've done for me and given to me. Hopefully, you keep improving and find a way to get your strength back.
My plans for next weekend's IBO are up in the air right now. We found out that my mom has to have a heart catheterization this week, so I'll have to see how that goes. If I make it to the second leg this weekend, I'll do the best I can. If I can't make it, it's because my attention was needed elsewhere. Archery is something I like to do. My family is something I can never replace.
Although I don't ever like to blame anything on my performances, I simply didn't feel well this week. I was sick and very weak. It didn't help my mental game or my physical self. I did the best I could and took it on the chin. In all reality, I still finished in the middle of the pack, and I don't think I'll shoot that poorly again. The entire weekend was a battle. I know I won't be going to anymore ASA shoots this year, so I'm glad I was able to return to the arena and be there when Jacob made the shootoff. Hopefully, he's able to shoot many more of them in the future and find the success that he deserves. While I got beaten badly this weekend, this is how I feel about moving forward after this event.....
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