As most of you know who follow this, I've had some issues lately with figuring out what bow I wanted to shoot in Ohio. In the end, I was left with no choice. I had to shoot my backup bow, my Evoke 35se. After changing the strings on my Supra Focus, I just couldn't get it back to where I felt 100% confident with it. Although my shot feels much better with that bow, the groups were inconsistent and the draw length just feels a hair off. I couldn't put a finger on the issue, so I had to make a choice. Going into Tuesday afternoon, I still wasn't sold on my choice. That's when the lightbulb went off and I figured things out. While shooting with Jacob, I was shooting really well but getting some really low impacts on my bad shots. We figured it out and realized my draw length was a hair short. After changing it when Jacob left, my hold became rock solid and my shots were much better as I went longer into the hold. On my last 10 practice targets on a tough range at home, I hit seven 11s. I was ready.
Practice Day
After battling severe weather on the drive to the tournament, we got there in time to have a solid practice round. I shot with Sara, Jason and Rob on the practice range. I shot a really solid round, and we shot some bombs. My shots broke smoothly, and my numbers were good. After finishing the round, we traveled around town and went to the Rocky outlet in Nelsonville. Dad bought some boots, and I looked things over but didn't find anything that I felt I needed to buy.
When we finished shopping, I met up with Jacob and shot the second half of the practice range. I had lost my interest from earlier in the day, but I still got off the range OK. When I packed the bow up and put it in the truck, I felt ready for the next morning.
Day 1
Being in the second peer group, I knew the four of us had a hill to climb to gain any ground on the first group, but I also knew that anything is possible on any given day. I found myself sharing a stake with Digger Cogar, John Vozzy and Jeff Kirkland. When I arrived at the stake, I saw a caribou at the end of the lane. I dialed my sight to the general area and waited for the round to begin. When the horn sounded, arrows began flying. Being the last shooter in my group, I got a general feel for the distance by listening to the other shooters' arrows as they flew toward the target.
Even though it was a large target, my heart was still going pretty good when I drew the bow. The pin sat down nicely and my shot broke on the first attempt. The arrow landed perfectly above the 11.... off to a good start. While shooting the next few targets, I felt my breath getting shallow, so I recalled a memory from 1999 when I used to go to meditation classes. The class instructor told me to sit down on my stool while at archery events to meditate between shots. So over the next few targets, I sat in my chair while others were shooting and began doing that.
As we plodded along, my shots were a little choppy but seemed to be hitting OK. When I came upon a bedded doe set at the bottom of a steep hill, the target set immediately made me think of the same exact shot I've shot at my house for the last 30 years. I usually put a grazing doe in my lane, but this would be different with a bedded animal. When I drew my bow, I couldn't get the pin to settle and it drifted to the right when it fired. Instantly, I knew I gave up an opportunity to gain points on a shot I've shot a zillion times. I failed miserably on the opportunity, so I moved on and let it go.
Realizing I was quickly digging myself into a hole early in the round, I took a step back before shooting the next target. I talked to the little guy sitting on my shoulder and told him it was time to leave. While at full draw, he flicked me in the ear and tried his best to have me join his party. It took all I had inside to break a decent shot and flick the little man into the bushes. After flicking him into the bushes, I covered him up with some leaves. I didn't have any pity for leaving him homeless. I knew he would latch onto another victim as soon as he could get the leaves off from himself.
Once I kicked the gremlin into the leaves, I felt a calmness come over me and I let the Todd I know come out. My aim became steadier and my shots became less choppy upon release. I began compiling 10s and 11s while trying to make up the ground I had caused myself to lose earlier in the round.
When I got to target 17, I was happy to know I only had a few targets left for the day, and I was sitting in good shape. I figured if I executed a couple of good shots, I would finish no less than even. When I drew on the turkey, the appearance of it in my scope unnerved me. For some reason, the target looked huge. My pin had sat down nicely the entire round, and for some reason, I couldn't get the pin to sit down. Although I only shoot a 3x scope, the sight picture looked like I had a 10x in the scope housing. Unable to settle un my first three attempts, I knew the shot had to go on my fourth draw. Once again, the pin wouldn't settle and I went beyond my shot window. Knowing I would have to take a zero, I tried with all of my might to stave off the bearded red gremlin that had raced back down the road and jumped into my ear. He pulled my hair, stuck his finger in my ear and yelled into my soul to join him... and I did. I hadn't sold him my soul; he had taken control of it. I walked away from the target with a 5 on the scorecard. I had earned and deserved the 5.
I cupped him in my hand and threw him across the road. As he howled in laughter at me, I smiled and walked to the next target. I whistled Charlie Daniels' song in my head. The little devil gave me his best shot and I took it. Now, it was my turn. I drew my bow and executed a perfect shot on a bomb of an antelope and walked off the course with a 198 for the day. I was sitting in fourth place after the first round. I whispered to him as I walked up the road, "Come on back if you ever want to try it again you son of a bitch."
Day 2
Going into the second day, I was comfortable knowing our group wasn't going to change much. We lost Vozzy and gained Loren Robinson. It was awesome shooting in both of my groups. I never could have asked for better guys to shoot with. It always makes it much more enjoyable when you're shooting with people who support you and make it easy. We had a great time both days.
Like the first day, we started off on a big target, and once again, I was the last shooter in the group. Once again, I made a good shot on the first target and hit it just above the 11-ring for a 10.
When we made the turn, I saw a fallow deer that was placed in an awesome setting. It was down a narrow, thick lane and placed at the bottom of a rock facing. The target looked big to me, but the ground told me a different story. Being a target judger, I knew the yardage from looking at it. Unfortunately, I didn't trust my gut and made my first mistake of the day. The arrow landed just outside the 10 ring at 11 o'clock and high. I earned the 8 I had to write on the card.
A few targets later, I saw my second grazing doe of the day. Heck, I had just shot at one a few targets earlier. However, this one was a considerably longer distance than the previous one. As I bobbled around during my hold, the bow fired right when I was thinking about giving up on the shot and starting over. I let out a "Oh, crap," when the bow fired. Luckily the arrow found it's way into the 8-ring and barely missed the 10. It was sitting less than 1/4 inch out of the 10 at 6 o'clock.
After that episode, I stuck the truck in cruise control and tried shooting good shots. I made my way through the round and escaped any serious damage. I picked up 11s as I went and felt good until we ran into a rough stretch that started with a long, downhill bedded buck. My arrow landed in the bottom of the 10-ring, and I felt good to escape with that 10 on my card, especially when I walked up to the next target, a lynx. This is a shot of me studying the target before having to shoot at it.
Being the last shooter in the group, I tried to go to school after the others shot their arrows. I felt good about my number and tried my best to execute a good shot. The lynx is hard enough when it's at close range, but it gets even more difficult at longer yardages because it loses any definition it might have had at a closer distance.
When my shot broke, it felt like someone cut the string with a knife. It was a one of those perfect golf shots, and I was rewarded with an 11. Here's the shot.
He danced and sang in my brain for a two-target stretch, but I concentrated on my breathing and let his whispers subside into the bark on the trees. As he drifted in and out of my conscious thoughts, I tried my best to keep him hidden. Then, when I got to my last target of the day and had to lead it off, I knew I would probably be sitting pretty if I stuck an arrow in the 10-ring. Here's a picture of what was in front of me as I stood on the stake.
I'll be honest. I really struggled mentally on the last shot, and it was a pretty easy target in relative terms. I ended up escaping with a 3 o'clock 10. Then, the heavens let loose, the thunder clapped and heavy rain pelted us from above. By the time I got back to the truck, I had learned that I had earned a spot in the shootoff with Digger Cogar and Jeff Kirkland, with whom I had shot all weekend. We would be shooting with Tim Gillingham and Tony Tazza.
Day 2 top 5 #SeniorPro Archers at the International Bowhunting Organization 3rd leg of the Triple Crown
After 40 targets
Tim Gillingham +12
Tony Tazza -2
Jeff Kirkland -2
Todd Mead - 4
Harold Cogar -12
The Shootoff
When I got into the shootoff, the wind was gusting in bursts. As the time started on the first shot, I drew the bow and settled in. As my pin found its way to the 10-ring and I began pulling, the pin jolted downward and to the left. As I tried pushing it back toward the center, the release tripped due to my sudden movement to counteract the slight wind gust. Although the arrow struck the target, it didn't stick. I started off with a zero.
I wasn't overly worried about it and figured I would just try to execute the best shots I could shoot. I made a crisp shot on the strutting turkey that I encountered at the next station, and the arrow found it's way into the 10-ring. I felt good about the recovery and moved to station 1.
As I drew my bow on the boar, I felt extremely confident. The shot broke smoothly, and the arrow landed in the 11-ring. The shot was one of the best ones I made over the entire weekend, including my practice round.
Moving to the next station, I felt confident when I looked at the fallow deer. Once again, I executed a perfect shot. Without pulling my binoculars up, I thought I nailed the 11. I was disappointed when the scorers held the 10 card up, as I had barely missed the 11.
Going into the last target, I knew I had a two point lead to stay on the podium. If I 11d the target, I knew I would secure the spot. As I pulled through my shot, the pin drifted to the left and the shot fired before the pin had time to find its way back to the center. Looking at it, I was unsure if it made it into 10-ring. A few minutes later, the scorers held up the 10 card, and I knew I had secured the No. 3 spot on the podium. The fun was over.
Final Thoughts on the Weekend
I have to admit that, as a competitor, I felt bad for Jeff Kirkland. He plain and simply outshot me for the weekend, but he didn't land on the podium. He was the better archer for the entire tournament. Unfortunately, he's left-handed, and where his stake was located for the first target of the shootoff, his back was facing the target he should've been shooting, and his shooting position lined up directly with the fallow deer. He shot the wrong target by mistake and ended up falling a spot behind me due to the zero he was forced to take. My heart goes out to him, as he is a really nice guy and tough competitor. I always want to beat people at their best. I hope that Jeff and I get another chance to duel it out in the future and neither one of us runs into any circumstances that steer our ships off course. Congratulations, Jeff, on a fantastic weekend. It was a pleasure to shoot with you.
When I look back at the entire weekend, the only thing I can compare it to is getting your ass kicked in a boxing match. When I decided to shoot my Evoke 35, I knew I was going to struggle with getting my shot off. Although the bow aims extremely well, I'm not holding enough weight with it to get the shot off easily. I guess you could say I chose the good aim over the good shot for the weekend. I'm not sure if the choice was right or wrong, but I do enjoy being able to hold the bow steady while aiming.
By the time I got to the last target of the regular round on Sunday, I felt like a middleweight boxer who went the distance. When the arrow struck the last target in the 10-ring, I felt like the referee had just raised my arm after a decision. With gashes on my cheeks, a broken nose, blackened eyes and a dribble of blood coming from my mouth, I let him raise my lifeless arm for victory. I had sustained the beating I gave to myself and ended up in the dance. The victory for me was with withstanding the round.
Once in the shootoff, I felt like I had nothing to lose. Then, when I got the zero, I went back to the last thing I went over in my mental rehearsal before leaving for Ohio. The last thing I wrote in my journal was, "I'm a podium finisher in the Senior Pro class because I have the ability to overcome any obstacle I encounter."
When I encountered the obstacle (the zero), I just moved on. I had already been there and done that in my mind. In all honestly, it never fazed me. I paid no attention. It was almost like the practice shot I took at the 30 yard bags in the morning with my dad and Jeff Wagoner. I pounded the black dot at 40 yards for four ends in a row. Then, I walked to the 30 yard bag to shoot one last arrow. As I was settling in, I lost back tension and sent the arrow sailing over the bag. That's the way it goes sometimes. Two misses in one day. I've missed plenty in the past, and I'll miss plenty in the future. There's no sense getting all wigged out over and arrow or two. We are all human.
While there are far too many friends who did an incredible job over the weekend to mention, I'd like all of you to know that I'm proud of you. You guys all make me want to be better. I appreciate all of your support and encouragement, and it makes me want to go to another level for you. I hope you guys are as proud to be from our region as I am. I love bragging about you guys. Congratulations to all of the triple crown winners and shoot winners.
My incredible performance of the weekend goes to my longtime friend Darrin Christenberry. What he has done in a month's time is beyond amazing. I admire his tenacity, competitive desire and willpower to succeed. After deciding to change from right-handed to left handed, he found himself near the top of the leaderboard on Saturday and had another solid round on Sunday. I've always respected Darrin and wish more people in the sport would follow the example he sets. He's the perfect professional in my eyes. I will be cheering him on as he becomes more familiar with his new side of shooting. I was told by three orthopedic surgeons that I would never be able to shoot a bow again after surgery, and I decided I would do everything I could to make them liars. I achieved that. If you ever think you can't something, there will almost always be alternatives. Seek them out and experience different things before calling it quits. Darrin and I have walked similar but different paths to where we found ourselves this weekend.
I'm also thankful that my buddy John Vozzy is still with us. He fell asleep behind the wheel on the way home and escaped the reaper, who must not have been quite ready to take him. Always be careful while driving to and from the tournaments and make sure you are rested. Rest up, Vozz.
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