Annual Royalston Team Money Shoot

   The last few weeks since getting back from the IBO World Championship have been unlike most of the time I've spent behind the bow for the last four months. Although I shot a few rounds in preparation for the Maine Senior Games, I really didn't put much into it. Since I decided to shoot the same bow at the team shoot this weekend as I shot at the Maine Senior Games, I didn't know what to expect. The bow shot great at the team shoot last year, which was the last time I had shot it. I expected it would be the same this year. With all of the rain we've had recently, I wasn't able to get much practice in on marked yardage. I was fairly certain my marks were good, so I headed to the shoot on Saturday morning and felt confident about it. 

  When we got to the stop sign next to the club, we saw George Connors and Todd Sargent cruise by us and pull into the driveway in front of us. It's always nice to see people who share the same passion heading to the same place. It made me smile to see them drive by us, as they also had about a three hour trip to get there. 

  Friday night didn't leave me much time to sleep. I went to my camp after work on Friday and marched all through the woods to do some scouting, By the time I got home, got packed, took a shower and settled down, it was midnight. Dad and I left for the shoot at about 4:30 a.m. and I had a restless night of sleep and probably only got two hours of actual sleep. 

                           The Practice Butt

  As usual, most people were warming up when we pulled into the annual shoot. It's always great to end our year at this shoot that Shawn Couture puts on. It's a great way to say goodbye to that year's 3D season and head into hunting season. The shoot is always relaxing and fun. 

  I decided to shoot a few arrows at the 40 yard bale and was satisfied to see all of my arrows land in one of the tiny dots. Luckily, the arrows were stacked in the one I was aiming at. As we waited for the woods to get a little lighter, we shot some more arrows. Jacob was stacking arrows at 60 yards like most people stack them during 10-yard practice drills. I continued shooting groups at 30 and 40 and felt good about my shot. 

                          The First Half

  As we marched across the field toward Target 16, we could see that there were some groups backed up at the beginning. The humidity was oppressive and our clothes were instantly drenched. I never sweat much, but I could feel sweat running down my spine and legs. It was an uncomfortable feeling. 

  Jacob and I have never started well at this shoot and wanted to see what we could do to put that behind us. When we got out of the gate with a solid 14 on a mid-range antelope, we felt good about our chances. 

  The walk to the second target was long, and the humidity beat on me. It felt like someone was holding a blanket over my head in a sauna. I could feel the sweat pouring off my back and soaking my shirt and pants. My shirt began clinging to my skin as if I had just been caught in a heavy downpour. 

  Looking at my insulin pump, I saw that my blood glucose level was causing some of the issues. It was already at 50 and heading down, which blurs my vision, gives me the shakes and causes dizziness. I began dumping Gatorade down my throat to offset the low blood sugar. I knew it would take at least 15 minutes to have an effect, and I didn't want my blood to rebound and go through the roof. It's a fine line I have to walk during many tournaments: one that nobody can truly understand unless he or she is a Type 1 diabetic. 

  After waiting a few minutes, it was finally my turn to shoot at a little Rinhart bear on a stump. It was about 35 yards away from the stake. When I drew the bow, I couldn't hold steady or see any clear definition on the target to know I was aiming in the right spot.  I used a 3X scope all year with a big peep, but I had a small peep and a 5X scope for this tournament so I could see the 70 yard targets more clearly. The black bear in the dark hole, combined with my low blood sugar, made it almost impossible to see. When my shot broke, I had no idea what to expect. Jacob told me it was in the 10-ring at 6 o'clock........ wshewww, escaped that one. Jacob followed me and had the same issues seeing it. He couldn't see the pink dot that well because of the lighting and ended up hitting just to the right of the 14. Although it was a close target, we felt fortunate to walk away from it without dropping any points. Sometimes in these shoots, the targets that seem like they should be the easiest end up being the hardest. 

  The next target, an old delta pig with a 10-ring about the size of a tuna can, presented some anxiety. It was a bomb and there was no doubt that some teams would definitely be losing points on this one. I can't remember the exact distance, but I know it was in that 60-yard range. 

  As the sweat continued pouring down my back, I could feel my heart beating in my temples. It was an uncomfortable feeling... the pitfalls of dealing with a lifelong illness while doing one of the things I love the most: shooting my bow. 

  When I drew the bow, the pin settled nicely and I felt good about the sight picture. When the shot finally broke, I knew I had it. The pin was rock solid and the shot was flawless -- 11. When we walked away from that target with a +1 for it, we felt good about it and talked about it. 

 That target started a roll for us and we both clicked on all cylinders. I felt like we were unstoppable. In all of the years we have shot, we never really clicked simultaneously. We've always had ebbs and flows and we have gone back and forth.

  The next target was a long, uphill spike buck in that 50-yard range if I remember correctly. I always forget marked yardage numbers because I never have to work to get the number, so I just kind of forget them. I just shoot my bow after I click the rangefinder. It was a tough shot, being that it was uphill and long. Once again, my pin sat like a rock until the release broke free from the loop. I knew I had it... 11. Jacob missed the 14 just a hair to the right. He was getting dialed, and I knew it was just a matter of time before he started pounding them. His bow was so steady during his aiming process that it looked like it was hanging on a bow rack.

  As we approached the next target, a mountain lion, set straight uphill in that 60-yard range, I felt good about my chances. I had shot my mountain lion earlier in the week at about 64 yards and centered it after misdialing my sight  by 10 yards and sending an arrow into the dirt on my first attempt. 

  When I came to full draw, I felt really good about my aim. The pin locked onto a small piece of foam on the right side of the 11 and the shot fired... 11. A few seconds later, Jacob followed me up with an inside out 14, and we were finally on a roll. 

  I believe the next target was a large McKenzie, and Jacob and I joked about the one he hit in the plastic leg at the ASA Pro-Am in Kentucky this year on the first day. It was about in the same range, mid to high 40s and uphill. Fortunately, this one didn't have the plastic legs. 

  When my pin hit the center on this one, it wanted to sit in the 11-ring, and sit it did. When the shot broke, it felt like someone had taken a pair of scissors and cut the string while I was at full draw. The arrow instantly appeared inside out in the 11-ring. Once again, Jacob followed with an inside out 14. 

  Moving to the mini backyard coyote, we both laughed. It looked about the size of a chipmunk. I had a great aiming spot, and the arrow hit directly behind the pin... 11. When my arrow hit it, the insert pushed through the back, so I had to pull the arrow out so Jacob could see the 14-ring. The force of my arrow hitting the target had made the 14 disappear into the core like a whackamole getting pounded by the plastic hammer at the carnival. Well, Jacob whack-a-moled that 14, too. Inside, I knew we had never had a showing like this, and I also knew we had been on point this year. We were finally going to both perform at the top of our ability spectrum... both of us... and it felt incredible. 

  I'm not sure, but I think the next target was a razorback boar, one of my favorite targets, and I knew I would get it.  After 11ing it, Jacob followed with another 14. Neither one of us could miss. Unfortunately, my blood was still sitting at 50 and not climbing. With the heat and humidity, I just couldn't get it to come up. I knew I would be encountering problems if I couldn't fix it. That's when I ate a blueberry Nutrigrain bar and prayed it wouldn't make my blood go through the roof in the next hour. 

  That's when we got to the dreaded power line shot. You never know what's coming when you get there every year, but you know it's not going to be good. That's when we saw a rising boar in front of a huge boulder, and it was at about 65-67 yards if I remember correctly. 

  I had a terrible time trying to find a spot to aim. I just couldn't see it well, and being unfamiliar with the target, I felt uncomfortable. When my shot finally broke, I felt good about it. It was a good shot. When the arrow struck, we didn't know if it caught the 10 at 6 o'clock. It was either touching the line or breathing on it. It was so close we just couldn't be sure, so Jacob decided to try to shoot a safe 10, especially at that distance. The 14 was pretty hard to see. He picked me up and smoked the 11. 

  Going to the next target, my shakes were back and my head was pretty fuzzy. I was having a really hard time seeing, but I plowed through it. I didn't want to pound more Gatorade because I had just eaten the blueberry bar. When I aimed at the Delta brown bear, I felt good about it and the shot felt good. Unfortunately, it hit low and out of the 10-ring. I couldn't figure out how it could've hit there, but I also knew I didn't feel well, no matter how well I was trying to hide it. My strength was fading quickly. Jacob picked me up with a 10. I couldn't wait to get off the course so we could take a little break. 

  I stayed in the 10 ring the rest of the way, but most of my arrows were hitting at 6 o'clock in the 10-ring. I continued shooting a perfect line, but the low arrows were beginning to worry me. 

  I added a few yards to the elk and felt confident I smoked it when the shot broke. The arrow also struck low in the 10-ring, and it was a perfect shot. Jacob went on a tear during my low 10 streak. Luckily, we didn't need any 11s with him pounding every 14. Here's the 14 on the elk he shot at 70 yards. Amazingly, when he shot the arrow, he asked if he got the top of it. When we told him he had gotten the top of it, he told us that's where the pin was when the shot fired.........yes, at 70 yards and sure enough, the arrow was sitting right at the top of a quarter-sized dot. It was one of those WTF.... for real type of moments. When you're shooting with a world-class shooter who is on his game, there is nothing that can compare. It should be every archers' dream to witness what George, Wade and I witnessed on Saturday. It was nothing short of phenomenal.  Over my time behind a bow, I've shot with some of the greatest the game has ever known, and I have never seen another person shoot a bow like Jacob shot his bow on this day.

  After the elk, I missed the mule deer by setting my sight incorrectly. It was one of my best shots of the day, and I knew it was going in the 11 if my low streak didn't continue. Highly disappointed, because Jacob could't miss a 14, we had to settle for a 10 on the target because of a huge mental error I made. My mental capacity was as weak as my body. I just didn't win the battle I was fighting. We walked off the first half at +39. We had both finally put a round together that equaled our abilities, and it felt awesome. We both knew we were within reach of our +80 goal. 

  

  I went to the practice bags to figure out my sudden low issues. I was hitting low, so Jacob and I moved my pointer about two yards. It made me uncomfortable, but I knew something had to be done. I was shooting too well to suddenly be hitting low. However, I still couldn't get my blood to come up. Heading onto the second half, my blood was still in the high 40s... keep in mind that you can go into a coma at 30. I've had diabetes so long, I really don't recognize the symptoms anymore. 

   

                                 Second Half

    After walking across the field to the first target, I wasn't too happy when I saw a Catalina goat in the woods. I knew I wouldn't be able to see it with the sighting combination I had on my bow. George led it off and smoked an 11. When I drew my bow, my prediction came true. I couldn't see any part of the target. I tried everything I could but nothing worked. Finally, I took my scope out and tried shooting with just a pin. That didn't work either. I still couldn't see it and shot an 8. Jacob picked me up and shot a 10. 

  

  Moving to the next target, a large deer, I felt confident and shot an 11 on the long, uphill shot. Jacob followed with an inside out 11. 

  

 I really struggled through the rest of the targets on the left side of the road. Most of the shots were uphill, and my blood problems had finally settled in and taken effect. I became weak and my mind was somewhat hazy. I became irritable and moody. I felt like I had been transported back in time to my early 20s when my blood sugar levels had the same effects before I eventually became numb to them. I'm not sure why those mood swings came out again, but they did. I'm not proud of it, but they come from a disease I had no choice over acquiring. The irritability lasted until we got to the turn and started heading back down the other side of the road. I got a second wind and started putting the arrows where they needed to be again. I apologize to anyone whom I may have been rude to during that stretch. It's something that cannot be controlled while dealing with low blood, so please don't take it personally. I also thought I was having a hard time shooting my bow on the uphill shots but realized it was just due to what I was facing. I had pounded all of the long uphill shots on the first half, so it definitely wasn't a draw length issue like I thought it might have been while shooting the second half. 

  When we got to the field and the last three targets, I felt good when I looked at the standing bear, leopard and wolf. I figured we would finish it off in style. 

  Although my rangefinder read about 3 yards more than everyone else's on the standing bear, I still trusted mine, even though it didn't agree with the card on the stake. I set the sight, drew the bow, settled in, and made an absolute perfect shot. I expected Jacob to tell me I had smoked the 11-ring. When he gave me that one-off look, I was somewhat stunned. Then, looking at the arrow dead high above the 10 ring, I knew the rangefinder hadn't done its job. I've never had an issue with it, but I had multiple strange numbers with it during the shoot. I'm not sure if the humidity led to it or if the unit has finally run its course. After all, it is just shy of 30 years old. Maybe it's finally time to upgrade. The way Jacob was shooting, I knew he would've gotten the bear. The pink dot looked huge on that particular target, and it presented a great aiming spot. I felt like I let him down way too often at this shoot, but that would be the last time I felt that way for the day. I wish I could've continued through the entire shoot like I had been shooting through the first 10 targets.

  After we 14d the leopard, we got to the final target and wanted to end it in style. When I drew on the wolf, my pin settled nicely, and I executed the best shot I made all day. The arrow landed inside out on the 11, and I felt really good about the end, especially considering the internal battle I had to face for 3/4 of the day. Jacob followed my lead and drilled the 14.........allowing us to finish at 77 up.....a 377. What a day!! We broke our all-time high of 72 up. 

                      My Short Take on the Day

  I could never truly tell anyone what it was like to witness what I witnessed on Saturday. Luckily, I'm able to shoot with a world-class archer almost every weekend or during the week. It gives me motivation to get better, even at my young age of 52. I love watching Jacob shoot, and I admire his drive and determination. Success is hard-earned, even though you think he doesn't practice like you. He practices harder than you will ever know. He earns everything he achieves. Work harder. No one will ever outwork him, so you need to just work the hardest you can. Use him as an example.

  What Jacob did throughout the day made it seem like I was watching a fantasy cartoon. It seemed as if he was a new cartoon character who could do nothing wrong. He made two shots he didn't like and both of those shots still led to an arrow in the 14 ring. He was like the Roadrunner and the rest of the field became the Wiley coyote. It was inspiring, stunning and flat-out amazing to watch. Wade, George and I rooted him on every time he pulled his bow back. We encouraged him to keep pounding, and he obliged, even when George was telling the story of when he was 5 '6' and layed a guy out who was 6 '3'. Imagine that, George Connors was 5 '6' when he graduated from high school. Jacob had to let down during that story. It's the little things that make a great day and that target was a memory maker because of George's story and Jacob letting down to say he wanted to hear how the story ended. 

  I received a lot of congratulatory messages, and I'm always thankful for them. I"m also not sure what people think about us as teammates. I know in the past I heard a lot of stuff about the two of us being partners and a lot of people trashed me. I laughed because I enjoy being the underdog. I just hope after watching what transpired this year on the national level, that many of these people are now able to see that I can perform at an elite level against the best the sport has to offer and hold my own. Putting me in that arena and watching Jacob do what he always does should make it easy to understand why we work well as a team. We support each other and back each other up when we need to. Last year, Jacob had some bow issues, so I did my best to make up for the difficulties we encountered. I shot 20 11s last year out of the 30 targets. This year, we encountered health issues with me, and Jacob had my back. It seems that over the years, both of us are able to hold the fort down while the other gets back on track. Jacob always offers his support and assures me that we will be okay; we just need to stay the course. I've shot with all sorts of people in team events over the years, and I've never had a partner who I feel as mentally in tune with as Jacob. He and I have a very similar mental approach, and I firmly believe that's what allows us to put up some huge numbers at times. Being mentally strong is almost more important than being a good shooter. An average shooter who is mentally stronger will succeed more than a great shooter who is mentally weak. We both work at this part of our game a lot. 

  I'll be giving my annual wrap-up sometime in the next few weeks. I hope you enjoyed this recap of the team money shoot. Feel free to sound off on your thoughts about your own day.