When I headed to Franklin, Pa., for the Second Leg of the IBO National Triple Crown, I didn't have high hopes going into it. Lately, I've struggled mightily with getting my setup to be forgiving. I have to be at my absolute best to record a good score. If I'm not, I have been paying the price... dearly. Last year, almost all of my arrows hit behind the pin, and my bad shots weren't too terribly bad. This year, the bad shots are scoring poorly and causing me to fall just out of the top five at every shoot. However, after last weekend, I believe I've found a course of action to follow to rectify some of these issues.
Day 1
When I looked at my target assignment, I was glad to see that I would be shooting with two long-term friends, Darrin Christenberry and Digger Cogar. All three of us started this journey at about the same time in the early '90s when national 3D archery tournaments were in their infancy. Along the way, we battled it out in a few different classes and found a mutual respect for each other. These are two of the very few guys whom I route for even though I'm shooting against them. If they succeed, I'm as happy for them as I am for myself if I have a few lucky days. Shooting with guys like this make it a lot easier to relax and have a good time.
As I walked down the roadway with Jacob to get to my first target, I was none too happy when I saw what I would be starting my day on... a bomb of a slightly uphill grazing doe. Although the distance didn't leave much to guess on, I knew it would be a tough shot to start due to early round jitters. The first target tends to be the worst one as far as any nerves running through the system and starting on one of the toughest targets on the range doesn't help.
When the horn sounded, I was ready to roll. Coming into anchor and settling the pin onto the target, the pin began dancing wildly through the midsection. Momentarily, it settled, then bounced up, dipped down and the string cut loose from my release. I knew the arrow was going to hit low, as the pin was low when the shot broke. Luckily, I caught a liner 10 at 6 o'clock. I wasn't complaining because I knew I had escaped a near disaster.
The rest of the day was hard to remember due to a variety of reasons, but I remember the entire day feeling like I was in a boxing match and trying to stay out of harm's way due to the inability to throw any punches. It took a beating in the corners of the ring, but I blocked the majority of the blows.
In the beginning of the round, things were clicking, and I was holding a perfect line on every target. Gradually, I began hitting a good distance to the right. I also shot a long mountain lion for the perfect number according to what everyone else shot it for, and hit under the 8-ring. It wasn't the best of shots, but it definitely didn't feel like it should have hit where it did. I was irritated and a tad bit pissed off that the outcome. In a stretch of about five targets, I dropped 12 points due to a shaky sight picture and less-than-perfect shots. However, I didn't feel like the shots were bad enough to lead me into a mess that would be hard to recover from.
As we neared the end of the day, the wind picked up and the trees were swaying wildly when we approached a turkey. I felt like I had a good number when I drew my bow to lead it off. When I hit full draw, I realized I was going to have to let down and turn the brightness up on my light, as the blue pin washed out on the target due to the sunlight hitting it.
When I hit anchor the second time, I could see the pin better and began pulling. When the shot fired, Digger told me I had gotten a liner 10. I was relieved to hear the news, and I walked back to my stool to take a breath and try to process everything that had gone one throughout the day.
When we finally arrived at our last target of the day, an uphill black bear, I felt confident I could end the day on a good note. However, I tried muscling through the shot when the pin was violently gyrating through the 10-ring, and I paid the price -- again. The arrow hit just right of the 10-ring, and the 8 got recorded on my card. I ended the day at 185 with only three 11s. It was not a day to write home about. However, Darrin lit it up and was the high score of the day in Senior Pro. He ended at 202. Everyone else in the group shot the same score as me, so it appeared we would be in the same group the next day.
That evening, we watched the Bowhunter Defense Shootoff because Joe Ricard was in it, and we wanted to cheer him on. We watched him stroke his first shot. He looked calm, in control and smooth. He looked like he had done this shootoff thing a zillion times. As he kept sending competitors home, he gained strength and seemed in the zone. It was fun to watch and cheer him on. In the end, he ended up shooting a high 10, and his competitor shot an arrow that was closer to the center, eliminating Joe.
Afterward, Joe said he couldn't believe how badly he was shaking. He said he was feeling the nerves pretty good, but he gained some confidence because he was still able to do his thing and score well even with all of the nerves coursing through his body. I guess now he knows what we go through when we're out there in the big shootoffs at the end of these things when everything is on the line. I'm not sure if I liked the old day when their weren't any shootoffs and the shoot was done after 40 or if I like the five-target round to determine the winner. I have had fun and got some good experience in the ones I've participated in, and I'll be pushing forward to get in another one soon. I'm definitely putting in the work, so we'll see what happens.
After we watched Joe in the shootoff, we headed to dinner to celebrate Jacob's birthday, and we had a great time. We spotted these two clowns outside the place where we decided to eat. We took it all in and watched them for a bit. They provided plenty of entertainment for all of us.
Day 2
Going into Day 2, I had no desire to shoot my bow. I hadn't felt well for the better part of the week, and when I woke up that morning, things were exactly peachy. I don't believe I ever took off any of my heavy clothes throughout the weekend due to a slight chill. I was trying to stay warm. I'm not sure if it was allergies bothering me or a cold.
When I got my target assignment on Day 2, I was glad to see I would be shooting with Larry Goza and Jeff Wagoner. Then, we got a last-minute add-on to our group when Digger got moved into our group. This made for one of the best days I've ever had on the range. We had a great time, and it was like we were shooting in the backyard on a Friday night. We laughed, joked and just relaxed. It was one of those groups that everyone wishes to be in.
Once again, I drew the worst target of the range to start on in my opinion. It was a bomb of a coyote in the near max yardage area... and we couldn't see it at all. It was 8:00 a.m., and the shadows were horrendous. I was the third shooter, and I watched Jeff lead it off by sending an arrow under it. He couldn't see it well and didn't have enough number on it. Digger was the next shooter, and he smoked it. When I heard his bow go off, I got a good idea how far the target was away from the stake and felt confident. When my shot broke, I knew it was going low. Luckily, like Day 1, target 1, my arrow landed in the bottom of the 10-ring with a less-than-stellar shot. I was ready for the rest of the day.
As we meandered through the course, I felt good about my shot but not my hold. When we came upon a nasty gator, I was somewhat concerned about my poor hold, but I knew if I powered through the shot when the pin hit the kill zone, I should be OK. I felt confident with the bomb number, even though I had heard a lot of people missing it before we got to it. When my shot broke, I was happy to see my arrow at the bottom of the 10-ring. I had escaped another nasty one. At that point, I knew I only had one small target left, the javelina.
After leaving the gator, I had to lead off an impala a short time later. It was a great set and didn't leave any area to see the target from another angle. It was located behind a few logs and between a few trees. When my bow fired, I knew the pin was moving pretty fast, but I got lucky to smoke the 11-ring. I felt really good after that shot, and a little confidence started building.
I watched the group in front of us shoot a javelina and was able to listen to the last shooter's arrow. Instantly, I got a good number in my head, and I knew it was much longer than the target appeared. I knew it was in the last five-yard stretch of the blue stake's max distance. I just had to narrow it down.
I made quick work of that and set my sight. When I drew the bow, the pin settled nicely on the white hash mark in the 11-ring and the bow fired. I escaped without losing any points and felt good about the shot.
Moving through the rest of the targets, I felt better and better about my shot. Along the way, I had given up trying to hold the bow steady. I realized there was no hope for that, so I decided to pull hard as soon as the pin got into the 10-ring. I figured if I could get the shot off quickly, it would land in the 10, and I would avoid losing points. I knew I was shooting well and probably making up a lot of ground on others.
When we got to the last target of the day, a short stone sheep. I think it might've been the closest target of the day, but I can't recall for sure. It was in that 35-37 range if I remember right. I had to lead it off, and it was in a dark hole. As I viewed it with my binoculars, I tried to get a good reference point but just couldn't find one.
Finally, I drew my bow and settled in. The shot didn't feel good from the start, so I let down and took a breath. When I drew the second time, I couldn't find a good place to hold the pin, then I overhead a little bit and tried muscling my way through the shot. When it fired, I knew it was going to the right, and the arrow landed just to the right of the 10-ring. When it hit, I felt like crap about what I had just done. I deserved what I got, and I know better.
I was glad to be done and couldn't wait to get on the road. On my way out of the woods, I met up with Jeff Kirkland, and he asked me where I ended up. When I told him, he told me I had made the shootoff and was the fifth guy in. I really couldn't fathom that since I had done so poorly the first day. However, I felt good about Day 2. Although I wasn't sure he was correct, I had a glimmer of hope.
On my way to the truck, I stopped to talk to Tony Tazza and Loren Lohr and learned that Loren had edged me out by two points... the two points I had just lost on the easiest target of the day. That summed up my weekend.
Although I didn't make the shootoff, we learned that Jacob would be going in at the number 5 position. He had an incredible day and shot a 211 with 13 11s on the second day on a nasty course that preyed on many of the best professional shooters in the business. I felt good about my shooting, and I'll be the first to tell you that the score Jacob came off with was something to write home about. McCarthy was the only person who bettered him on the day, and it wasn't by much.
My Take on the Weekend
I didn't feel the best this weekend and avoided a lot of people. I just wasn't feeling 100% and my stomach was wreaking havoc on me. It wasn't an enjoyable experience. I was ecstatic for Jacob when I learned the made the shootoff. It's proof that hard work pays off, and it also showed that your'e never out of it. He and I were both well back in the field after Day 1, and he climbed into 5th to make it to the shootoff and ended up finishing in fourth. I finished in the number six spot. I finished in 7th at the first one and 6th at this one. Although it's not as good as last year, I feel decent about it due to the struggles I've encountered so far this year. I'm doing my best to make changes to help, and I hope to see the changes show up in the results. I feel like I may be getting close, but it's kind of early to tell right now. I do know all of my points I've lost in the three national events I've shot this year have been due to a poor sight picture and sub-par shots. I will work to improve the forgiveness of my setup, and I will eliminate the bad shots. Knowing that's where points are lost makes it easier to concentrate on that area. My numbers have been good, so I'll keep doing what I do for that.
It felt awesome to be reacquainted with the guys who pushed me to succeed in archery. Guys like Digger and Darrin made me better along the way without ever knowing it. Back in the day, I knew if I could hang with them, I was in good shape. We all shared our time at the top, and it just felt rewarding to be sharing a group with them all these years later. These friendships and moments are what keep me returning to national events. I'll be forever thankful for the things archery has brought to my life.
Although I haven't done much ASA in the last 20 years, I will be heading to Metropolis this weekend. I'm still wading my way through it and trying to figure out how I want to play it. I just want to be ready for the Classic in case I choose to go. There are no definite plans for that yet. I didn't have time to get anything set up that brings my confidence to a new level, so I'll just go and try to shoot good shots and see where I end up.
I'd also like congratulate my long-term travel buddy Wade Chandler for getting on the podium at this leg. He works as hard as the rest of us at this, and I'm glad that he found his way onto the podium. This is well-deserved and makes me happy.
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