Practice Day
When we arrived in Ohio, we got to sleep in before heading to the practice range to ready ourselves for the next day. Although the weather forecast didn't look good for the following two days, we woke up to a gorgeous day.
When we signed up for a weekend pass to shoot the defense range, I decided to shoot through the chronograph to make sure my bow speed was the same as it was at home. When I released the arrow and the graph showed 308 on the screen, I could feel my blood begin to boil. I had spent a lot of time to make sure my arrow was good since I had changed arrows again. My two chronographs both read 300 at home.
Instead of taking any chances, I clipped a brass nock on my center serving under my loop and tried again. I shot every arrow in my chair, and they all topped out at 304. The brass nock had taken 4 fps, and I felt confident in the result.
As we made our way through the 15-target practice range, I recovered from a bad start and got through it with one 8 and over half 11s. I felt confident after shooting the last target and decided to take a break the rest of the day.
When Jacob arrived in the late afternoon, I shot the other half of the practice range with him and Rob. I felt stiff and didn't make very good shots. The results weren't too terribly bad, and I felt like good night's rest would work well.
Day 1
As I do with every tournament, I mentally prepared myself for the start of the day. When start time arrived, we found out we wouldn't be starting until a little later in the morning. When the new start time arrived, we found out we were being pushed back to 2:00 p.m.
Well, when I finally headed to the stake to start my day, my mental preparation seemed distant at best. I guess my routine is so engrained that the delays affected my approach. At go-time, I really didn't feel like being there. It was dark, rainy and steamy. The humidity caused the lower part of the course to become engulfed in fog early in the round.
Upon arriving at the stake and finding an arrow to shoot, I realized I never retrieved my arrows from the bale on my last warm-up round. I called Wade and asked if he could get the arrows for me and bring them to the course. He gladly obliged.
I would be spending my day with Loren Lohr, Jeff Kirkland and Digger Cogar, so I knew I would have a pretty relaxing day on the range. After the horn sounded, I got off to a good start, shooting an 11 on my first target of the day, a fallow deer. After following it up with a 10 on the caribou, I walked down the hill and got quite a surprise when I saw what looked like a newborn javelina across a swamp. I could see a few white dots on it, but that was about it. Digger had to lead it off, and I knew I wouldn't see it any better with an arrow in it. He made quick work of the shot and centered the 11. Although that's a hard shot to follow up, I took his lead and made good on it, giving us two 11s in a row. We both felt thankful to get off that target with 11s. It would surely get a lot of shooters. It was just too tough of a target to not pile up a few victims along the way.
Making our way to the next target, I saw a big 10 quite a ways up the hill. It would be a tough shot, and I had to lead it. As soon as I hit full draw, the bow settled and the shot quickly went into my back. I began to pull and the shot fired. It landed directly under the 11. I felt good to get off that stake without losing any points.
As we made our way through the next few targets, we quickly learned that most shots would be straight uphill, both long and short shots. When I got to target 7, I felt confident. I had just smoked a long, uphill grazing doe and made a perfect shot in the process. Upon walking to the stake, I saw an alligator across a wide open ravine. It looked like a mini-gator you might win at the fair as a prize. There was no doubt about the yardage. It was clearly all of it, and I've shot the gator enough to have no fear whatsoever. I always make good on the tough gator shots.
When I drew my bow, nerves suddenly jumped through my veins and found their way into the gray matter between my ears. The demons began howling, and in an instant there was unruly chaos dancing in the rafters.
My shot has been good all year due to my shot timing. The pin instantly got to the middle and sat down quickly. Instead of being patient, I got a little anxious, which resulted in a less-than-stellar shot. My 3 up quickly turned into 2 down.
I quickly got back on track and made six great shots in a row, barely missing a few 11s along the way. As we came down the homestretch, I began running out of gas and my hold began deteriorating a little bit. I stayed with it the best I could and kept pushing through, just trying to hold on. Near the end, I hit a short ram barely over the 10-ring. It laid right on the line at 12 o'clock but was a fingernail width out. How could I give points away on such a close shot? I wasn't happy, but I knew I had to buckle down. I wasn't hitting 11s, but I also wasn't giving any points back throughout the day.
When I finally arrived at my 20th target of the day, I felt relieved, especially when I saw it was a large black bear. Unfortunately, it didn't have a good aiming spot, and I had to lead it off. The demons jumped out of the bushes again and suffocated me within seconds. When the arrow went on its way, I thought I had finished the day with an atrocious 8, but the archery gods saved me on that one and I scored a liner 10. I guess it was payback for the one I had missed a few targets earlier on the ram. I knew I would be in good shape when we finished. The shots were tough. The footing was horrible, and anyone who was shooting with a hair too long of a draw length probably would've gotten eaten up due to all of the uphill shots we faced. I felt good to be at 2 down, although I knew the gator prevented me from sitting at 3 up and in the lead. After scores were tallied, I learned I was sitting in fifth place, three points out of the lead.
Day 2
When Day 2 arrived, we headed onto the range, but our time didn't last more than a few hours. Although we were halfway through the round, the officials blew the horn and that was the end of the tournament. A lot of commotion happened before it was finally decided the shoot would be finalized with the previous day's scores standing as the tournament's final scores, with exception of the shooters in the top 5. They would be headed to the shootdown round, so I would be in the shootoff.
Amazingly, Jacob and I finally made our first shootoff together. He would be shooting in Open Pro and I would be shooting in Senior Pro. We've been trying to get that to happen for a while, and I was glad to learn that we made it together. When both you and your shooting partner succeed at the highest level in the same tournament, there isn't anything much sweeter because making it into the shootoff is incredibly difficult. To top it off, our buddy Rob LeLacheur also made the shootoff in just his third event win the the Pro Pins class. This made my weekend. From booze to bows and from addiction to archery, this guy has found a new passion and worked hard to achieve things many only dream about. He's one of the 3% who ever get beyond addiction, and now he is addicted to archery. X-Spot archery and Bowtech have no idea how far his influence goes when he's at every event, local, regional or national.
The Shootoff
Nerves are a strange thing with me. Although I'm always nervous while shooting, I never know when the nerves will wreak havoc. As I sat waiting for the shootoff to begin, I could feel some anxiety building in my chest. Although it wasn't anything drastic, I knew I was going to have to battle it when on the field. I made myself aware of it, accepted it, and prepared myself for it to the best of my ability. I knew I would be starting on the black panther, so I watched the pro hunters and women pros shoot it. Most shooters hit it to the left or low. I figured there was some wind coming through that part of the field, which was causing some of the arrows to go left.
When I drew the bow, the nerves hit. The pin danced a little more wildly than I expected, so I knew I had to give it a little extra on the back end to get it to fire cleanly. When the shot fired, the pin was drifting left, and that's right where the arrow hit. Since I gave it too much on the backend, my follow through sent the arrow left. I started with an 8, while my competitors stayed in the 10, with a few 11s and 12s included. I knew I was probably done at that point, unless I 12d all of the remaining targets.
With those thoughts in my head as I made my way to target 1, the antelope, the nerves seemed to jump on my back and walk with me when we all rotated. When I drew the bow, the string jumped forward as I begin settling into my aim, breaking any concentration I had. I quickly pulled it back into the wall and tried beginning my shot again. After starting and stopping, the devil on my shoulder told me it was OK. I knew I was doing something I would never do in practice, but I continued doing it. Then, I lost back tension and the string began creeping forward again. Thinking it was going to suck me up and send the arrow into the sky, the whole shot went out the window, and my mind tried finding a way to save the arrow from going astray. Seconds later, the arrow landed at 2 o'clock in the 10-ring. Disgusted, I made a motion with my right hand like I would make at home after doing something idiotic and moved forward.
I froze at that moment in time and looked deep within myself. Standing outside my body and looking into my soul, I said, "What the hell are you doing? This is not you. Stop being and idiot."
After the discussion with myself, I moved to the next target and decided to make the best shot I could make to put the first two shots out of my mind. I drew on the feeding doe, the pin settled nicely, and I pulled as hard as I could while driving my front arm through the center of the 11-ring. When the shot broke, I felt like Superman as I watched the arrow strike the 11-ring... a perfect shot ended with a perfect result. Instantly, I stepped outside of my being for a second and said, "That's like you, Todd. You shoot perfect shots in shootdowns."
Moving to target 3, I finally had my confidence back. As I drew on the Corsican ram, I felt good. My pin sat well, and I executed another perfect shot. I was somewhat shocked when the arrow hit and I glassed it with binoculars. It appeared to be at 6 o'clock in the 10-ring, barely in. I was surprised that I got yarded but accepted it because I had made another perfect shot. When she scores were called out, I was as surprised as a few people in the crowd when the scorers held up the 8 card. I thought it had caught the bottom of the 10-ring, but at that distance it was too hard to see.
When I got to the last target of the round, I wanted to end with the best shot I could make. The pin settled quickly on the fallow deer, as I had a perfect white dot to aim at. As I began to pull, the shot broke cleanly, and I walked off the field with an inside-out 11, which scores as a 12 in IBO shootoffs. My tournament was over. I finished in the same position that I was in when the shootdown started. Making the shootoff was great, but I'll be the first to tell you that I wasn't satisfied with the end result. I need to work harder to make more out of the next opportunity.
My Thoughts on the Weekend
Before I left for this tournament, I told most of my friends that I would be in the shootoff unless something drastic happened. After returning from Illinois, I decided to go back to a more proven platform for me with bows. I broke out two of my shorter bows with reflexed risers. They seem to aim better for me, and I just shoot them better. When I left for the tournament, I decided to let my EVO/EVL 34 bring me to wherever it could carry me. I knew the bow would do its job as long as I backed it up and did mine.
Unlike most of the 3D season, I was now shooting a bow that I could aim well. I went back to shooting 75% letoff instead of 70%, and this change made a big difference. Throughout my practice sessions the week prior to the event, I barely missed a 10-ring, and when I did, I missed because of bad numbers. I was no longer bleeding points out due to bad shots or the inability to hold the bow well. The only issue I encountered while preparing was that my shot didn't fire as quickly as it had fired all year. It didn't cause any issues in my practice sessions, but I was definitely aware of it. Without as much resistance on the back end, this bow would require me to me more patient and pull a little harder while aiming.
When I shot the first target of the tournament, I realized the bow was not going to react the same under a little pressure as it did at home. I had a hard time getting my shot to fire on the first target, even though the arrow landed in the 11-ring. As I progressed through the round, I made some incredible shots, but the shot that probably kept me off the podium and out of the lead after Day 1 was due to the fact that I wasn't patient enough to wait for the shot to fire as it should have. Instead of working through my shot, I let a little anxiety creep in that affected the rest of the shot process. Although I quickly corrected the problem on the next few shots and pulled off one of my best shots ever on a long, brutal, uphill turkey, I knew the rest of the round would be a battle... and it was.
Somehow, I made it through the day, but I wasn't happy with the "results." I was sitting near the top of the leaderboard, but the only thing that got me to that position was having confidence in my ability and my setup. I had experienced similar rounds and knew I had to stay focused and let the demons dance and frolic in my head. The fire they were congregated around would simmer to hot coals and eventually burn out, but I would have to sit back from the fire and let them entertain themselves in front of me while I tried to walk across the hot coal bed that they had lined up for me to tip-toe down at each and every step to the stake along the course.
I navigated their obstacles and flipped them the bird as I walked off the course and met my friends. I quickly explained the situation to Jacob and told him we needed to march to the practice bags. I spent a few minutes at the bags after the round and felt confident going into the next day. The demons never surfaced in the 11 targets I shot the next day.
It's been a learning curve this year, and it took a day and a half to figure out where the problems I encountered originated. When I figured out it was the higher letoff and the steadier sight picture, I realized I just wasn't being patient enough. Now, I know what to address and those issues will not return. I cut the little red-faced men loose and watched them sulk down my driveway and off my range. I wished them luck in their journey to find another soul who might be willing to let them play long enough to have them join their cult. However, I will not be the one to succumb.
These demons are controlled by our own minds. When I realized I'm in total control of what my mind does and how my body reacts to it, I quickly made it right the second day. When you're headed down a dark path in your shooting, try to remember that you are in total control, even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.
Knowing I addressed the problem, figured out its origin, and have made plans on how to navigate around it, I feel confident going into the last two big shoots of the year. Although that is my take on my own weekend, I now want to spend time talking about the people of my region and give credit where credit is due. If you feel like checking out at this point, feel free to do so. However, I'd like to spend a few minutes talking about the people who make me feel like my place in archery has a positive impact far and wide, because that is my primary goal at this point in time of my archery career.
Shooters from My Region
This tournament probably put more shooters from my region in the top 10 than any other tournament I've attended in recent memory, and I'd like to take a minute or two to say a few words about them. I'm not sure whose run surprised me the most, but I remember pulling into a local shoot, Green Island, last year in the early spring. It was cold, and when I pulled in there was a guy standing next to his vehicle. He was a young fella, and the vehicle had Vermont plates on it. I kind of laughed to myself because it looked like this guy was playing the part. He had all the bells and whistles that tournament 3D archers have, but I didn't have a clue who he might be. Usually, I know most of the people in my area, so this guy peaked my interest.
When my buddies pulled in and one of them started speaking to him, I quickly learned the cat's name was Shane Blackmer. I also learned he was getting into it and wanted some guidance. As we meandered through the course, I heard a group of guys giving him advice, and we all know how good some advice can be from people who don't have a clue what they're talking about. Finally, I had all I could handle, and I told my buddy George to tell him that if he needed anything, I would gladly help him... a few weeks later, he was shooting at my dad's house behind me, Jacob, Sean Roberts and John Vozzy.
That brings us to this year. He spent all of his time shooting the regional ASA stuff last year but wanted to dip his toes into unknown 3D this year. He finished in 9th place at this event with a 407. That's some outstanding shooting. He was followed by Jake LaFontaine with a 406 and Chris Hartley with a 405. Having all of these guys in the same class in our area should give others something to shoot for, and it will surely make each one of them better, as the competition between them will drive them to hone their craft. I look forward to watching all of them in the future. Congratulations on a great weekend to all of you. Maybe the Mead Challenge course is what you need before the IBO World to get you ready. The springtime challenge seemed to work well.
Sara Kay came from way behind to win the Triple Crown and finish second in the tournament. While I'd like to spend some time talking about Sara's tenacity, you will all get to read something on that in a few days, as I will write something about her journey to the top. Hopefully, you'll all take the time to read it.
Jim Gagnon finished in 2nd place in MHC. Jim's been at it as long as me, and he's seen all the peaks and valleys the sport has to offer. He never gives himself much credit for all he has accomplished at the national level in the IBO events, but his list of good finishes is long. I was glad to see him finish off the triple crown with a second place finish. Jim came up to shoot at the Mead Spring Challenge earlier this year, and he brought Kendal Gibbons with him, who, according to a FB post I saw, ended up winning the National Triple Crown in the Hunter Class. Congratulations to both of you.
Rob LeLacheur continues to amaze me. From booze to bows and from addiction to archery, he has surpassed all expectations of himself. Now, he finds himself in the pro pins class, and he laid it down last weekend. He went into the shootoff in first place, but couldn't hold off the wolves, who were all seasoned veterans, on his tail. I'll be the first to tell you that for me it has always been tougher to defend a lead instead of trying to pass the leader. Sometimes when we try to defend a lead, we shoot defensively instead of shooting like we own it. Rob experienced some nerves that many people wish they could experience when he found himself on target 1 in the shootoff. He will learn from the experience and be more prepared the next time, and the next time could come soon.
Jacob... what more can be said about Jacob? We both had a practice session last week that left us scratching our heads a few times. Fortunately, that practice session prepared both of us for this tournament, as we encountered every shot possible. We made good work of the day and analyzed what might trip us up. These practice sessions seem to have helped both of us over the last year. I'm glad we spent the day together with Barry Gates. Jacob brought his A-game to the show and shot 14 out of 20 11s on one of the toughest national courses we have seen in the last two years. Although a lone 5 was the only blemish on his card, he still cleared the field by five points, shooting against the best in the world. He expanded the lead on Day 2 before the final round was canceled. The last few weeks have been inspiring to say the least. It's nice to watch the train continue down the tracks in the right direction.
My longtime buddy Wade Chandler took a podium spot for the second shoot in a row, securing a 3rd place finish in MCBH after losing a tie-breaker for second. Unfortunately, someone convinced Wade to shoot on a team in the MSR class at the beginning of the year, even though Wade was old enough to be in MCBH. Doing the right thing for his friends, he decided to shoot on the team and not back out at the last minute. In doing so, he shot the same course as MCBH shooters in the first leg, but was in the MSR class, which shoots the same stake. After that shoot, the team disbanded and Wade was left on an island. That's when he went into the class he should've been in. He would've finished in second overall for the National Triple Crown had he been inMCBH the entire year. I've shot with Wade for the better part of 30 years. When I started after getting out of college , I always strived to be as good as him. I tried qualifying for the IBO World many times and just couldn't do it. I could never make the top 20, as there were hundreds or thousands in my class in every tournament. Wade always qualified, and I just couldn't crack into the top echelon. Then life happened, and Wade had to take an absence to raise his kids. He came back a few years ago and hadn't missed a step. These two podium finishes made me feel better than anything I've done on my own. It was like watching a ship sail back into the port after being lost at sea for many years. Congratulations, Wade. You undoubtedly made me better without knowing it along this journey we're still on.
I'm sure I left a few people out, but these are the ones who came to my mind because I spent a lot of time with most of them over the weekend, and the few others were at the house shooting earlier this spring.
I'll be heading to the ASA Classic next week to try my hand at the ASA game again. I'm determined to figure it out and get back to the level I competed at in the early 2000s when I landed on the podium a few times. A 20-plus year absence from the game leaves a lot of ground to make up, but I'm trying to figure it out in the tournaments so I can be better prepared if I decide to shoot the ASA circuit next year.
I'd like to thank all of my sponsors, friends, supporters and followers. Without all of you, none of this would be possible. You all have a special place in my archery world. I can't go without mentioning GAS Bowstrings. Last week before the tournament, in my own negligence, I blew up the cables on my bow. After making the call to Eric Griggs, the president of GAS Bowstrings, he expedited the process and got the new cables to me almost instantly. After putting them on, I decided I needed to move my peep sight and slid the peep up the string without putting it in a press. The edge of the peep caught a few strands and I was suddenly in a dilemma. I got a hold of Eric again, and once again, he got a new string to me immediately. This is the bow I went into the shootoff with. I trust GAS Bowstrings because I never have to worry about them in any manner, from them arriving the way they should be to never moving once they're on my bow. If you're looking for a great set of new strings for you hunting bow this fall or a new set for your tournament bow this winter, I'd highly recommend GAS Bowstrings.
PSE brought me to yet another shootdown. Now, in a matter of one year, I've made the shootdown with three different PSE bows in my hand, so in all reality you can't go wrong with any of them. They all shoot better than me.
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