About 11 years ago, I sat quietly in a chair behind the line at my indoor range. It was the beginning of the indoor archery season, and I was out of commission. I was rehabbing my shoulder after having reconstructive shoulder surgery, so I went to the range that evening with my father to catch up with my archery family and share some stories about hunting season.
Every year, new people join our league. Some stay but most fall by the wayside and we never see them after a few weeks. They think they are superstars, look at the target and exclaim, "That looks pretty easy." After their first scoring round, they realize they're not that good and the obsession begins.
Well that evening, a group of guys pulled into the parking lot and hopped out of a vehicle to try their hand at indoor archery. They would all become some of my closest friends and share some incredible highs and lows with me. We all celebrated each other's victories' and we all consoled each other when a pick- me- up was necessary. We still do the same today. We have all learned a great deal from each other, and I'll never be able to thank these guys enough for encouraging me to get back into archery and pushing me to the next level when I thought I would never be able to shoot a bow again -- or at least be competitive with one. This group of guys is the reason why I've accomplished many of the things I'm the most proud about in archery. They are the Green Mountain Boys and they hop into the big ol brown bus and head to all the events across the region. The driver is none other than George Connors. George has gone out of his way to help everyone with their equipment to be the best shooters they can be. He spends more time trying to make others better than he spends on himself. It's just George's nature.
The other members of the team are Chuck Weeden and Todd Sargent. There have been others that have come and gone, but these guys are the core group who have stayed together throughout the journey. A lot of people think Todd and Chuck are brothers, but they are actually brother-in-laws. Todd is always the quietest competitor in the bus, but he does come out with some good ones from time to time. Whenever traveling east in the bus, Todd must always point out the bear in the river. The big bear was fishing in the river one summer day when Chuck spotted it on the fly. He told George to turn around so everyone else could see the black bruin. I'll just leave the story there because it's something that we all laugh about today. We're pretty sure that bear still fishes there regularly, but it must've headed into town and got itself some waders and a fishing pole along the way. It probably get sick of trying to catch the slippery little trout with its hands.
It took quite a few years before convincing Todd to head to the Lancaster Classic every winter, but after he got a taste of it, he goes every year. He never complains and he just goes and shoots his bow. I often wish I had his composure on the line. He appears as the most relaxed person out there and never shows any emotion. I commend his ability at keeping it all under the collar. Todd is the kind of guy who would do anything for someone else. He has offered me free Yankee tickets on more than one occasion, and I'm always thankful to take them since I'm a die-hard Yankee fan. I'm currently borrowing his bow case because I lent mine to my father to travel. If I ask Todd for anything, he never bats an eyelash, he just produces. Chuck and George are the same. That's why they always fit so nicely together in the brown bus.
Recently, Todd found his way to the top step of the podium in the New Hampshire Bowmen Grand Slam. This series of events has been running for a number of years and consists of three shoots. The first is a 600 round Vegas tournament; the second is a 300 round 5-spot; the third is a 600 round 25-meter shoot. Well, Todd and Chuck found themselves neck and neck going into the last shoot of the series this year. They battled back and forth on every end, with neither of them creating any separation. Then, it came down to the last end to see who would be the Grand Slam Champion in the Bowhunter class and Todd focused and shot three good shots. Those three shots gave him the win, and Chuck finished in a close second. George put the pedal to the floor in the series and crushed the competition in the Silver Senior class.
The bus pulled out of the parking lot in Keene, N.H., and headed back to Manchester, Vt. with a load full of podium finishers. I'd like to celebrate the victories of all of my friends. Too often we forget the people who support all of the shoots and never seem to get a lot of recognition. These three guys put a lot into archery for themselves and others. Congratulations Todd on your win. I was glad to see you finally get what we all work for. Great job, buddy, and thanks for everything. It doesn't go unnoticed or unappreciated. Too bad the bear was hibernating and not fishing for you guys to see it on th way home after your victory. 
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