This trip felt a little different than the previous two ASAs this year. Although I had been able to shoot outside for a few weeks prior to the event, I didn’t feel that I was well prepared. Instead, I felt like I was searching for something and hadn’t figured out what that something could be. I also didn’t feel all that excited to attend the event.
We didn’t fly out of Albany until late Wednesday, and this felt awkward. We usually leave first thing in the morning, so it brought an unsettled feeling into the mix. Then, we had to wait in Baltimore for a long time waiting to catch our last flight to Jackson, Miss. The final flight was a little bumpy at times but not too terribly bad.
When we finally touched down and picked up the rental vehicle, it was approaching 8:30 p.m. We made our way to Minden, La., through pouring rain. It made the driving conditions poor, and it slowed down our travel. We were glad when we finally got to the hotel shortly after midnight.
Practice Day
About 90% of the targets were in ankle-deep water on the practice range, and shooting the range was basically useless. On the 50-yard range, we only shot two targets over 40 yards, with three targets in a row being less than 25 yards. It didn’t appear much effort was put into giving shooters a practice range that would remotely resemble a tournament range. I can only imagine the chatter online if the IBO did these types of things. I’ve often found it quite amazing that nobody starts these huge threads online with complaints the weekend after ASA Pro-am events. I’m not the only one who experiences these types of things at every event. I guess it makes it OK if everyone is told to bring boots. In the end, it just makes me laugh to myself. It also makes me wonder who the people are who always start the threads about IBO complaints… kinda makes one wonder. Do the people even shoot the events?
I really can’t write much about our practice day because the ranges didn’t allow any type of real practice. I shot my bow well, and it sat down nicely on most targets. Then again, it’s hard to not feel good when you’re pounding 15-yard coyotes and 19-yard blesboks. Heck, I think I could’ve given a few Jr. Eagles a run for their money.
Day 1
As I made my way down the range to get to target 13, I glanced at the targets on the range while walking by them. The range didn’t appear to be a ball-buster, but I can never truly tell until I step to the stakes to dial my sight.
When I arrived at my target, I spotted a leopard at about 38 yards and knew it would be a good place to start. The few targets following that one didn’t appear to be too terribly difficult. I guess I got a good starting point. I was also glad to see that Jeff Hopkins and Brian Barley were in my group. I’ve shot with both in the past, and both guys are pretty laid back. I’ve shot with Jeff a few times, and we seem to gel when we shoot together. Although I’ve never shot a top-end round with him, I’ve always shot pretty well. He, on the other hand, has had a few killer rounds while shooting with me. One of them was when he won the IBO World Championship a few years ago. He had a great weekend at that event. Unfortunately, I was told my Bowjunkie that I had made the shoot-off that year, only to find out I finished in sixth, one point out of the shootdown round.
When the cards were drawn for shooting order, I didn’t mind seeing that I would be leading off. I’ve always found leopards easy to aim at, and I felt confident with my number. When I drew my bow and settled in, the sight didn’t move much before the shot fired, and my arrow landed in the 12.
The first five targets passed quickly, and Jeff couldn’t miss. I shot before Jeff in the order, and my arrows were all around the 12, with two finding their way into it and one barely missing out the bottom. It was less than 1/8 inch out. I was disappointed because it was a perfect shot, but if you’re going to shoot at them, you must expect to miss a few along the way. That one was particularly disappointing because it hit the spot I was aiming at, and I thought the spot was in the 12.
When we got near the turn, we came upon a close blesbok, and I made good on it. My shots were breaking cleanly, and my aim was solid. After getting 10 targets behind us, I had picked up four more points and sat at +6 after 10.
A few targets later, I picked up my last 12 for the day, and that put me at +8 after 15. Jeff was pounding. It seemed like every arrow of mine that hit just out, his would pound the middle. It was one of those days that I just couldn’t catch a break and have a handful of them fall in. It was a pleasure to watch Jeff shoot well. Although I always want to do well for myself, I also root for my competitors to be their best. We all want to beat people at their best. It also gives us motivation to keep moving forward.
Heading into the last five targets of the day, I felt good about my shooting and aiming. On my 16th target of the day, a long wolverine, I set my sight for 50 yards and felt confident that if I aimed where the colors change, which is the 11-ring, I would be good to go. I’d take a 10 and move to the next target. There was no sense in risking anything on a target like that.
When I drew the bow, the pin settled right where I wanted it to settle, and the aim was good. When the shot broke, I knew I had done my job. Then, I heard a sound that made my stomach sour. After that, I saw where the arrow appeared in the target, and it was barely catching foam on the belly. I had gotten a 5 and couldn’t figure out what caused it.
Still, as I sit here and write this, I have no idea what caused the arrow to hit where it hit. I thought I executed a solid shot. I need to dig deep and figure out what is causing the lows I’ve been shooting. Unfortunately, I’m not getting any of them while shooting at my targets (bullseyes or 3Ds) at home, but I’ve been getting them at tournaments. Talking to Braden Gellenthien after the shoot, we discussed how it’s impossible to replicate the scenario to figure out the root of the problem. I’ll have to do a lot of work to figure it out because it’s surely something I’m doing.
I guess a lot of people encounter different issues when they change equipment. Sometimes it takes a while to figure things out and have the new equipment fit like a glove. I’m sure things will improve in this area as the summer progresses.
I ended up finishing the round off with four straight 10s and barely missed three 12s. Although I had a good day and finished at 203 and in sixth place, I looked back on the day and saw what it could have been with a little luck. It was one of those days in which I felt like I never got a break. I shot my bow the best I’ve shot it all year, but sometimes you need to get a little lucky too. That luck was nowhere to be found on the first day.
At the end of the day, Hopkins finished at 26 up. I believe he said that his personal best in all his years of shooting is 30 up, and at times, it looked like he might top that. It was a pleasure to watch. It was the type of day that all archers dream about having. Since he followed me in the shooting arrow, I’m just glad I gave him a lot of arrows to reference throughout the day, as I had an arrow extremely close to the 12 on almost every target. It felt good to be a part of someone else’s phenomenal round and share in the excitement. Great job, Jeff.
Day 2
I donned my raincoat and headed to the practice bags for a couple of shots before heading to A Range for my 7:30 a.m. start time. Before the round started, I shed the coat and decided to take my chances. I would be in the second peer group for the day and Digger Cogar, Keith Ahlstrom and Mark Keesee. Four out of the top eight guys from the first day were all shooting Darton Tempest E 3D bows.
After the cards were drawn, I learned that I would once again be leading off the day. Looking at the target, I figured it would probably be one of the closest targets of the day. It was a razorback boar, and the wood were extremely dark. It made aiming at it almost impossible, but I broke a clean shot and the arrow landed just above the 12.
As we picked our way through the first five targets, Digger got off to a horrible start. He shoots a 6X lens, and the woods got so dark you could barely see with your eyes, let alone looking through a small peep and 6x lens. He started off with two fives due to not being able to see well. It always sucks when your buddies have bad things happen, even if you are competing against them. I always root for the good guys, and Digger is one of those guys. It sucked to watch it happen, but, like me, he never quits, and I knew he would give it his best to climb out of the hole.
When the scores went onto the leaderboard after the first five targets, I had climbed back into the top 5 after being there most of the previous day. The 8 I shot early on was evened out with a 12, so I felt confident as we moved along.
Then, I went into a stretch where I knew I had to do something to limit the damage. We shot a deer that was down a slight hill. It was a little drizzly and raw outside. I felt confident about the number. When I drew the bow and began to settle into the shot, the bow fired. I didn’t realize my finger was on the trigger, and the arrow went quickly. It struck the arrow to the left of the 10-ring, clearly a mistake I could’ve avoided.
That was the second 8 I shot in a few targets, the first one on a blesbok that I felt confident about when I stepped to the stake. There was an arrow just above the 12, so I figured I would aim right at the 12 and let it eat. When the shot broke, I felt confident I got the 12 when I saw the arrow strike. However, Digger informed me I had hit just underneath it for an 8. That was a hard one to swallow because it was a 4-point swing. Although I made a good shot, I didn’t have enough number on it to get it, barely missing out the bottom. That shot also put me under even for the first time since my first target of the weekend.
Moving along, I came to a long leopard. The target had a little angle to it, and it felt incredibly awkward aiming as far forward as where the pin sat. I let that simple little thought, as well as my uneasiness with my number, distract me, and all hell broke loose at full draw. Things quickly went squirrely, and the arrow hit a sliver to the left of the 10-ring. I should’ve let down and started over. I owned it after the shot and had a chat with myself while walking to the next target. I visualized myself shooting a perfect shot on it and where the arrow would’ve landed. I quickly replaced the reality with the sight of my perfect shot in my brain as I arrived at the next station.
A few minutes later, I found myself standing in ankle-deep mud, with the stake barely visible. The 12 on the antelope down the lane stood out from all the arrow holes in the white paint. It gave me an incredibly easy place to aim. Leading it off, the pin settled into the dark area quickly. I could feel the shot building in my back, and it broke effortlessly, landing squarely in the 12.
After turning the corner, we encountered a bomb of a coyote a few targets later. Once again, the target had a good angle on it, but I felt confident. I figured I’d put 50 on it and make a good shot. Mark hit the target to the left of the 10-ring, and I figured the angle caused it.
My pin bounced around a little bit as I aimed, but I felt like it was in the middle when it fired. Well, it must’ve been too far to the lest when it fired, and I barely missed the 10-ring to the left. I was not happy about the result, but I put it behind me and navigated the rest of the course. I limited any damage, but
Looking back on it, I’m not sure if I did the right thing. Over the last five targets, I decided to shoot everything in the middle. There were two targets I felt like calling upper 12 because something in my gut told me I would hit them in that area. Both would have been perfect calls, but I let the best of my mind affect the decision.
After firing the last shot of the tournament, I realized I was the first guy out of the shootdown round. If there were prizes for being the first guy out of cuts, I’d surely one of the best. It seems as if it’s been a recurring thing in my archery career. I beat myself up pretty good, but afterward, my mom sent me this and it made me smile.
Thoughts About the Tournament
The first three trips to national ASA Pro-ams this year have had their share of ups and downs for my father, Jacob, and me, with each of us having devastated things happen to us to prevent us from having any chance of doing well. In the first event Dad’s rest broke a few minutes before he started his round, which caused a disaster.
I was sitting in 6th place in Foley after Day 1 and felt great about my shooting. I also felt great about my shooting through the first 10 targets, but I started off with seven unexplainable high 8s with the right numbers. Turns out my sight had loosened up, which caused all the misses. A simple equipment issue might’ve caused me a great opportunity. I’ll never truly know, but my shooting and judging were on par that weekend.
Then, as this tournament, Jacob ran into an equipment issue that was impossible to fix, so he had to grin and bear it until the end. We’re not there to have fun. We are there to compete and do the best we can. It’s never fun watching close friends or family members struggle through events when it comes down to a dose of bad luck at the most inopportune times. However, these instances also go to show you that, if you shoot long enough, anything and everything than can happen will happen at one point or another. There’s no way you can prepare for these things, and there isn’t much you can learn from them either. I’m still feeling the burn from stuff that happened over 20 years ago when I had chances to win at national events and the most idiotic things happened to my equipment that nobody could ever imagine. Here’s to hoping we have put all that bad luck behind us for the rest of the 3D season.
I went into this tournament without much worry or care. I just wasn’t into it with a lot of other things I’ve been dealing with on my mind. I did still go with the intentions of giving it my best shot, and I felt confident about my numbers and shot.
I was satisfied with my performance on Day 1. I had a winning performance, and I gave myself a chance to podium. A few bad breaks cost me sitting in the No. 2 hole going into Day 2, but I put that aside and realized I needed to make up some ground.
Day 2 started with poor lighting conditions and made picking a spot to aim much more difficult than it was on Day 1. I made some phenomenal shots on Day 2, but I just couldn’t seem to get any type of streak going. I wasn’t around the 12s like I was on Day 1. Instead, I was staying more toward the IBO 11 and couldn’t find the confidence to aim right at them. I’m still not sure why. Maybe I was in protect mode instead of being aggressive. I’m still working on ASA, but I’ve made improvements along the way. I’m thinking I’m getting closer to having everything come together at one of these events. I find it more difficult to shoot ASA events because I simply never get any practice playing the game. My practice is at each one of these tournaments and that makes it difficult when most others see the targets daily or have the targets. If I had younger eyes, maybe things would be a little different. I’m stubborn and determined to figure it out.
I have to give a shout-out to my buddy Glenn Meadows. When he parked the truck next to us on Saturday morning, he could barely open his eyes. An allergic reaction made it almost impossible for him to see anything. However, me battled the adversity and did the best he could do. He ended up in the third peer group after Day 1 and finished in 8th place for the tournament. Great job, Glenn. That was impressive. Glenn’s day is coming. He’s been consistent, and when you’re consistent, you give yourself more opportunities to succeed. Hopefully, he won’t be dealing with any allergic reactions at the next one.
Coming down the homestretch, I didn’t know where I stood, so I took a conservative approach. Maybe I should’ve just gone for it and went all in. We all want to make the shootdown round, but a 6th place finish isn’t too shabby. I finished in the same spot in which I entered the day. Sometimes, I think many of us lose sight of that. I know where I need to focus right now to give myself a better chance. Hopefully the next few weeks go smoothly. Our weather isn’t cooperating and looks miserable for the next few weeks. Hopefully, things change in the forecast so I can get outside.
I could blame the phantom shot on the wolverine for not finishing better, or I could blame the minute misses that resulted in two four-point swings that totaled eight points. However, the blame is on me. I need to figure out what I’m doing to cause the unexplainable low misses the last few weeks, and I need to limit the misses like the leopard and deer. Doing my part is essential to my success, and that starts now.
I’ll leave you with one last thought that I got from talking with one of my very best friends after the shoot. I was explaining how it’s so tough when you’re competing against the best of the best. You just can’t make mistakes and survive too often. Well, my friend asked me if I listened to what those guys say because they say they’re proud because they competed against the best of the best and had to beat the very best to be at the top. Well, I’m one of those people those guys are speaking about. I’m one of the best of the best, just as are all my peers. Simple fact… the five guys in the shootdown round were better than me this weekend.
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