Well, this came quickly this year. I’ve attended a lot of national events in the last 25 years, and I’ve never felt as unprepared as I did before we headed to Hartford, Conn., to catch our flight. Between spending a lot of time focusing on indoor shooting this year and the miserable weather in the Northeast, I didn’t spend any time preparing a bow to shoot 3D. I went back and forth between the bow I’ve shot all winter, which is the Dominator Duo 35, and my Shootdown Pro. Although both bows have the same cam (SE2) on them, they feel totally different to me. I like each one for a different reason. A week ago, I made my choice to take the Shootdown Pro because the arrows came off the rest well, and the bow was shooting well. At the last minute, I decided to give the bow I had shot all winter a chance since I feel comfortable behind it. Unfortunately, I was having a tough time with arrow spine and found myself in between two shafts, with neither of them performing up to my liking. The Duo aims better, and I know what to expect with it under pressure, so I threw that in the case the night before we left and decided I’d give it a whirl. In those situations, it’s like playing with matches in a dry hayfield in the middle of the summer, but I figured I had nothing to lose.
Practice Day
We got onto the practice range before it became inundated with people. It allowed us to cruise from one end of it to the other without many interruptions. As we picked our way through it, my mind seemed to be in a distant place. I found it incredibly difficult to focus, which led to horrible lapses in concentration. When we finished, I didn’t feel bad or good about it. Something just felt distant – off. It did offer me some relief to see 3D targets since I hadn’t seen any in a tournament setting since the second week of August last summer.
Day 1
I felt confident going into the first day but didn’t know what to expect. I’ve always considered yardage judging to be relatively easy, even if I haven’t put any work into it. I also knew I was going to have a great group. Digger Cogar, Jamie Drouillard and Tony Tazza would share a stake with me for the day. I enjoy shooting with all of them, so I knew it would be a relaxing day. However, anytime I’ve ever shot with Jamie, my performances have been severely lacking, with all three times being the lowest scores I’ve ever shot. I’m sure there’s no reason for it other than coincidence, but I couldn’t hide from the memories. I’ve shot well with Digger and Tony in the past, so when the “Shoot’m up” came ringing down the trail, I figured it would give me a chance to break free from the curse of Jamie.
I started on a wolverine and made quick work of it, shooting a center 10. Five targets later, I was sitting at even with one 8 and one 12. My hold was a little busy, but my numbers seemed to be close enough to keep me close.
Going into the 9th target of the day, I was holding my own but had barely missed a few uppers. The arrows were within two inches of the upper and had a good line. Unfortunately, they landed in the 8-ring. I knew the tournament would be a learning experience for me, as I wanted to shoot mostly uppers and see how that gameplan treated me.
When I got to the ninth target, the group in front of me had just called a proctor and needed something moved when we were shooting target 8. I didn’t pay any attention to it, but it was in the back of my mind.
After drawing my bow on the impala, I settled in. The shot went a little long, but when it broke, I expected the arrow to hit close to the upper 12. Then, I heard the arrow ricocheting through the brush. In amazement, I had no clue what had just happened. There wasn’t anything in the shooting lane that I saw that the arrow could have hit. As I sit here writing this, I still don’t know what happened to cause the arrow to go crashing out through the woods. Did the point pull out of the arrow, and I didn’t catch it? Did the arrow fall off the rest and I shot it off the shelf? Did it have a cracked nock and I never caught it? I’ll never know, but it was the turning point of my weekend.
Looking back on the day, I believe I mentally checked out at that point. I didn’t feel it as it was happening, but I believe I lost all interest in shooting my bow. Disappointed would be a word to explain what I was feeling, but I don’t think that would attempt to cover it. From that point forward, I think I checked out on the focus meter and just shot my bow without putting much into it. I can never remember this happening in my archery career. I never actually remember trying to judge yardage. I simply stood at the stake and guessed without doing anything to come up with my number. My normal routine was nowhere to be found.
After completing the round, I felt totally defeated. The feeling brought with it a sense of disbelief. Looking into the mirror, I felt for the first time in a long time like I was in a place I didn’t belong. I finished in fourth to last place. I’ve shot some clunkers over the years but nothing like that. I felt like I had possibly hit the wall and needed to reconsider the path ahead.
Day 2
As I wandered down the road to get to my shooting stake, I didn’t feel good about it. I was in the last peer group of all my peers. However, I had great guys in my group. That would be the saving grace for the day. I always enjoy Jackie Caudle and Tim Roberts’ company. Tim is one of the most positive guys I’ve ever shot with, and I love shooting with him. He pays attention to all the small details and offers solid advice after rounds are done. I value having met him and learning from him. He’s one of the good ones out there.
When the cards were drawn, I learned I would be leading off a long mule deer that had nasty shadows on it. I knew it would be tough to find a spot to place the pin, as the shadows were moving. After drawing the bow, the pin settled quickly. I was incredibly relaxed, and the shot broke with ease. It landed in the center 11, right where my pin was sitting when the release fired. I was off to a good start.
After shooting that target, target 10, we turned the corner and headed back up the road on the other side. We would now be looking directly into the sun. It was tough finding my pin on the targets, so I decided to make the best shots I could and see what happened.
I struggled for a few targets and quickly fell behind the 8-ball. Three 8s and a 12 later, Digger Cogar let us borrow an umbrella, and that changed my day. I never went out of the 10 ring the rest of the day, and I pounded the upper 12s. Unfortunately, I didn’t call upper 12s like I had the previous day.
Over the course of the last 15 targets, I executed the best shots I’ve executed at a national 3D in the last three years. My shots were effortless, relaxed and strong. I never shot an arrow left or right, and the pin had a calm float to it. I got off the course with a 198, the seventh highest score on the range for the day. If I had called upper 12s, I would’ve ended at +12. However, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas all year long. I believe that’s the route I will take the rest of the year, as most of my peers follow the same plan.
Final Thoughts on the Weekend
I won’t lie and say I’m excited about what happened over the weekend. I’m pissed off, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It’s the first time in my archery career in which I was thoroughly embarrassed about my performance. Although most shooters encounter similar things, I can tell you firsthand that it doesn’t feel good to know you’re sitting on the bottom of the pack. I could probably spin it in a zillion directions and not be far off, but when it comes right down to it, I own it. I simply didn’t perform. Am I losing the ability to compete? I guess I’ll figure that out as the year goes on. The second day proved to me that I still have a little bit in the tank. I couldn’t have asked for a better comeback.
I also won’t lie about my mind being filled with serious things that aren’t related to archery at all. With all the medical appointments coming up, I may only have one more 3D in me for the year. The fact that I might not be able to shoot the rest of the year is the least of my concerns, especially after being told the seriousness of what lies ahead. I guess I should be more thankful for having the ability to stink the joint up this past weekend more than anything else. After all, at least I was able to shoot and enjoy the weekend with many of my friends I rarely get to see. It also reminded me to never put much into anything when looking at the scoreboards from afar. You never know what battles people are fighting that could be leading to less than desirable results on the scorecard.
Overall, I’d rate my shooting as solid. There’s not much I’d change about it. Although I didn’t hold very well the first day, the bow sat down nicely the second day. I never struggled getting through my shots, and I focused on trying to be relaxed. My execution was pretty good, although I still need to work on cleaning a few things up.
I learned I need to have a quiet mind while aiming. Lately, I’ve had a habit of thinking about my shot instead of aiming and letting it happen. When I let it happen rather than tell myself how to make it happen, I feel unbeatable. I’ll make that a priority moving forward.
With the possibility of Fort Benning being my last event for the year, I’ll approach it with a happy-go-lucky attitude, but I will also do everything I can to be competitive and walk away knowing I couldn’t have done more or tried harder. I will see what happens over the next month and address different things as they pop up. Until then, shoot straight and never leave anything on the playing field.
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