Practice Day
Although we spent the majority of Wednesday driving to the event, we got good rest and headed to the event site early Thursday morning. After shooting a few arrows at the bags, I felt good about my shot and the groups that resulted. As expected, nothing had changed.
The practice range was relatively quiet when we arrived, so we started on the 25 to 45-yard range and made our way through that and onto the 50-yard range. The lighting was difficult to get used to, but it wasn't anything I hadn't seen in the past. When I can't see well, I focus on a spot and try to make the best shot possible. If it hits in the general location I want it to hit, I consider it a success. If it hits out of the 10-ring somewhere, I just take it and move on. Everybody will encounter the same issues I encountered, so I don't give it any life. It's better to chop the demon's head off than to breathe life into it and let it reproduce.
By the time we had finished, I felt confident about Day 1. I navigated the practice range well, judged yardage well, made good shots, and felt good about the results. I was definitely ready for the event.
Day 1
I was a little disappointed to learn we would be shooting on the power line on the uphill side for Day 1. London goes against everything that is to be expected when going to ASA events, but the location produces quite a crowd. I think I'd probably take that into consideration if I were running a personal business and trying to make money. I'd probably research areas that resemble the location of Kentucky to gain more people, so I could make more money. It has always struck me as odd why some locations have not been moved. Roanoake, Va., used to always get a lot of people, because it's within driving distance from the Northeast, and anyone from the southern part of the country can get there too. I'd probably focus on areas that would have the potential to draw the most people. Enough of that, but it's a common sense decision when it comes to running a business that makes money according to attendance. I'd want to make as much money as possible.
When I arrived at my stake, I saw I would be starting on a long, uphill javelina. Although my pin was bouncing around a little after I drew my bow, I felt confident when the shot broke. Looking at it after stepping away from the stake, I thought it caught the bottom of the 10-ring, possibly the lower 12. Since all shots were going to be uphill on this day, I chose to call uppers only when I felt extremely confident about the number and the uphill angle I would have to shoot. In my shooting history, I tend to shoot low while shooting uphill. That's why I chose to try something different than my normal all-uppers game plan.
The day dragged along without many highs or lows. It was just a slow, steady day. I shot a few 8s on targets that were hard to see. I believe I probably hit where my pin was sitting when the shot fired. I'll never know for sure because I just couldn't see that well, but I'm assuming that's what happened.
At the end of the day, I wasn't too happy while walking back to the vendor area. I had a salty taste in my mouth and that was because I wasn't satisfied with the setup of my shot on every target. There were a handful of shots that needed improvement. Landing at 192 for the day, I knew I had a shot to make the shootdown round. I was only five points out of fifth place, but I would have to pass 8 guys to make it happen. With the way I've been shooting recently, I knew I could do it, so I let the day's performance go. I decided I would focus solely on my setup the next day to see if that would help me overcome some of the obstacles I encountered on Day 1.
Day 2
Going into Day 2, I didn't know what to expect. I knew I had to clean up my shot, so I spent time at the practice bags trying to decide which release to shoot. I teetered on the edge of finally going back to a handheld, but not having shot one in a tournament setting since the 2018 IBO World, I decided to hold off and revisit the thought after shooting one in a few regional shoots to get the true feeling of shooting with one back. Although I spent the first half of indoor season shooting one, I don't think it translates to 3D for me.
After getting to the range and finding my target assignment, I was happy to see I would have a great group for the day. I would be shooting with Bill McCall, Kevin Koch and Blake Burger. I knew it would be a day filled with good aiming points, competitive shooting, and most importantly... no arguments. Arguments seem to be a part of this game, no matter what class you're in. However, knowing all of these guys, I know all of them would accept any decision that was made, even if they disagreed, and move on to the next target without any backlash.
Before the "Shoot'm up" rang down the range, I stared long and hard at my first target of the day: a black panther at the end of a long downhill alley. It was difficult to see, and there was no way anyone would be able to find any type of mark to reference. No matter what anyone says, the target you start on or the first few targets you start on can have an affect on the final outcome.
When my turn came to shoot, I drew the bow and tried settling in. I never got comfortable with where the pin was on the target because I couldn't really tell where it was sitting. My hold went a little long, but my shot was good. I knew I executed a good enough to shot to hit the spot. Well, a few seconds later, I was sitting on my stool trying to figure out how I was going to crawl out of the hole I started digging on the first target. My arrow landed under the 8-ring for a 5. I'm not sure if I had a bad number or if the arrow hit where I was actually holding the pin. Since the target was near the max distance, I picked a number that should have easily kept me inside the 8-ring. After pulling the arrows, I marched back up the hill and realized if I had just done that, some others were going to be doing the same thing. The 7:30 a.m. start time definitely has some disadvantages attached to it.
Before we got to the sixth target, I had erased the 5 and made it a 9 by getting two 12s, both on targets I could see clear aiming spots. I executed the shots perfectly, and the arrows struck exactly where the pin was sitting when the shots broke. Both of them felt like perfect golf shots with a driver.
When the leaderboard was updated after the first five targets, I had climbed from the 13 hole into the 5 hole. It's amazing what can happen when you stay the path, ignore the bumps in the road and keep moving forward while sticking to the plan. I've never been a streaky shooter. Instead, I'm slow and steady like a turtle trying to cross the road. I never get too high or too low, and I dodge all of the oncoming cars that are swerving to avoid me. People never realize I'm in the mix because I don't do anything special. I shoot a few lower scoring arrows here and there, but I also pick up a few higher scoring arrows here and there. My tournaments are all pretty similar.
As we progressed through the course, I gained confidence. At the beginning of the day, I made sure to focus on running my mental program on every shot and to focus on setting my shot up perfectly. It made shooting easy for the majority of the day. As we approached the 10th target of the day, I knew I was holding my own. I wasn't going backward, and I wasn't moving forward. I was staying consistent, and consistency is key when you're plodding along near the top. Looking at the leaderboard after the 10th target, I still found myself on it. At that point, I figured nothing could derail me. I was calm, relaxed, shooting good shots, seeing good numbers, and making good decisions.
Although I dropped off the board at the 35th target, I was only two points off from it. Then, I ran into the first target of the day that gave me a hard time with yardage. It was a wolverine that was hard to see due to the canopy and the logs placed around it. I tried my hardest to come up with a good number and felt pretty confident when I drew my bow. Since I had called all uppers to start the day, I thought I would have a great chance to get the 12 on the target if I held the pin in the middle and figured in a rise.
When the shot broke, I felt good about it. I executed a good one and figured it would have a chance. When my group told me it was high, I was really disappointed. Getting to the target and pulling the arrow, it reminded me how small the difference is between winning and losing and having luck on your side. I missed the upper 12 by about two inches, but the arrow was over the 8-ring in the 5. At that point, I realized I would probably need to get 12s on four of the next five targets to stand a chance. Never believing I'm out of it until the bell rings signifying the end of the fight, I kept battling, getting one more 12 and missing two others by a small margin.
My blood was at a boiling point when the cards were finalized because I knew I let a great opportunity slip through my hands. However, it wasn't hard to deal with because I just misjudged a few too many targets and that kind of stuff happens when you're shooting unknown 3D.
Final Thoughts on the Weekend
I've felt really good going into the last three events, as we've finally had good enough weather up here in the north country to be able to get outside and actually practice a little bit for the last two. It definitely makes a difference when you can get outside, get decent marks, familiarize yourself with your sight picture outside, and see targets in different settings. I've worked hard on my mental game, and I've seen great strides being made in that arena. Although Day 1 presented plenty of challenges for me, I went to the practice bales after the round and worked on fixing a few things I encountered. Day 2 let me know that the time spent at the bags and in my mind helped.
On Day 2, I was in the fourth group. It's not often that people jump from the fourth group into the shootdown round. On this day, three of the four of us in the group had a chance with five targets left. When the dust settled, two of us had made it into the dance: Bill and Kevin. Kevin would go on to win the tournament. You can never win a tournament on the first day, but you can shoot yourself out of any chance to win it. I gave myself a chance going into the second day and worked my way into a good position along the rail, hoping I would have it in me near the end of the race to nose out a few of the other thoroughbreds in the race. It didn't work out this time, but it wasn't due to lack of effort.
New Yorkers showed up at this tournament and represented our state well. Katie Bordwell came away with a big win and brother Glen walked away with a top 10 finish in his trip back to unknown yardage this year. John Marchetti made the shootdown round in Senior Known Pro, and I believe he got to experience his first appearance in a professional shootdown. That's no easy feat and things you can't explain to other people pop up that you never imagined. In my experience over the years, some shootdown rounds are effortless, and others feel like you're scratching and clawing just to survive. Either way, it's a great accomplishment. Congratulations to all three of you.
Three years ago in London, Ky., I met a guy named Jeff Borg. He was in my group, and we hit it off. He was encouraging. He shot a great shot. He definitely had game. However, he had come from K50 and was trying unknown Senior Pro because there was no Known Senior Pro class at the time. We quickly gained a mutual respect for each other and he was familiar with my success at IBO shoots. He was a competitor who roots for others while also trying to win for himself. I'm glad I met him. Well, three years after meeting, he won this tournament in Senior Known Pro, and I couldn't be happier for a guy. He deserves it, and he's one of the most genuine guys you will ever meet. Congratulations, Jeff. Way to go, buddy.
There's always something that happens that I'd like to forget. After looking at the final scoreboard when scores were posted, I realized a huge mistake I had made. After the final target was shot, I was fuming inside. Instead of looking closely at my card before signing it, I signed it and walked away. I had noticed the two 12s written on the card, but all I was thinking about was the two 5s I had shot, so I didn't process it. When the scores came up, I saw that I had been listed as shooting two 12s for the day when I had shot four of them. It was a simple mistake and one I should've taken the time to notice. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't change anything, but it would've earned me a paycheck instead of coming away with nothing. That's why you should always pay attention because once you sign the card, there's no going back to change anything. There was a three-way tie for 8th place and ties are broken by bonus rings. I ended up with the least number of bonus rings of the 8th place ties, so I had to settle for 10th. That's the way it goes... lesson learned. I won't let my frustrations overrule my sensibility before checking out for the day.
I'm not going to lie and tell you that this journey doesn't get frustrating at times. I look at my peers and I respect them and their abilities. I also know that I'm competing against the best of the best in my age group. I think I've had a pretty good run the last four years, as I usually find myself in the mix. When I step back from this event and examine all the messages of support I receive from all of my friends, I'm appreciative and thankful. Top 10 finishes are not what I strive for. I challenge myself to make shootdown rounds, find myself on the podium and win. I have the ability to do all of these things. Here is some trivia for people who follow the national 3D tours. I'm sure everyone knows Tony Tazza and Jeff Hopkins. These guys are two titans of the Senior Pro class. They are always in the mix. Well in the last three national 3D tournaments, between the two ASAs and the one IBO, there have only been three individuals who have finished in each of them, and there are many others who have made shootdown rounds and found themselves in the top 10 in two of the events. However, only three have been in the top 10 in all three events: Tony Tazza, Jeff Hopkins and Charlie Brown... oops Todd Mead. Yup, that's me. I'm the guy who seems to be hanging around like an annoying pest. Lucy keeps pulling the football away when I try to kick it. I'm the woodchuck who digs holes in your yard and you try to put me away, but I find a way to dig another hole and another. Eventually, I become your backyard pet, and you just enjoy seeing me there and are content to let me do my thing. Yes, top 10 finishes are great, and I will look back at them some day and be proud of my accomplishments, they're not enough for me. Being out of work and not having found a job yet, this may be my last year being able to travel and shoot national events because I will be starting over somewhere at age 55 and I probably won't have the flexibility or the time off to continue competing. I have five national 3D events left for the year, as the year is half over. I'll give it everything I have to climb out of the top 10 every shoot and make my way into the top 5 like I did a few years ago. I'll keep working in silence and see where the road leads me. I hope you all continue following along and keep chasing your dreams too.
I need to improve:
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