Although I haven't had one of these since February, I'd like to stop writing this right now and forget the weekend ever happened. However, there are a few things I'd like to share, so this one will probably be fairly short due to the fact that I don't have much I want to focus on about this event.
Practice Day(s)
We actually had a day and a half of practice at this event due to the time of our flight on Wednesday. We were able to shoot a few arrows at the practice bags, then head onto the practice range, where we met up with Bill McCall and shared a few laughs while shooting some foam critters.
With minimal sleep, my body and mind didn't feel well, but the bow seemed to shoot OK. There were no major catastrophes on the practice range, and I felt good about my shot and my numbers. When we finished for the day I was getting tired and decided to wrap it up so nothing negative could creep into my thoughts.
The next day we hit the bags in mid-morning before going back onto the practice range. My body was extremely stiff, and the never-ending issues with my shoulders appeared instantly when I drew the bow for the first time. I knew it wasn't going to be a good day to shoot due to the amount of pain and discomfort in my surgically repaired shoulder.
After spending a few hours on the range, we headed back to the hotel to get some rest and get ready for Day 1. Everyone felt good and seemed ready for the big event to kick off.
Day 1
After having some issues with my insulin pump during the night, the beginning of the day started off as a disaster. Being sick for the better part of the last month, my blood sugar levels have been all over the map, and that surely doesn't help when trying to shoot a bow accurately
As I waited around for my day to start, I couldn't get my blood to come down off extreme highs.
Anyone who knows anything about Type 1 diabetes knows that a reading of that caliber is disastrous. It's difficult on the eyes to focus, and you feel like you've been dragged behind a car for 50 miles on a dirt road. It leaves you with no energy and a lack of focus. When the blood is that high, the only thing that can bring it down is to take more insulin or exercise, and exercise can make the heart work too hard due to the elevated level, risking severe heart attack. Therefore, I started taking more insulin to combat the highs, and I knew it would crash -- but when would it crash?
Well, it didn't take long to figure out when the crash would be upon me, as it showed up during my round. My blood glucose dropped quickly, and I found myself battling to stay afloat. Unlike high levels, the low levels bring other problems with them. You will become very shaky, irritable, and your vision will sometimes make you see multiple images in front of yourself. Most diabetics compare severe low blood sugar to being severely intoxicated, almost to the point of not remembering anything you've done. Diabetics who are battling extreme lows are often mistaken for people believed to be drunk.
Waiting at my target assignment to start the day, I saw a bomb of a turkey at the end of the lane. There wasn't much guessing involved to figure out where to set the sight to stay in the 10-ring. While the young guns might go at it with a blaze of glory, most of us senior guys can't see that well or hold the bow that well to shoot right at a 12 at that distance.
After setting my sight and getting ready for the round to begin, I felt confident, even though I was battling the demons associated with the silent disease with which I live. Then, a few minutes before we were instructed to begin, I was moved into a different group.
I quickly got settled in and tried to set my sight in the correct neighborhood. Then, "Shoot'm Up" came ringing down the range. I barely had time to get settled, and I found myself leading the targets. Within seconds, my first arrow was in flight and I watched it as the arc came out of it, and it began it's descent toward the target. That's when I knew the day wasn't going to start as I had planned. The arrow landed squarely in the target below the vitals, and I was staring at a 5.
I battled the entire day, but that first arrow set the stage, and I never recovered from the start. At day's end, I found myself where I did in Foley back in February. Thoroughly embarrassed, I walked off the range knowing I would be pretty close to last place for the day. Nothing had gone right, and things just went off the rails. I never stopped fighting and clawing, but it was one of those days that I got pounded into the sand. I'm not sure if I was the litter in the litter box, or if I was what the cats buried in the box. Either way, I had a reality check as I walked down the dirt road through the forest to get back to the vendor area.
Day 2
Going into Day 2, I knew I would have to accomplish and all-time low to compete with the previous day, and that wasn't in my plans. Instead, I figured I would make a bet with Darren Collins to at least put something on the line for the day. Since we both struggled the first day, we made a $5 bet on who could pass the most people on Day 2. I felt good about my chances, as he felt kid about his chances too. Heck, he was trying to win back the money he had lost when he bet Billy McCall on their billiards match the night before. He claims he won the match against Billy, but we have no way of proving it, other than the photo he texted me of Billy after the event, in which the loser had to wear a queen's crown.
I'm not sure if there's a way to feel good after a first day like the one I had, but I definitely felt better when I saw the guys in my group, all good shooters. I would be shooting with Ray Young, Greg Ayers, Blake Burger and Brian Barley. When I saw that they all struggled on Day 1, it made me feel a little better about the day ahead.
While the others got off to a decent start, I quickly got behind the 8-ball and found myself staring at three consecutive 8s on my card. It appeared that the day was headed in the same direction as the previous day.
I buckled down and did my best to crawl out of the darkness I was creating. As we neared the end of the day, there was some excitement on the range when the group behind us spotted a copperhead slithering across one of the lanes in front of them. Then, a few minutes later, we had a very large rat snake paralleling the lane we were walking on as we returned from a wolf target.
When we finally finished, I found myself at 204 for the day, and I shot 10 up on the last 16 targets. I'll walk away from the event with that as my last thought. I dug out of a confidence hole and climbed onto the little train that climbed the mountain saying, "I can do it. I can do it. I can do it."
When I got back to the vendor area, I learned I had won the bet with Darren. I moved from 32nd place the first day into 18th for the tournament. While it wasn't where I wanted to finish, I can't complain about jumping over that many people. Darren passed five people for the day.
My Thoughts on the Weekend
Watching that guy in the picture makes me realize there are great shooters, then there are guys who rise above all others... he is one of them. I had a feeling a performance like the one he had was in the works after last weekend. As I watched the leaderboard from afar, I knew nothing was going to stop him, and nothing did stop him.
People often ask me what we talk about when he's in those big pressure situations. We don't talk a whole lot, but we do joke back and forth about different things, sometimes nothing to do with anything that's going on. Other times, we talk about the task at hand. I like it because it's calming to me. When I watch him on TV, I get stressed out and feel really anxious. However, when I'm out there with him and standing next to him, I don't feel that stress. I think I feel a continuation of what he's feeling ... in control and 100% confident he's going to accomplish the task at hand.
I can't explain what he really did over the weekend. He shot a score similar to the scores that many top-level known pro shooters shoot. Anyone who doesn't shoot unknown probably can't get a true idea of how difficult that task is. He also cleared the field by almost 10 points going into the shootdown round and then answered one of the all-time greats by winning with a 12 after Levi shot the 14. He is the future of archery.
Before the shootdown round started, Brady Myers asked me if I would hold the umbrella for him. While I would've loved to do it because we both represent PSE, Jacob is where my allegiance falls. If I can be there for a vote of confidence, I will always do that. At the same time, I felt honored that Brady asked me. He's a great kid and another one to watch in the future. Wouldn't it be cool if Jacob and Brady became the next Levi and Danny? Heck, you never know what might happen. Darren Collins ended up holding the umbrella for Brady, and we heckled one another throughout the festivities. I love the fact I'm surrounded by good people. I root for all of them.
It was also very cool to see my longtime friend Darrin Christenberry get his first win in the ASA as a lefty. His journey has been nothing short of miraculous. Although many people often overlook the fact that Darren Collins and Glenn Meadows both used to shoot right handed, I can respect all of their accomplishments after switching. Darrin C. just happens to be in the spotlight more than Glenn and Darrin.
Speaking of Glenn Meadows, he had a weekend similar to mine. His bow fell over and knocked the sight all out of line. Before he could get things reeled back in, the train went off the tracks and he just held on for his dear life. On Day 2, he lost his release early in the day and the train just skidded into the bushes. However, Glenn never gave up and continued pushing forward. I respect guys like Glenn, and I admire this never-quit attitude. We need more people like him, instead of the people who think everyone should be a winner. These events teach us how to win and lose.
Jacob had an event we all dream of, and Christenberry had a Day 2 we dream of. However, Glenn and I rode the struggle bus and did what we could to save face. That's all you can do some days. We tried to learn as we went. I can't speak for Glenn, but I ended up learning a lot, and I'm thankful I didn't hang it up after Day 1.
I couldn't leave this out. I saw something on the semi-pro range that caught my attention and had to take a picture of it. Has anyone ever gone to a national event rocking this arrow rest? I guess anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
The year is coming to a close quickly, and it has been far from what I thought it might become at the beginning of the year. I've dealt with a lot of issues along the way, but I'm still giving it everything I have. Hopefully, I find a way to turn the corner and ride into the sunset on a better note than where things have led up to this point. Thank you for your support. I appreciate it. Although Jacob was like a real superman, this was the extent of my weekend. I was the headless Superman.
No comments:
Post a Comment