We got up early and got on the practice range on Thursday in an attempt to see some targets and do what we had to do before the temperatures climbed and things became uncomfortable.
In the area we began shooting, the lighting wasn’t the best and the woods had a dark tint. I didn’t pay much attention to it and excused the beginning of the practice round as the typical thing that accompanies traveling. When we got off the first range and headed to the longer one, things began falling into place and I felt much more like myself. At that time, the sun was higher in the sky and the woods lighted up. It made it much easier to see where I was aiming.
After packing our stuff and heading back to the hotel, I felt good about the upcoming tournament. I ignored the random shots on the practice range because my bow felt good… and so did I.
Day One
Although it was hot and muggy when I got to my assigned shooting stake, I knew it wouldn’t affect anything. Starting at 9:00 a.m., I knew we would be done before the brunt of it would blanket the area and make it unbearable for many people. The heat has never bothered me, so I just took a quick look around at the course ahead of me and realized it was going to be a corker. It didn’t appear that there would be many chances to pick up 12s. I knew it was a course that would call for good shot execution and minimal risk taking.
When the cards were drawn, I was chosen to go first. I would start my day on the impala staring back at me from the other end of the lane. It wasn’t a very long shot compared to the vast majority of targets on the course, so I figured I should probably get after it while I could.
At my age, I never know what the hold will look like from day to day, and the first target usually gives me a good indication of what to expect. When the pin hit the target and I settled into my anchor point, the pin sat well. I let it find its way into the 12-ring and executed a good shot… I was off and running with a 12.
After securing a 10 on the next shot, my group found itself amongst some thicker cover with heavier canopy. It darkened the area and brought out a tunnel-like effect. That’s when I rattled off five of the next seven shots for 8s. Although I wanted to blame myself for the results, I couldn’t identify the origin of the problem. My numbers seemed to match other shooters’ numbers. I was hitting the targets all around the 10-ring with no real pattern. I hit some to the right and some to the left. The height was good on most of them, but they were missing their mark by anywhere from an inch to three inches. I didn’t let it bother me because I knew I was making good shots.
In the blink of an eye, my good start had disappeared, and I knew I had to battle in an attempt to somehow get back near even. With the difficulty of the course, I figured that would keep me in the hunt.
With about six targets left, the thunder began banging in the distance. We thought the storm would miss us, so we never paid much attention to it. Walking up to the last target, a light drizzle started. Within seconds the sky turned black and the heavens let loose. When I drew my bow on the hyena, I could barely see it through the pounding rain, so I put the pin in the place where I believed the 10 to be and wasted no time getting the shot off. I wanted to make sure I lessened any chance of going backward due to weather. I succeeded in my mission when I saw the arrow appear in the center of the IBO 11.
Drenched from head to toe, I made my way off the range. I was satisfied to learn I gave myself a shot. Although I was sitting in a tie for 9th place, I was only a few points out of the lead and right on the bubble for making the shootdown round. The stretch of targets in the early part of my round caused an obstacle, but I stayed the course and found a way to give myself a chance. That’s all you can do sometimes.
Dad had a rough first day. At the target butt, Jacob noticed Dad’s blade was standing straight up. I’m assuming it caught on his pants and bent into that position. He had to scramble to find to find a new blade from one of the vendors as soon as they opened. Then, he had to make a few minor adjustments before heading onto the course. It definitely wasn’t a good thing for confidence.
Jacob had a solid day and found himself near the top of the leaderboard. While talking to Brady Myers in the PSE booth after the round, Brady told me Jacob was within an inch or two of shooting a monster score. He said he was licking at every 12 throughout the day.
Going into Day 2, we both felt good about our chances. To top of Charlie’s bad Day 1 with the bent blade issue, he told Jacob and me that we would have to rush back to the hotel because he had an accident. In his efforts to get back to the outhouse, he realized there was no toilet paper in the first one he came to. In an attempt to get to the next one, it became and adventure and his cream-colored pants became a little stained and stinky. It’s always an adventure with my father, and there’s never any worry about not being entertained. The laughs, the stories and the adventures are what we bring with us when life changes, and I’m thankful for all of them, even when my dad poops his pants. The ol’ saying, never gamble on a fart, definitely has some truth to it.
Day 2
When I got to the stake the second day, I saw that I would be sharing it with Keith Ahlstrom, Brian LuAllen, and Jansen Asbill. I knew it would be a relaxing day. I shot with Jansen on Day 1, and I always like being around Brian because he’s upbeat and positive. It’s always nice to shoot with a guy who roots for you as well as competes with you, and Brian fits that bill. I’ve shot with Keith a few times and never had any issues. He won last year’s Classic in my division, so he was trying to find a way to get into the shootdown round to defend his title. I was ready for the day and had the group to allow everyone to perform at a high level.
When we were instructed to shoot, I drew my bow on a javelina. It had some length to it, but my pin settled nicely, and I shot an OK shot. Being third in the shooting order, I had some good markers and gave it my best effort. The arrow landed less than an inch from the 12-ring, and we had to look at it with a flashlight to call it out. I made a great shot and felt confident with the effort. However, I started at the end of the range, where all of the targets were in the dark timber due to the sun position. I wasn’t lucky enough to start on one of the targets in the small field within the woods. The 7:30 a.m. start time has some advantages as well as disadvantages.
An hour into my round, I knew my odds were slim to get back all the points I had lost, but I also knew I could accomplish the task. I was executing the best shots I had all year, and my aim was good, too. However, I didn’t shoot a score in the double digits until target 7, and I ended up shooting eight 8s in the first 10 targets. That’ s a big hole to climb out of on a long range. With my numbers clicking and my shots firing without much effort, I never counted myself out – but I also couldn’t figure out why I had shot all of the 8s out the right and left with no type of consistency whatsoever. Although that was disturbing, I did the best I could to ignore it and keep marching.
As the woods began lighting up and the sun climbed, I found myself alternating between the shots in the open and the shots in the timber, but the results finally turned in a positive direction. The random 8s stopped, and I never fired another arrow that landed in a single-digit scoring area the rest of the day. I bit, scratched and clawed my way back to 10 down. Considering the fact that I only shot two 10s in the first 10 targets, I considered the end result a success. I hadn’t gained any ground in the standings from Day 1, and I was able to basically stay where I started. It’s not what I wanted, but considering what happened, I really can’t complain.
Thoughts on the Weekend
This year has been extremely tough on me for a variety of reasons, but I still give it everything I have. This weekend was particularly frustrating because I shot my bow the best I’ve shot it all year under tournament conditions. I was relaxed, and my aim was solid for the majority of my shots.
Looking back on things, I’m not sure where the train veered off the tracks, but I do know that I lost points to the left and right on shots I felt should’ve been on the money. The only thing I can possibly guess might’ve led to the issues is the fact that I used a smaller aperture than normal in my peep. I don’t know if I could’ve lost the housing in it or if it was something else that led to the issues. I’ll probably never know for sure. Either way, I’ll be shooting a larger aperture at the IBO World this week.
Sometimes I look at the smaller details of the big picture. I missed the shootdown round by 12 points, which comes down to three shots that hit in the 8-ring less than a half inch from the 12. Those three shots led to a 12-point swing… yup three shots and 12 points. I most likely hit where I aimed since I can’t see well enough to know. I never shot a 5 at this tournament, but the 8s killed me. If they had landed, less than an inch to the right or left, I’m in the shootdown round with a chance. However, I sat on the outside looking in. Of the three closest shots, one needed a flashlight and the other two needed more than one opinion. I shot my bow well enough to be there. It just shows you how scores sometimes aren’t a true reflection of how small the difference really is at times.
The Big Show
For having limited access to ASA tournaments in our region, our region was able to put four shooters in the shootdown in four different classes. Louis Price came home with a podium finish in known pro, and Rick Baker came home with a podium finish in Senior Known Pro. Both of these guys gave themselves a chance to win, and you can never ask for more than that. The Bordwells did what the Bordwells always do and made themselves relevant on the biggest stage. Katie held off the competitors and gave it her best shot, but came up just a hair short and settled for a podium finish, and Glen was in it right until the last couple of targets on Saturday morning.
However, the moment belonged to Jacob Slusarz, and he owned it. He put a stamp on the envelope that says he’s here to stay. The future has arrived, and it’s inspiring and impressive to watch, especially from a front-row seat.
As everyone was getting in position and getting ready for their first target of the shootdown, Jacob looked at me and said, “What do you think? I could set the trend right here.” He was referring to shooting at the 14. Without much thought, I said, “If you think you can get it, then go for it.”
With the way the sun was shining, I could clearly see the entire ring. When the shot broke, he said, “Yup” before it hit, and the arrow instantly appeared inside the ring and I said, “You smoked it.” He looked at me, smiled and said, “How the f**k do you know that. You don’t have any binoculars.” I laughed and said, “I could see the ring as clear as day due to where the sun was hitting it from where I was standing.” It was worth a good laugh on both of our ends.
After shooting a solid 10 on the boar, he moved to the coyote, and I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach when the arrow hit the target. After a quick look through his binoculars, he said, “I got it.” After handing me his binoculars to confirm it, I saw it and we breathed a sigh of relief.
After taking the time to walk to the first target, a howling wolf, Jacob looked at me and said, “What do you think I should do?”
I was well aware of where the other shooters stood, so I said, “If you get a 12 here, you will still be in control, but I’m not making that choice for you.”
Then we laughed a little bit, and he said, “F**k it. I’m gonna win it right here.” I smiled and said, “Go for it. You can do it.”
Time slowed down for a second, and it seemed like we were behind the house a few years ago when he, Barry and I were messing around and he said, “I can get an arrow through there and get that deer. It was fun that day, and we were all enjoying the moment. Although I wasn’t shooting the arrow, this seemed the same as that day, but the result Saturday evening turned out much better than the medium alert deer on the other side of a brush-filled hole that day.
Seconds later, I was saying “Good f’n shot,” and the arrow was sitting in the 14 ring. Then I said, “You have way bigger kahunas than me,” and that was worth a few laughs too.
The last two shots were somewhat anti-climatic after that one. He took control and let everyone know he was in charge. It was pretty cool to be a part of it. I’m glad we weren’t mic’d up because it surely wouldn’t have been rated children-friendly due to some language we shared, but it was no different than anything we normally do on any given weekend.
Unlike Jacob’s other wins in recent years that I’ve been able to be a part of, this one was different. I can’t really explain it, and unless you were in the same position for the other ones, it’s almost impossible to truly understand. He came out, set the tone, and there was no looking back. It was like he was on a two-lane merging ramp with 4 other vehicles, but he quickly put on his blinker and decided he wasn’t interested in easily merging into traffic. Instead, he pulled onto the main highway and put the pedal to the floor to avoid any congestion during the merge. A few second later, he was looking in his rearview as the other cars jockeyed for position behind him while he had no worries because he knew being out in front of it all would best suit himself. The calm confidence was inspiring.
Jacob went from never experiencing any ASA events in his youth or semi-pro days to becoming ASA Classic Champion in two years, and he also backed up his Metroplis win last month with a repeat at this one. His dedication to his craft is finally being rewarded and noticed on the brightest stage, and it is something that has been coming for a long time. Your group from back home couldn’t be happier for you. Congratulations, Jacob, on a job well done. You make all of us proud to call you a friend, and we all look forward to watching where your journey brings you from here. Oh, just in case anyone wonders what happened between Jacob and Christenberry that they laughed about in the interview and said it wasn't G-rated, Darrin, Jacob, Dad and I were at the target butts in Metropolis last month when Darrin looked at Jacob and said, "When are you gonna quit f**ing around and pound these guys like you should?" Well, since that day at the practice butts, Jacob took the advice and has been pummeling people. It will be something we will all laugh about for a long time.
Well, we will be right back at it next weekend at the IBO World Championship. I look forward to seeing all my friends and archery family and calling it a year. Safe travels and good luck next weekend. I also want to give a shout-out to Matthew Tibbals. Great comeback at the Classic after some unfortunate luck on Day 1! Please don’t ever doubt yourself as you move forward. I’m not sure if you noticed, Matthew, but two of the guys you were shooting with and hanging with in peer groups a few years ago were both in this shootdown round at the Classic alongside Jacob. If you ever question your ability, please look at that and remember where you have already been, who you have competed against, and most importantly, how you held your own in those moments. Don’t ever beat yourself up or question your ability. When I chose to compete against my current peers a few years ago, I just looked into my memory and remembered all the times I competed with them in amateur classes and how I fared. That was enough to tell me I belonged and would do OK if I just had had the confidence to believe in myself and be myself. You got it inside ya, kid, and I believe in you. My journey hasn’t been all that much different than yours. Life happens -- and shit happens along with it but never question your ability! We all believe in you. See y’all next weekend and shoot for the moon. If you miss, you will still land somewhere among the stars.
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