We had minimal time to get ready for the event after getting home from the Classic on Sunday and heading to West Virginia on Tuesday morning. However, I did have enough time to change arrows and go with some that were going 307 fps, considerably faster than the ones I shot all year that were going 291. I figured that would help with any misjudged targets... and it did.
Practice Day
Instead of spending the day fighting the crowds at the venue, we headed to GT Archery in Virginia for practice. Although I couldn't hold the bow well, the arrows found their way into the middle. By the time we had finished shooting our practice round on a foreign course, I felt good about my chances. I only left the 10-ring two times, and it was on a double target set that had two targets that aren't official IBO targets. Being a target judger, I realized it was probably because I didn't recognize the size of them. I finished the day of practice by going back to the venue and judging one course without shooting my bow. I judged every target to within two yards and had most of them right on the money. After taking some time away from judging the last three weeks, my judging seemed to correct itself.
Day 1
With heavy rain predicted for the day, I headed out with my rain gear and figured I would leave it on all day. I could never have asked for a better group to be with for this event. Some of my absolute favorites in my class were in my group. I knew we would have a good time. The group comprised Tony Tazza, Darrin Christenberry and Scott Price.
After a short walk, we approached the first stake of the tournament and the heavens let loose. The rain pummeled the canopy and began roaring with a vengeance all its own. I've never minded shooting in poor weather, so I knew I would be fine. I've never let weather affect my attitude or performance. I actually like shooting in less-than-favorable weather conditions.
Darrin led off the first target and gave us a good marker. The arrow shone brightly on the left side of the 10-ring, and I was confident with my number. When I drew the bow and settled in, the pin sat down nicely, and I executed one of my best shots of the year. I saw the arrow land right next to Darrin's, and I was satisfied because I held on his arrow. However, when we got to the target, I realized Darrin's arrow was actually sitting on the edge of the 10-ring instead of on the edge of the 11. I missed my aiming spot by less than an inch and a half, and my arrow was sitting just outside the 10-ring. I felt good about it because I made a great shot.
Moving to the second target, the rain continued pounding. Looking at the grazing doe behind a giant tree, I thought it could wreak havoc on a lot of people and realized that particular target would be one of the difference makers.
Once again, I made a perfect shot when it was my turn. However, the arrow landed just outside the 10-ring to the left. I'm not sure why it hit where it did, but I accepted it and moved on. The weather conditions or lighting might've contributed, but I'm sure it was probably something I was doing that I never noticed.
As we moved to the next target, I knew I was in a place where I had to turn things around and get back into double digits. I made a good shot on a slightly uphill antelope, and the arrow struck between the 11 and bottom of the 10. I had now made three good shots in a row, and things were going to start turning in my direction. I've always learned to accept the good with the bad and give neither one of them any meaning. Nothing can be done about any arrows after they go out of your bow, so there's no sense getting down on yourself about one that doesn't score like you want it to score.
Then, in the next hour my world got turned upside down, and my memories of that time period are somewhat of a blur. I do remember shooting three fives that all hit the same place on each of the targets, which is where the neck connected to the shoulder. All of the arrows were straight left a very long way from their intended mark. I also shot two 8s in that stretch. About halfway through our round, Darrin asked me if I could hear the beeping noise. With all of the rain gear I was wearing, I couldn't hear it. It was my insulin pump going ballistic in my pocket. Tony said it had been making noise for a little bit, but I never heard it. When I dug it out of my pants pockets under my rain pants, I saw that my blood was in the 60s and headed down. Since I was already 23 points down, I decided to try to make the corrections I could and keep moving down the line. I had some fruit snacks and Powerade to bring the levels back up as fast as possible, but I also knew I couldn't overdo it.
As the day wore on, I became a little more alert as to what was going on, and the fogginess around my brain drifted away. However, I was never able to get my blood above 69 for the day, with it in the 50s for most of the day. Biting and clawing to stay above water, I survived the next 10 targets and got off that 10 with a 99. When the day ended, I was pretty down that I had to sign off on a 177, yet another embarrassing moment in a year filled with many of them. I'll touch more on that when I do my year's wrap-up.
Day 2
We spent the day that was canceled at GT Archery. Since I remembered most of the yardages, I decided to shoot a button, so I broke out my SX2 and gave it a whirl. Most of the friends with whom I was shooting have never shot with me while I was shooting a button, so I think they were surprised with the results. I only missed a few 11s. Every arrow was down the pipe, and it felt really good.
Although I went to the range, I was feeling horrible. My head was pounding and my chest was severely congested. By day's end, I had to stop working the Eagle Eye event to sit down and try to recover. My body was totally shot. I never should've left the house, but I just don't know when to quit. I should've known better.
When I woke up on Day 2, I just wanted to lay low and head home as soon as possible. However, my dad was feeling slightly better and wanted to finish. This made me put on my big boy pants and do what I had to do... finish.
A few people in my class left after Day 2 was postponed, so groups were shuffled, and our group gained Jackie Caudle, and the group in front of us gained Jim Livak. When we arrived at Target 1, I saw a gator on a log, and it wasn't what I would call a chip shot. Instead it was one of those that made you scratch your head for a minute and hope you picked the right number. If you were short on it, your arrow would most likely be stuck in the log the target was sitting on.
Darrin led it off and made a good shot. I broke an OK shot when it was my turn, but the pin was bouncing up and down. The arrow struck barely below the 10-ring. It probably hit where the pin was located when the shot fired.
Once again, I struggled a little bit through the first 10 targets, but I was able to shoot 4 up on the last 10, and that is how my year ended. When we began the second 10, Darrin was struggling with lefts and rights. I've watched Darrin shoot a lot this year, and I noticed something over the course of the two days that I didn't see the last time I shot with him. He's always had a stationary hand when executing his shot. However, I noticed when his shot wasn't firing great, his pinky was moving toward his wrist, and I could see the tension building in the bottom of this hand, into his wrist and going up his forearm. It was changing the pitch of the release on his face from shot to shot, and I believe it might've been the reason for the changing impact points of his arrows. When he started complaining about not knowing why he was getting phantom arrows to the left and right, I asked him if he wanted me to tell him something I had noticed. Some people don't like that, so I stayed in my lane but offered some guidance when he told me to give it to him. As you can see in this picture, his pinky is relaxed and just sitting there without any curl in it. However, when he was shooting and having issues, that pinky was moving the entire time he was trying to execute, and at times, it was almost back to his palm.
To many this might not seem like much, but these guys are my competitors and my friends. I want my friends to do well, and I want them to succeed. If I'm going to beat them, I want to beat them at their best. I'd also want them to help me if they saw something they thought might make a difference. After all, we had 10 targets left, and he was on the bubble of making the dance. I wanted him to make it to the final day.
Once we discussed it, he got through the last 10 targets without any phantom arrows, and he never went out of the 10 again. In all reality, I probably had nothing to do with it, but I was trying to help a good friend. Darrin has always gone out of his way to be good to me, my dad and all of my friends. I'm glad I met him almost 30 years ago. He's the same exact person he was back then, and I appreciate that, so if I can do anything to help him, I will do it.
Final Thoughts
I could've been the person on the left after the tournament ended or even during the tournament, but over the years, I've learned it's better to be the person on the right and accept the things that happen on our journey. If we flounder in the water, we will drown ourselves. I've always tried my best to not drown myself when bad things happen... they happen to everyone. I'll just keep floating and hope I wind up on a beautiful beach somewhere.
With all of the things I've battled this year, the ending of this tournament was bitter sweet. I know in reality, it may be the last national event I shoot. I don't know what lies ahead on the employment trail, but starting over at 55 years old will make it difficult to have the leeway I've been used to over the years. If I find a job in which I don't have much flexibility or time off, I will not use any limited amount of time to shoot archery. Archery just isn't that important to me, and if I have to say goodbye to my national tournament career, I'm satisfied with what I accomplished and where it brought me. At the end of the day, I did the best I could, and I always had limited talent compared to everyone else. I probably worked harder at it than anyone I know and did all I could just to be average. It was frustrating, but the frustrations were worth it.
The group I shot with over the weekend was the best group I shot with the entire year. Tony Tazza is one of the best guys you could ever ask to shoot with. He never gets too high or low, and you would never be able to tell if he shot his worst or best score ever. He's consistent and constant. I admire everything about Tony, including his caring, compassionate personality. He also has knack for humor, and it's quiet humor that probably goes unnoticed by many. Tony is one of my absolute favorite peers. He's always encouraging, and he roots for you as you root for him. He's the steadiest shooters with whom I've ever shot. His steady demeanor allows you to not realize why he's always there in the end. His lows never last and his highs are rapid and sharp. Instead, his line looks like a typical line with a few bumps in it. That's why he's in the hunt in every shoot. He doesn't do anything special except shoot good shots all the time, and he makes very few mistakes. The phrase should be changed from "Be Like Mike" to "Be Like Tony."
I've known and shot with Darrin on and off since the mid 1990s, and I appreciate his calm demeanor. Even when he gets upset, he keeps it in check. He focuses intently at the task on hand, and he cheers on his peers. He fist bumps you for a good shot, and he lets you know how much he appreciates a good arrow to aim at. He doesn't acknowledge the bad parts of a round if you're struggling, and you can tell he doesn't like to watch others struggle, even if its for his benefit. Darrin is and always has been one of my favorite people I've ever met in archery. I also think he's one of the most underrated pros who has ever shot a bow. Most people don't know Darrin shot a 900 in Vegas once upon a time. I respect his talent, and I find his transition to left-handed shooting inspiring. I'd like to have some of his talent because he is one talented individual.
Scott Price was in the group both days too. I've shot with Scott a number of times over the last few years, and I've always shot well when shooting with him. However, that didn't hold true this past weekend. That was no fault of Scott's. I own that, and it's just the way it goes. Scott's daughter walked onto our range after she had finished to tell him she had made the cut in Female Pro. I could tell that made his weekend. He was proud, and he couldn't hide it. I felt happy for him when they shared the quick moment before she walked away as quickly as she had appeared. After all, we were shooting a target right next to the road.
When Jackie Caudle joined us after his group was broken up, I was glad to have Jackie with us. Jackie is in his '70s now, and most people don't realize how many things he has won in his archery career. If you ever want to be surprised, then go and do some research. His resume is impressive. He always goes out of his way to ask how I'm doing and to offer the entire archery community good thoughts and experience.
While sitting back and trying to figure out how I shot three fives straight left in a five-target stretch, I don't have any answers for you. All I can say is that when your blood goes that low, it's very similar to being drunk to the point where you lose conscious ability of what you're doing. I'm not sure if I was seeing double and shooting at the wrong target since all three arrows that first day hit in the same exact spot. I'm not sure if my string was hitting my raincoat sleeve, or if I was just thinking I was making good shots and I was doing something drastically wrong. I really don't know what happened, so I guess I'll just own it. It happened; I don't know what caused it; and I'm not giving any extra attention to it.
While I'd like to go into the phenomenal ending of the year for my buddy and shooting partner Jacob Slusarz, I'm going to save that for later this week. He deserves his own space and not to be filed into my recollections of last weekend about my own performance. There were also many others from my region who deserve their own space, but I won't lie when I tell you that John Freeman is one of the people who has an awesome story. He repeated as IBO World Champion after struggling all year to rehab a shoulder injury. Grit, determination and will power allowed him to get it done. Here are some pictures from our weekend.
Here's Jeff right after getting hit by a fallen limb, putting him out of the tournament. The next pictures are of his shoulder after the injury took effect. He's lucky to be alive and makes it evident that when it's our time, it's our time.
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