Wednesday morning greeted me with pounding rain. I could hear it pounding off the roof for the better part of the night. When my alarm sounded at 2:45 a.m., it didn't take me long to get organized and head to Albany International Airport for my flight to Atlanta at 6:00 a.m, where I would catch a flight to Huntsville, Ala., to meet Jacob.
The day passed quickly, and we found ourselves in Cullman late in the afternoon. After unloading our stuff at the hotel, we headed to the range for some quick practice. Although the shots on the bags hit behind the pin and created good groups, the time on the 3D practice range didn't go so well, as I launched an arrow 30 feet over a target and shot a few 5s along the way. I guess the day's travel had caught up to me.
Practice Day
We slept in for practice day and tried recovering to the best of our ability. We had to be at the site at 9:00 a.m. so Jacob could be at the Darton booth for the launch of their new bow, the Tritech 37. It seemed to be a hit and the shooters in attendance seemed to be excited about it. The Darton shooters also got new shirts, and they look sharp.
When we got to the shoot, we had to scurry around to find a shooter shirt since I learned earlier in the morning that I had forgotten to pack any. Thankfully, Eric Griggs had a bunch in a box that he was unloading, so he graciously offered me a shirt, and Jacob picked up a new ACU stool.
While on the butts, I spent a fair amount of time conversing with Darren Collins. He will always be one of my favorite people to talk to. You never have to wonder what he's thinking, and he tells it like it is. You would never know of his accomplishments with a bow if you didn't personally know him. I learned today that he's only four animals away from completing his second grand slam, and he doesn't think he's worthy of being in the Bowhunting Hall of Fame. That's crazy to me. I'm lucky to call him a friend, and I'm glad I met him during my travels in this wonderful game.
After having a good practice session, we hunt out inside for a bit to get out of the heat. We shared a few laughs with Loren Lohr and Richard Teasley, two of my favorite peers. When all was said and done, we packed up and headed back to the hotel to get some rest for Day 1. Both of us felt prepared and ready to go give it a whirl to see what a few Yankees could do.
Day 1
We headed to the butts about 7:00 a.m. after getting breakfast at the hotel. It was a nice morning and the humidity wasn't too terribly bad. After shooting a few ends, we sat around and visited with Sam Coffin, Andy Jaquith and Rudy Abersold. I chatted with Arnold Abrahamsen for a few minutes when I went to the restroom too.
As we left the range and headed toward our starting points for the day, I felt good. My head was in a good place and I felt completely relaxed. I was ready for the day and had no reason to be anything other than confident.
I quickly learned I would be shooting with Don Kiertmeyer, whom I had shot with in Kentucky, Mark Keesee and Tony Weston, whom I had never shot with in the past. Tony resides in the U.K and he always seems to have a good attitude, so I knew it was a great chance to meet a new person from another country and enjoy the experience.
When the cards were drawn, I got the lucky duty of having to be first on the first target, an uphill medium deer that was in the skyline. The sun glistened off the tree branches and made it difficult to see well, so I settled in the best I could and executed a good shot that missed to the right.
My woes continued on the next target, a long, downhill bobcat, when I hit that to the right too. However, I caught a 10 on that one before moving along. After missing a wolf to the right, I finally gave a few clicks to my sight and called it good. Then I climbed out of the hole getting a 12 on a short bear and a strutting turkey.
Although my hold wasn't the best and my execution was slightly choppy, I felt good about my numbers an decided to be more aggressive than normal. After all, I had nothing to lose and. you can't win these things unless you shoot up. It wasn't about making the cut here for me, so I didn't have any plans of trying to stay in the mix and taking minimal chances. Instead, I decided to go for it.
Five targets later, I realized I had probably made the wrong decision when I sat on my stool and became slightly irritate with myself after barely missing over the upper 12 for the fifth consecutive shot. What could've easily been a 10 up on my card turned into 10 down. I had practiced extremely well earlier in the week at home, and I felt 100% confident in shooting at them. I had hit most of them at home and had no doubt I would hit them here. Unfortunately, that 1-2 inch miss shows up on the scorecard as a bad score when it was nearly a crusher score. I really can't be disappointed with that, even though I'd like to beat myself up a little bit. One of these days, they will all land, and I'll think back to this day when I was just a little off.
At day's end, I had accumulated a few more 12s, but I also shot a few more 8s due to bad numbers. Amazingly, I shot a pile of 8s and never came close to shooting a 5. I wouldn't say I had horrible numbers, but my numbers weren't what they needed to be to come out ahead in this event. I guess we never stop learning. If I had to do Day 1 over, I would do the same thing again.
Day 2
Going into Day 2, I didn't feel any differently than I did on Day 1. I decided to go with the same game plan to see where I would land at the end. After getting my target assignment, I was relieved to see I would be shooting with all good shooters who also had a mediocre Day 1. I would be shooting with one of my absolute favorite people with whom to shoot, Brian LuAllen, and Keith Ahlstrom and John Ball would round out the group.
Looking down the lane, I could see a howling wolf that would welcome me when we were told to "Shoot'm up." I could see a glare in the upper 12, and since I shoot uppers, I knew I would have a good aiming spot. I would follow Brian for the day, and I would be shooting second on the first target.
When I drew the bow, the pin drifted like it normally does on the first target, but I executed a good shot and the arrow pierced the 12. I was off and running. On my second target, I could once again see a glare just under the 12 on a strutting turkey, so I added yardage and held on it. When the shot broke, I figured I had it because it was another good shot. I landed another 12 on my card, and I was off and running for the day.
As the day progressed, my shot and my hold got better and better. The pin sat down nicely and my timing was good throughout the day. There was one shot which gave me a struggle, but I found a way to get through it and continue.
As I neared the day's end, I knew I had a good round going so I went for it on the last target of the day and secured another 12 on my card. I ended the day at 206 and moved from 30th place to 11th place for the tournament. Although that's a huge move for any class, something like that doesn't usually happen in a pro class due to the skill level of every shooter. It felt good to walk away from ASA for the year with a great round. I had no intention of shooting any ASA tournaments this year. After shooting in three of them and cashing a check at each one of them, it has gotten my mind thinking about trying Foley next winter. Although it's impossible to get anything practice that time of year, I fell the equipment I'm using now gives me a good chance to do well, and my experience can carry me through. I'll see how I feel about it as the fall brings me into and out of hunting season.
My Final Thoughts
I had no intention of going to this tournament a month and a half ago. However, Jacob's progression through the tournament season made me want to be at this tournament. I love witnessing greatness, especially when it's a friend who is supplying it. Well, I wasn't let down. I got to witness it again. He shot another 30+ up round in unknown archery. That is mind boggling if you think about it, especially if you could see the ranges he's doing it on. He is definitely one of the all-time greats and his time isn't done.
Unfortunately, some more unfortunate weather came in right as the shootoff was getting ready to start. We stood out in the pouring rain and tried to keep stuff dry. When it let up for a few minutes, the organizers tried rushing through to get the Open Pros done and the tournament wrapped up. Although I wasn't in the shootdown round, it made me feel rushed, and it's never a good thing when you rush through things when shooting a bow.
In the end, I was glad I attended the shoot. I got to see my ASA friends one last time for the year, and it made me briefly consider attending a few events next year. I have no idea what will happen between now and then, but I'm leaving the ASA behind in 2026 with a positive feeling.
As far as the tournament goes, I experienced some highs and lows, but the lows were more from frustration. I had a lot of arrows that landed outside the 12 on the upper side for 8s, and they piled up on Day 1. At one point on Day 1, I shot five 8s in a row. Day one I had a lot closer arrows than Day 2, but between the two days, I probably had 20 plus points that were out by less than an inch. One of these days they will all land, and I built on that on Day 2. It's just a matter of playing the game a little smarter and holding back when I need to. This is one of the ones that had perfect line but actually missed by a substantial margin instead of the many one-inch misses I experienced over the weekend. My line was really good all weekend.
After finishing the tournament, I walked back to the vendor area with Glenn Meadows and Loren Lohr. As we talked, I got Glenn's take on the ACU unit he used on his bow for the first time this year. He used the one that screws into the bow, the same thing-ma-jiggy I wrote about Wade using last weekend. Like Wade, Glenn said he could definitely see the difference. He noticed the difference in the beginning of the round when he was a little jittery, and he also noticed the difference on the long, small targets when he usually experiences a larger holding pattern. Loren also said it made a big difference in his set-up too. If you're considering it, I'd give it a whirl. Don't expect it to help you aim better, though. It will only improve your aim slightly be eliminating some of the larger movements. You need to hold the bow fairly well to begin with if you're going to benefit from it.
Looking back at the weekend, Day 2 was my best shooting of the year so far. Nineteen of the 20 shots were executed perfectly. I couldn't have shot the shots any better, even if I were in my own basement blank-baling. I've worked hard on that part of my game, so I'll take the small victories and try to move forward with them.
Although the train went off the tracks on Day 1, I never acknowledged it. Instead, I believed I could shoot a great round the next day and someone battle my way back into contention. Never giving up is essential in the game, and you have to learn how to battle through the bad and celebrate the good when you experience them. The secret to long-term happiness in this sport is keeping your emotions level. If you live and die with whatever happens every weekend, you won't be longed for the sport of competitive archery. It will eat you... and your mind alive. Archery is supposed to be fun. When all is said and done ... it's a hobby, and I think we sometimes forget that, and it makes it much more difficult to shoot well.
When I was packing up and leaving the venue, I spoke with Jamie Drouillard for a few minutes. I was lucky enough to shoot with Jamie a few times this year. Jamie gave me a pretty good compliment and I took it in stride. I appreciated his kind words and consider him a good friend. He's one of the guys who roots for his competitors even though he wants to win too. He complimented me on my shot this year and how it has looked really good.
I also spoke with Tony Tazza after he announced his retirement from the ASA. Although he will be done with ASA, Tony will most likely come back to shoot the IBOs next year, and that will be nice. What's the old .38 Special song, "Back Where You Belong?" I also had a long talk with Brian LuAllen before we started our round on Saturday. He said he's considering hanging it up too. I get it, as we are all older and being on the road sucks and sometimes feeling like you're giving it everything you have and it isn't enough can be depressing. However, I've made lifelong friends in this sport, and these events are the only place I get to see them. One thing I've learned, which matters more than anything to me, is that if your peers respect you, you're probably doing alright, and I believe I've gained the respect of most of my peers. That's good enough for me. I've heard all the critics locally and in my region. Here's my simple message to all of them. I feel honored to be able to compete with other lions, for I am a lion too.
