You may have noticed that I never posted anything about how I did at the Iowa State Indoor Tournament. This is partly because I've been busy, but mostly because I was embarrassed. I shot even worse than I was expecting; and I wasn't expecting much. I believe my final score was 209, which is about 70 points lower than I had previously been shooting. I must admit that I was really glad that my dad, brother, and Uncle Tom came and shot with me, because without them there making me laugh and keeping me occupied between ends I probably would've gotten frustrated to the point of tears. I had practiced so much during the days leading up to the state indoor, but once I got in front of a bunch of people my target panic exploded and I couldn't hit a dang thing.
I'm happy to say that as of lately, I've been shooting MUCH better (feel free to knock on wood for me). So what is the reason for my recent improvement? If I had to pick one thing that made the biggest difference and helped me the most, I would say it's my new release. It's kind of a funny story of how I acquired my release. I asked Steve Plein to bring a bunch of his releases for me to try because I had been thinking about changing to either a thumb or back tension release. I tried a few of them, and even thought that I had found "the one". However, I remembered that my brother Ben had just ordered and just received a new back tension release for himself. I called him and asked if I could try it out before he got it set up for him and his bow. Lucky for me, he said that was no problem. I tried it and instantly fell in love. I fell so in love that I ended up telling Ben he was going to need to order himself a new release, because he wasn't getting this one back. Getting used to my new release was no easy task, in fact, I'm still no where near being an expert with it.
Here is a picture of what my new release looks like, and if you click on the photo it will bring you to their website so you can read more about it.
I'm happy to say that as of lately, I've been shooting MUCH better (feel free to knock on wood for me). So what is the reason for my recent improvement? If I had to pick one thing that made the biggest difference and helped me the most, I would say it's my new release. It's kind of a funny story of how I acquired my release. I asked Steve Plein to bring a bunch of his releases for me to try because I had been thinking about changing to either a thumb or back tension release. I tried a few of them, and even thought that I had found "the one". However, I remembered that my brother Ben had just ordered and just received a new back tension release for himself. I called him and asked if I could try it out before he got it set up for him and his bow. Lucky for me, he said that was no problem. I tried it and instantly fell in love. I fell so in love that I ended up telling Ben he was going to need to order himself a new release, because he wasn't getting this one back. Getting used to my new release was no easy task, in fact, I'm still no where near being an expert with it.
Here is a picture of what my new release looks like, and if you click on the photo it will bring you to their website so you can read more about it.
My new release and my greatly improved scores instantly changed my attitude about shooting. I no longer feel defeated, and I look forward to shooting. However, I don't want you to think that I'm over my target panic, because I'm definitely not. Actually, I ended up going to the doctor and getting some pills for what they call "performance anxiety". I pop a couple of them before I shoot help keep my heart rate down so I don't get so worked up. They do help some, but they're no miracle pills.
Besides my new release, I also FINALLY received my new Sure-Loc Challenger sight, Octane stabilizer, and Bowtech Destroyer!! When I ordered all of my new toys I decided that I wanted to be the one to set up my new bow, that way if something ever goes wrong while I'm away at school there's a possibility that I'll be able to fix it myself. The guys at Plum Creek Archery were very patient and helpful, and I'm extremely pleased with the final result. I call my new bow "Black Beauty", and I love it very much. The first 300 round I shot with it, I tied my high score, which I had shot at Regionals for the Minnesota Indoor, of 189. The second 300 round I shot, I shot a new high score of 296 28X. I can't say enough how much I LOVE my new setup! Definitely worth all of the waiting for my specially ordered items. If there's ever something you're interested in getting, I highly suggest you ask the guys at PCA if they can help get it for you, because they'll do what they can to get it done.
Besides my new release, I also FINALLY received my new Sure-Loc Challenger sight, Octane stabilizer, and Bowtech Destroyer!! When I ordered all of my new toys I decided that I wanted to be the one to set up my new bow, that way if something ever goes wrong while I'm away at school there's a possibility that I'll be able to fix it myself. The guys at Plum Creek Archery were very patient and helpful, and I'm extremely pleased with the final result. I call my new bow "Black Beauty", and I love it very much. The first 300 round I shot with it, I tied my high score, which I had shot at Regionals for the Minnesota Indoor, of 189. The second 300 round I shot, I shot a new high score of 296 28X. I can't say enough how much I LOVE my new setup! Definitely worth all of the waiting for my specially ordered items. If there's ever something you're interested in getting, I highly suggest you ask the guys at PCA if they can help get it for you, because they'll do what they can to get it done.
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