Shotgun Sports - My thoughts

Created (7/23/19)

As I am currently out of commission with regards to competitively shooting, what better time that to comment my thoughts on the shooting sports (Haha) and my personal journey the past six years.

As I am currently in a scheduled downtime for surgery, I will be unable to shoot for 1-2 months depending on how I heal and when my doctor clears me to begin normal activities. As I am missing the competitive circuit dearly, I realized that there is a wealth of information that I have largely ignored for the past 2-3 years shooting.

The first piece of advice I ignored: You don't realize how difficult it is to continue shooting the NSCA Regional Championships while attending college, being involved on campus, and maintaining a 4.0 gpa. For the past few years I have been disappointed that I have largely been unable to travel and shoot due to the class attendance policies at Drury which offer an automatic C+ for 2-3 missed classes. I wholeheartedly agree with these policies, after all if you are not in class, you are not participating in academic discussions, lectures, and vital information needed for class. I have often been sick and still attended class for fear of missing vital information that would be graded on a test or paper (apologies to my peers). As a high school student I often dismissed individuals who said shooting in college was difficult. I always thought they were not managing their time correctly. I couldn't have been more wrong and I am not afraid to admit that. Drury is an excellent institution for keeping students engaged in the classroom and it shows in the amount of time Drury students spend studying and preparing for tests, quizzes, projects, research, and practical learning experiences. My best advice for a competitive shooter entering college is to make sure you set your expectations prior to entering college, to avoid disappointment when you become swamped with assignments and school commitments. By setting an expectation you will set yourself up for reality and success.

The second piece of advise dismissed: "You can compete at a high level, you just don't believe in yourself." If I had a dollar for everytime someone told me I could compete at a higher level than I was currently if I only believed in my abilities and asserted confidence, I'd be rich. One person even rudely asserted that I was "sandbagging" in A class. As someone who rarely had self-confidence issues until I began shooting, it has been difficult to swallow the idea that I have all the tools and skills necessary to succeed. It sounds ridiculous to type, but I've had trouble with the idea that others have more experience with shooting, more years shooting, more target time, more resources to train, and as a result I convinced myself that I was not ready to compete and needed to train more and more. The first time I truly proved to myself that I am worthy to compete was at the last ACUI Championships when I shot a 95/100 in Super Sporting. This accomplishment only made me want to train and compete more, although I recognize college has hindered this. After all the copious amounts of training and hours of world class lessons have taught me almost all the skills necessary to succeed, it just becomes a matter of how hard you have to or want to work to shut your brain off on game day.

Third piece of advise neglected: No two days out competing are the same, and trying to force a feeling that led to a high score previously is a mistake. This piece of advise has been crucial for me because I realized that there are very few emotions that will hold you back from shooting a high score. I have shot well (comparatively meaning running stations back to back and mental clarity) in various ways. I have been out on the course and in a serious "business" mood and successfully turned my brain off at the time of the shot. This included not spending much time talking/joking with squad mates and controlling each thought. I was successful and shot well. Another time I was joking with squad mates, happy go lucky, "oh look at that cloud," playing on my phone between stations, and I still was able to shut my brain off at the shot. I used to think there was one way to shoot successfully and that it came from a place of seriousness. Honestly, I don't think it matters as long as you are not angry, resentful, or negative and you can focus on the bird during the few seconds after you call pull. My advice to you, do whatever YOU need to do to get that positive mindset for that station but be mindful to not interfere in others practices.

That's all for now folks. Sound off below your thoughts on this post, even if you don't agree I would love to hear your thoughts. My hopes in posting this is that someone in the future will find comfort or help in these ideas.

Shooting in MN at Caribou a few years ago. I really enjoyed the Regional event there.