Good Job Sluggun

Good job Brother shootin' Buckmasters. I sure wish I could've been down there shootin' with you this year and Lord willing, I'll be there next year.

Good job Scott. Hopefully work won’t screw me up next year. How’d you like the new format?

Thanks guys. The new format was definitely different from anything I’ve done before and it kept the pros from just running away with it. Tim Gillingham beat me the first time and Tom Boatwright got me the second time. I don’t like having the red dot at the bottom of the pad. I missed the pad two times trying to hit that little dot. RobertM I definitely needed you to run across there in your loin cloth while Gillingham was shooting and knock one of the owls down.

I hope that there is a next year. They didn’t even have a sponsor for it this year and doesn’t look like yamaha is giving away a four wheeler because they don’t have one setting out on the range. I could be wrong but I haven’t seen one. On the good side we did have some new shooters and with the new format maybe we’ll get some more new ones.

Update: Yamaha is giving away a four wheeler.

Gillingham is a good shooter even if he looks like Lyle Lovett.

Boatwright has always been tough in the later rounds. I really like Tom. Win or lose he always has a smile.

I was going to shoot this year, but after shooting in the Rinehart 100, I realized my old eyes just weren't going to allow me to see my pins clearly enough to be competitive. I started shooting traditional gear because it didn't matter that the arrow point was blurry and I had pretty much hung up my compound.

A few months back, I got a bunch of chalk in my eyes while doing Crossfit and had to go to eye doctor. Normally when I'm at the eye doctor, I'm just trying to get more contacts and get out. But in the process of getting my eyes flushed out I mentioned that I could see good up close without contacts and things were blurry up close with contacts. The nurse told the doctor this and through a series of trying different contacts prescriptions, I can now see my pins fairly clear. Each time we try a different prescription, I have to wear them several weeks in order for my eyes to adjust. Sometimes it's better, sometimes not. But I can "see" hope. I'm getting older and crap ain't going to work like they did when I was in my 20's, but that don't mean I can't fight it. After all, I'm an engineer and make a living out of solving problems.

I've been training with my compound again and it's like starting all over. However shooting the recurve and longbow has taught me a better understanding of back tension and form. A lot of the minor form errors I could get away with shooting a compound is magnified with traditional equipment. It's certainly an interesting journey.

Scott, you certainly have had a great year shooting. What you have been able to accomplish this year is no small feat. Sonny and I both know what it's like to go toe to toe with pro shooters. 9th in Buckmasters Top Bow World Championship is something to be very proud of. Going against the best and holding your own is always cool no matter the endeavor.

But be warned, because the "kiss stealing, wheelin' dealin', loin cloth wearin', most electrifying man in Archery" is on the come back trail. No owl or Ol' Man Treestand sign is safe. IF YOU SSMMEEEELLLLLLL, WHAT THE ROB IS SLINGIN'.

I was sitting in 4th place when we got to the top 8 in 2007 and Justin Martin put me out. I ended up finishing 7th. I still can’t watch that hunting show of his. I’ve killed the cabin a couple of times, but never the owl.

It does take some mad archery skills to hit them owls.

Anybody can knock the owl off the post, BUT it takes special skills to make it rattle around as long as that owl did.

I swear that joker clanged for a good two minutes.

Like him or not Tim Gillingham is one hell of a shooter but it put a big smile on my face watching Joseph Goza spank that azz two rounds in a row. I seem to learn something new every year and maybe next year I can put it all together and get my name on the trophy. This was the first time that I have ever shot a clean round and I did it with red. Also had two more rounds that were clean except for the last chance target because I was shooting at the red dot and missed about a half inch low. One of those was the round that Tom Boatwright put me out on. When Tom finished his round I could hear the crowd cheering and when I walked out It looked like they were turning the red light off so I assumed he had cleaned it with red. When last chance target popped up I figured anything less than red I would be going home anyway so I went for it and lost. Turns out Tom hit yellow and I could have taken it to a shoot off if I had just laid up in the yellow.

I was there and watched the finals. Goza pulled it together for sure, but Gillingham helped him out by missing one of the moving targets. Great win by the Flat Rock man though!

It's a journey.

I willing to bet if you ask Joseph Goza if he learned something new this year he would answer in the affirmative. Joseph doesn't get rattled by a bad shot, or bad round, or think he has to do more than he can. He just tries to execute each shot the best he can, grabs another arrow, and does it all again. I wonder how many Deer have been missed by the hunter trying not to mess up rather than executing the shot they have done thousands of times before.

Just keep doing what your doing.