Conquering New Equipment
Conquering New Equipment

Conquering New Equipment

For a variety of reasons I was not planning on doing any of the indoor world cups this year, however, at the last-minute I made a quick change of plans and decided to head to Thailand for the second stage in the indoor circuit. I had only had my new bow in hand for about 2.5 weeks, so I knew I couldn’t expect too much…but I’m a competitive person and hate to lose, so that was easier said then done.

I’ve always been someone who takes awhile to pick things up, so changing bows was a BIG deal for me. Although I was confident long run in my choice in going with Hoyt, I was definitely not tournament ready for Bangkok. I arrived more nervous at this tournament then I ever remember being at one.

I didn’t just want to do well for myself, but I also wanted to prove to Hoyt they made the right decision in signing me. Basically, I didn’t want to let them down by not performing my best.

IMG_0921

Practice day was pretty typical for me, but when qualification day came around I was EXTREMELY nervous. I literally was shaking on the shooting line and had trouble getting my pin to settle down. The first two ends I was fighting so hard against my nerves, yet I managed to open with two 30s. I then began to relax and unfortunately my shooting went the other direction. I struggled most of the day, just not knowing where my shots were going.

I was lucky, however, and managed to tie for 2nd with Toja, who was also shooting the same new equipment as me. I had a bye into the next day, so I didn’t have to shoot any matches that evening. The next morning we started in the 1/8ths, where I was able to breeze into the next round, after taking an early lead in the match.

My next match was against a girl who had shot a miss during qualification (I didn’t know this at the time, but was told after). Had she not shot the miss, she would have been in 2nd, meaning she was a tougher competitor then her rank signaled. My first arrow of the match was a 7! Anyone who shoots compound knows that with cumulative scoring, you are done after shooting a 7, especially indoor with no wind. I took a minute to clear my head, and then told myself I was determined to win the match with a 7, just so I could say I did it.

I battled back and shot well the rest of the match (tying my score from my first match) and taking the win. Now I had to face Toja in the semi finals to see who would go on to the gold match (loser would go to bronze). I know both of us were having our ups and downs with the new equipment, neither of us feeling 100% adjusted to the new bow, however, we are both fierce competitors, so I knew it would be a tight battle.

I started the match up, but Toja quickly closed the gap, shooting a couple perfect 30s in a row. In the final end, I again shot a 7, opening the door and allowing her to take the win by two points. I was pretty upset, but I knew what caused my bad shots. Also, I knew I couldn’t dwell on it bc I still had the bronze match to shoot in. I was able to regroup and stay in the yellow for that match, bringing home a 3rd place at my first tournament with the new bow.
IMG_0919

I was disappointed yes, but I also knew it was a step in the right direction. I had learned some stuff about my new equipment, and I had things I could take home and work on. I knew I had to do this quickly though bc I would only be home a couple of days before heading to Team Trials in Michigan, hoping to make the Indoor World Championship team.

IMG_0930

4 Comments

  1. Pingback: Year in Review – Crystal Gauvin

  2. Braniff Kirkpatrick

    I am no where near the caliber as Crystal. But, see this in myself and JOAD students all the time. The reluctance to full accept the change initially. Struggle to perform at or above previous set-up and become completely frustrated.

    Than, you think why should I change? All the sudden you don’t care and hit a 10. And, think what happened…the self inflicted anxiety & pressurr has blocked you from doing well. You’ve put it aside and just shot!

    Realizing that was good you begin to improve and feel comfortable. We all just need to stop thinking and enjoy!

  3. Pingback: Another chance to represent USA – Crystal Gauvin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *