As I mentioned in my last post, I started 2015 by making changes. The Iowa ProAm was my first chance to test things out in a tournament setting. To say it went poorly would be an understatement…
Day one we shoot the dreaded 5 spot blue and white target face. My worst score to date has been 3 down on this target. I was already down 3 at the half way point this weekend, however. With the exception of one shot, which I definitely punched and was almost a 4 as a result, I felt like I was making good shots and my bow was sitting well. Instead of getting worked up or freaking out, I just continued to shoot and follow my game plan. In the end, I dropped 7 points the first day. Yes, I was very disappointed, but I had to remind myself what I always tell people when I am coaching them.
1) a change takes time
and
2) usually in order to move forward, you must first take a step back
but
3) not all change is good change
Instead of rushing to the practice range and going back to my “old” stuff, I chose to stick out the tournament with the changes. Yes, this took a lot of restraint on my part, as I WANTED to do well at the tournament, but I see the bigger picture, and I want long-term success even more.
Day 2 saw a lot of movement across the women’s division, as it seemed I wasn’t the only one struggling that weekend. In the end, I shot 5 points lower than Presley’s on day 2, and I still managed to be only 2 points out of 3rd.
Highlights from this tournament include getting to spend time with both my mom AND a good friend from college who lives in Des Moines!
It’s now time for me to determine which changes I want to stick with and which I feel like won’t produce long-term success. The rest of January until the first weekend in February is full of important tournaments for me. I will have the final two stages of the indoor World Cups, the Italian Challenge, World Cup finals, Lancaster AND Vegas. These are all tournaments I need to make sure I am bringing my A game to, and that includes my choice of equipment.