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The Finals
July 16, 2009
The Finals
Twelve have beaten the odds and have advanced through two stages of qualifying. Now what? Just for starters add three events, tougher competition courses, and the infinite pressure of knowing that those little red lights are documenting every move for deer camp buddies to critique. Throw in a four-day schedule that resembles Bill Heavey’s fall travel schedule (Promo hunts keep a man busy! Thanks, Scent-Lok!), and it would be easy to feel over-whelmed.
Take the average practice time these guys put in for the Regionals and add to it the endless list of skill and equipment modifications. A tree stand and a ground blind are added into the archery mix, along with some distance and significantly harder shot angles than at the qualifying stages. In order to get separation in this crowd of shooters, the course will be a monster.
Skills is now Endurance, and that’s pretty close to comparing a fence lizard to a gator—both are cold-blooded reptiles, but only one would eat you if given the chance. Fatigue can cause errors and more than one has flipped their chance at 25 g’s by a single, erratic move in a canoe. Trust me, there’s gators in Dogwood for one week a year.
Weekend practice sessions are reserved for what can’t be practiced in the backyard. Maybe work in a bass tournament, fish some crowded trout stream, or bust clays at a range shoot to get used to performing in front of crowds.
And one more little detail that the competitors didn’t face in qualifying…cameras. They capture everything: trigger punch, broken knots, running the wheeler into a tree, all for everyone to see on national TV. It’s hard to imitate that pressure in practice and I’ve seen it break a bunch of talented competitors over the years.
Making it to the Finals is like finally scoring a date with the Prom Queen. Some of your buds will be happy for you no matter what. Some are going to take their shots because they didn’t ask her out, and they are convinced they would be better fit. All of them will give you pointers, most of them awful, on how to date a Debutante.
You have your own ideas. Doing it up all fancy, but that seems foreign to you. Even after all the prep time, in the end, it’s still just you and the Prom Queen. It’s probably best just to be who you really are…but at least take the time to shower.
—John Davis
July 16, 2009 in
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Comments (3)
Hi guys!
Checkout an awesome video about the 2009 Total Outdoorsman Challenge on DFWReporting.com here:
http://dfwreporting.com/2009/07/13/total-outdoorsman-challenge-in-grapev...
Please leave comments under the video player. We love your good and/or bad feedback
Wow, another day closer to being at Dogwood, congratulations to all of our 1st time competitors, can't wait to meet everybody. So there's gonna be "Gators" in Dogwood??? Well it's a good thing I got my gator permit. Gator season actually begins the 3rd weekend in August so i will have at least 1 caught before i get there.
Coop
Gators in Dogwood? -- Advantage Coop!!!!
Post a Comment
Wow, another day closer to being at Dogwood, congratulations to all of our 1st time competitors, can't wait to meet everybody. So there's gonna be "Gators" in Dogwood??? Well it's a good thing I got my gator permit. Gator season actually begins the 3rd weekend in August so i will have at least 1 caught before i get there.
Coop
Hi guys!
Checkout an awesome video about the 2009 Total Outdoorsman Challenge on DFWReporting.com here:
http://dfwreporting.com/2009/07/13/total-outdoorsman-challenge-in-grapev...
Please leave comments under the video player. We love your good and/or bad feedback
Gators in Dogwood? -- Advantage Coop!!!!
Post a Comment