Losing Competitive Shooting Capabilities.....

D

Don

Guest
.............so what is the most common and important attribute or capability of a successfull BR competitor, that when it goes away so does success...................eyesight, energy, desire, memory, etc.?

What are the "golden years" of BR success?............. Got to be somewhere around 40-60 years of age..............old enough to have discretionary money and time resources,............. young enough to have the enthusiasm, energy, stamina, to do all the necessary tedious equipment developement work of pre-and-post tournament activities.

Who is the oldest "Hall of Fame" competitor to earn points in 2 different tournaments in the same year?

Don
 
Don said:
.............so what is the most common and important attribute or capability of a successfull BR competitor, that when it goes away so does success...................eyesight, energy, desire, memory, etc.?

What are the "golden years" of BR success?............. Got to be somewhere around 40-60 years of age..............old enough to have discretionary money and time resources,............. young enough to have the enthusiasm, energy, stamina, to do all the necessary tedious equipment developement work of pre-and-post tournament activities.

Who is the oldest "Hall of Fame" competitor to earn points in 2 different tournaments in the same year?

Don
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Good questions. I think desire would have to be at or near the top of the list, no different than any other endeavor. I think Tony has the desire, energy and memory covered, his eyesight isn't as good as it used to be. I'm not sure if Tony is the oldest, but he did earn points at St Louis and Kelbly's last year.
 
Hal D. said:
Good questions. I think desire would have to be at or near the top of the list, no different than any other endeavor. I think Tony has the desire, energy and memory covered, his eyesight isn't as good as it used to be. I'm not sure if Tony is the oldest, but he did earn points at St Louis and Kelbly's last year.
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Hard to believe after 25 years that Tony B. could still be near or at the top of the BR heap.

Makes you wonder if he still has superior desire or has developed such a successfull and proven program for himself that he could follow it in his sleep with little trouble and effort.

As for diminishing eyesight, I would think that as long as it is correctable with todays eyeware, and with the superior scope optics that are also available..................it would not be much of a drawback.................Don
 
In todays...

BR world, my biggest weakness is stamina. Although not a very good BR shooter, my best years were age 68-72. I suppose I had something to prove then, but I've about run out of gas (PUN intended). When you are in a steep learning curve, which BR certainly is, you must stay on top of everything. I think that if I had had an on hand mentor, I certainly would have acquired basic knowledge earlier. Certain reloading tools used sooner would have helped. Of course my eyesight is still excellent. But the ballgame is reading those flags. I don't think in BR, you ever quit learning, that's the beauty of the sport.

"Snuffy"

PS. Tony told me a while back, he was not seeing that third flag very well anymore....YEAH, sure, Tony.:rolleyes:
 
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H."Snuffy"Smith said:
I've about run out of gas

QUOTE]

Yeah Snuffy, I think there are quite a few competitors whose gauge is running near the big "E".

I am actually quite surprised at the number of shooters who at one time were at or near the top of the game and have now fallen off but still continue to compete, yet not as successfully. They seem to still use all the best equipment and have the same enthusiasm during tournaments, but not the same success.

Makes me wonder if the off-tournament preparation is still there and the energy to complete those necessary barrel break-in, tuning, fire-forming, practice session, etc. chores.

I wonder how many preparation hours goes into each "Hall of Fame" point? I would bet that it is more than we might expect...............Don
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Don

I beleive that it is not the National Level where the shooters start to drop off as physical prowness decreases, it is the Region Level.
Many of us try to shoot our entire Region Schedule, because we compete for Region Championships, State Championships, and The Region Shooter of The Year. To me, these mean more than going to a Nationals.
This can be a grueling schedule, especially when you are in a Region like ours, where you have 9 matches, and at least 5 trips that are over 500 miles, one way. Wishing to make a Natioanl Event just compounds the problem.
I turned 60 this year, and it is starting to tell on me, mainly because I still work just as much at my job now as I did when I was 30. The prep time, the range-practice time, the travel, the driving all night to get there, then the driving all night to get back.
I can't see doing this much longer. And, since I still have the same business obligations as I always have had, the shooting will have to suffer.
This might be my last year to compete as I have for the past 10 years. The fact is, you do get tired, you do loose the edge, and you do start to dread the hyway at 1:00 am in the morning, trying to stay awake, so you can just get home.
They say that "60 is the new 40", Yeh, tell that to my body as I try to get out of bed every morning, one piece at a time. The only way 60 is now 40 is many of us are working just as hard at 60 as we did at 40........jackie
 
Two Cents Worth

From my view desire is most important. For 20 plus years I shot Skeet at a SUPER competive level. While I did not shoot it constantly during that time due to military assignments, I always maintained a burning desire to shoot the best I could even to the point of obsession. My last competitive match was in 2001 when I won several of the state's championship events, even after a 5 year layoff due to military. After that match I lost the desire and found myself going to shoot versus going to do the best I could. Picked up the BR game and desire returned. Within two years I had won some matches, shot well at supershoot, Shamrock, 300 regionals etc, etc. Then went thru usual scope and barrel problems. For last three years burning desire to shoot well has not been there - just shoot and enjoy company etc. Currently experiencing eye problem which highlights the second requirement. If you cannot see flags you cannot compete at high level. Third is the mental part of competitive sports be it shooting or other sports. You must be able to focus, block out negative thoughts and other distractors. Age takes that ability away in some quicker than others. Of course all is for nothing if you do not have the equipment.
 
Losing Capabalities ?

Well I have to admit I am not to retirement age yet, however from my view point I could be a lot better if I were not so tired when I came home from work and also had more time to put into the sport. I may see things different in a few years.

Old Timer
 
When why you go to a shoot changes!!!!

After 10+ years of competition and age 66 I find I am going more to shoots to socialize than to shoot and the results on paper, tell this story.
 
jackie schmidt said:
I beleive that it is not the National Level where the shooters start to drop off as physical prowness decreases, it is the Region Level.
Many of us try to shoot our entire Region Schedule, because we compete for Region Championships, State Championships, and The Region Shooter of The Year. To me, these mean more than going to a Nationals.
This can be a grueling schedule, especially when you are in a Region like ours, where you have 9 matches, and at least 5 trips that are over 500 miles, one way. Wishing to make a Natioanl Event just compounds the problem.
I turned 60 this year, and it is starting to tell on me, mainly because I still work just as much at my job now as I did when I was 30. The prep time, the range-practice time, the travel, the driving all night to get there, then the driving all night to get back.
I can't see doing this much longer. And, since I still have the same business obligations as I always have had, the shooting will have to suffer.
This might be my last year to compete as I have for the past 10 years. The fact is, you do get tired, you do loose the edge, and you do start to dread the hyway at 1:00 am in the morning, trying to stay awake, so you can just get home.
They say that "60 is the new 40", Yeh, tell that to my body as I try to get out of bed every morning, one piece at a time. The only way 60 is now 40 is many of us are working just as hard at 60 as we did at 40........jackie
Click to expand...

My perspective is that almost all successfull "national" level competitors also shoot a full regional and state level set of tournaments, these guys simply do it all and then some, that is why many are "Hall of Famers".

Jackie, although you may feel like you a getting "long in the tooth" and on the down side of the "golden age" of the BR bell curve...............I would say you have done remarkably well over the last couple of years, and will continue to do so, considering the "kidney" setback that you experienced not so long ago, which no doubt has given you some perspective on "limitations".......................Don
 
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