Throw Back Thursday - Our Shooting Journey

 

I saw this on Facebook today and it made me think:

 

 

I'm not going to try to answer the question that the  banner asks. That would take too long. However, I do remember our high school having an indoor shooting range in it and no one thought anything of it.

 

Some of you may also know that shooting has been a big part of our lives but especially our oldest, John Allen's, life. For those of you who aren't familiar with our journey, it all began over 10 years ago when we were looking for a sport for John Allen. If you remember from reading my post on John Allen and the rare disease that he was diagnosed with in Happy Rare Disease Day - John Allen's Story , then you will know that John Allen has an artificial left eye. Because of that, it was very difficult for him to play most sports. Finally we found shooting and found that he really excelled at it. A few years ago I wrote a series about our families interesting journey in the shooting sports. In honor of "Throw Back Thursday" I've reprinted the first post in the series below. If you want to continue on in the series there will be a link provided. Happy Reading!

 



 



Our Shooting Journey - Part One - How it All Began!

John Allen at a the Daisy National Air Rifle Championship



I'm going to be quite honest. I almost didn't go. Really, I didn't want to go. Before I explain what I'm talking about, however, let me go back to the beginning.

Most of you know that John Allen shoots air rifle competitively. His shooting "career" began when he was in third grade. We had been looking for a sport that John Allen would excel in for a few years. When he was 15 months old, John Allen was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. By God's grace, the doctors were able to remove the tumor, but had to also remove his left eye.

Being blind in one eye is difficult for a child who wants to play sports. They have no depth perception so hitting a ball with a bat or trying to kick a ball with a foot can be challenging. Try closing one eye and trying to touch the tips of your two pointer fingers together in front of your face and you'll see what I mean. We signed him up for t-ball and he did ok because the ball was stationary. When we tried coaches pitch (where a machine pitches the ball to the batter) things were a little different. He couldn't hit the ball if his life depended on it. Finally, during the last game of the season, he got a hit. The whole crowd cheered - they knew what was going on. There were tears of joy streaming down our faces until we realized that John Allen was just standing there. He didn't know what to do! He'd never hit the ball before. We had to yell for him to run. I can't remember if he made it to first base or not, but it didn't matter. He had accomplished something that was important to him. We knew, however, that in the competitive sports world of our town, he wouldn't last for long in baseball.

Soccer was another story. He actually wasn't too bad. He was able to kick the ball and had players around him who were encouraging. A couple of times his team actually was the number one team in his league. Still, we knew that when he was older he would never make it on one of those traveling teams.

One day I heard that the daughter of one of the teacher's aids at John Allen's school (this was before homeschooling), had a college scholarship in shooting. Hmmm...shooting...I had never thought of that. After all, you only need one eye for shooting don't you? When I asked the aid how her daughter got started in the shooting sports she explained that youngsters many times begin with competitive BB gun shooting through the Daisy BB Gun Shooting program. She gave me the number of one of the local team coaches, I called to find when the shooting season started, and our shooting journey began.

Our shooting club, Bend of the River, begins practicing in January with the main state matches in March and April. The first Saturday is usually an all day thing with a lot of safety training. The main folks at Bend of the River, Charlie Pardue, his wife Nancy, and his sister Mary Jane, are fantastic.  We were total newbies when it came to shooting and had no idea what was going on but they welcomed us and John Allen with open arms. The head coach of the team, Meghan, began working with John Allen right away and was very complimentary of him. It seemed that he had finally found a sport in which he could do well. We didn't attend the pre-state and state match that year because we thought that he wasn't quite ready (remember we were total, ignorant newbies) but we did next year and it was the beginning of his shooting success.

So, where was the place that I almost didn't go? What was the thing that I didn't want to do? Find out tomorrow in my next installment of this week long shooting series - Our Shooting Journey - Part Two - Success!

PS. Do you want to see some early pictures of John Allen at the 2008 National BB Gun Championships in Bowling Green, KY check out this link - http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?startIndex=64&sid=8QYt2bJozZMOQ&fid=12fec66ee21c8d8e . He's in pictures 74, 75, 520. Enjoy the view of John Allen at his first national competition. Boy how far he's come!

 

Click here to get to part two of this series about - Our Shooting Journey.

Our Crazy Mixed-Up Summer Part 2 - The Daisy National Air Rifle Match in Arkansas

Most of you know the story of how John Allen got into shooting. If you don't, just click the link below to all of my posts involving shooting sports. He is not the best shooter in the world by far, but he has had some success. We have been blessed to have been able to attend many great shooting championships and to attend the Daisy National Championships - three times when he was younger and shot in the Daisy National BB Gun Championships and, for the past two years, the Daisy National Air Rifle Championships.

Let me tell you, Daisy puts on a fantastic event. They really treat their shooters right and put on an excellent event. The facilities that they choose are top notch and they give a lot of "extras" to the kids who participate. This year all of the shooters were given a free pass to a magnificent place that had a state of the art arcade, bowling alley, go cart track, restaurant and laser tag all in one building AND another free pass to a miniature golf course. The team from Bend of the River Shooting Sports that John Allen shoots for had a magnificent time - as you can see by the pictures below.

But, of course, the main reason they went was the shooting. This year we had two veterans Wesley, who has been shooting Air Rifle for about four years and John Allen who is in his second year of shooting Air Rifle. The other two members of the team, Austen and Keith were first year shooters. All of the team, though, shot on the BB team, so they have many, many years of shooting experience between them. Air Rifle, although it has many similarities, is more difficult than BB. Air Rifle is one of the shooting disciplines that they shoot in the Olympics. The team ended up placing 8th out of 14 teams this year which was better than last year, so they were pleased. Two other shooters from Bend of the River, Anne and Sam, shot as individuals and did quite well also. We love the shooting sports because of the camaraderie that the team has. They encourage each other and have really become friends with each other. They have a lot of fun at competitions like this and I really think that is what keeps John Allen shooting. The shooting family really is like a family. We have made a lot of friends in shooting. Friends that I'm sure will last a lifetime.

Bend of the River Places First...Twice!



 

I've posted about my children being competitive shooters before. I even wrote a mini-series for my blog last summer about how they got started that you can find by clicking here. Just as a refresher, though, most of you know that John Allen has an artificial left eye due to a rare form of childhood eye cancer that he was diagnosed with when he was 18 months old. Because of that, he has no depth perception. That makes it extremely difficult for him to play any sports. When he was in second grade, we discovered an excellent competitive BB gun program that was very close to our home and decided to sign him up. He immediately took to shooting, became one of the top shooters in the state, and has since moved on to shooting competitive air rifle.

 

This is his second year shooting in air rifle competitions and he is doing well. Last weekend was the Tennessee State 4H Air Rifle Championships and he shot the best score he has ever shot and placed 6th overall. His team, the Bend of the River Possums, placed first! They now have to make the decision of whether they are going to accept the invitation to go to the 4H National Shooting Championships in Grand Island, NE this summer. They may also shoot at the Daisy National Championships as well.

 

Joshua shot in the BB Gun competition and also did well by placing right in the middle of the pack with over 130 shooters competing. Bend of the River placed first in the BB match as well!

 

Below is a brief video put together by Charlie Pardue, the head coach and owner of Bend of the River. Congratulations to all of the Bend of the River shooters!



2013 tn 4H bb & Air Rifle Champions Slideshow: Charlie’s trip to Dickson was created with TripAdvisor TripWow!

Our Shooting Journey will Recommence Tomorrow!

I'm sorry for the skipped days. For those of you who have been kindly reading my five part series on how our family got started in the shooting sports, I will post part 4 tomorrow.

Our Shooting Journey - Part Three - Can John Allen Conquer His Problem?



There are seven shooters that are allowed to shoot on a team that goes to the Daisy National BB Gun Championship Match - five shooters whose scores count for the team, and two alternates. The alternates are there in case one of the top five can't shoot. Then, they could step in and shoot. Otherwise, the alternates shoot in their own category and there scores don't count for the team total. If you are chosen to shoot as a regular team member, you have to skip a year before you can go to "Nationals" again. You can shoot at Nationals up through the year that you turn 15 years old. Then you age out.

John Allen shot as an alternate his first year, and was invited to go back again the next year as an alternate. The third year we skipped. He probably could have gone as a regular team member but then he wouldn't have gotten to shoot during the year he turned 15. We thought that would be his best year so we chose to skip that year but worked hard practicing both at home and going to the range at Bend of the River once or twice a week. Strategy also comes into play when thinking things through. Many of his chief competitors would be going to Nationals that year and therefore couldn't compete the next year at Nationals or compete for the regular awards at the State match the next year.

John Allen was quickly working his way up the ranks, and it looked like his final year shooting BB gun would be a big year for him. There was just one problem - nerves. The first year we went to Nationals as an alternate there was no pressure. He was a fairly new shooter and he exceeded all of his goals. The next year, however, he was experienced and was expected to do well in the alternate category. We tried not to put pressure on him, but, he knew what he could do and he set his goals high and put the pressure on himself.

I'm afraid that I didn't help either. Although I tried not to put pressure on him, I'm a analyzer and a statistic person. I'm forever looking at scores from the past and "number crunching". "Look John Allen," I might say. "Last year's bronze medallist in kneeling scored a 96. You're average is a 93. If we can bring your average up three points..." You get the picture.

Needless to say, he didn't do well at that year's National competition, and, then, didn't do as well as expected in the next year's State match. He began to get the mindset that he couldn't do well in major competitions. At practice he would shoot well, but when it came to a major meet, he seemed to let his nerves get the better of him.

His last year of shooting BB guns, the year that he turned 15, was a great year at practice. He was doing just as well, if not better, than most of the team. He was the one that was in line to win the state competition. Unfortunately his nerves kicked in again. The morning of the pre-state match he woke up extremely ill. He ended up skipping the match and I took Joshua to shoot (more on him tomorrow).

Two weeks later was the State match. He woke up with a quesy stomach but, after many pep-talks and much prayer (we always pray before he shoots each position), he was feeling pretty good. It didn't hurt that he had earned the Distinguished Expert award, the highest award that you can earn in BB shooting, during the week in between. That also helped to boost his confidence. He actually shot well. In fact, he was the top shooter for the match and out shot everyone. Unfortunately, shooting is not everything when it comes to BB gun competitions. There's also the dreaded test on everything from gun safety to rules.

He had a respectable score on the test and was still in the lead when it came to the shootoff. I mentioned the shootoff yesterday. It's where the top eight shooters shoot ten final shots one at a time in the standing position and, after each shot, someone reads the scores off. A match can be won or lost at the shootoff. John Allen did well, but not as well as the second place shooter, Julia. She actually came back and tied John Allen after 10 shots. That's the first time that had happened in Tennessee state history.

They searched the rule book and decided that the tie would be broken between the two by a sudden death shootoff. One shot at a time until someone shot a better shot than the other person. The first shot was a tie - they both shot 8's. Then, on the second shot, John Allen shot an 8 but Julia shot a 9. So, John Allen ended up in second place. They do have a special award, though, for the person who had the best shooting score, minus the test so John Allen won that award as well as second place. But, he proved he could conquer his nerves!

Next, was air rifle. Before I talk about that, though, tomorrow I'm going to blog about Joshua and shooting. Can a child on the autism spectrum actually be trusted to shoot a gun? Find out tomorrow!



Our Shooting Journey - Part Two - Success!

See that cute little kid with the oval around his head?



I'm not going to tell you how many times we have felt like giving up. If I did, it would fill this whole blog post and would quickly bore you. Like any sport, practice is required if you want to succeed. And, like many youth athletes, John Allen wanted the success, but didn't always want to work for it.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were very unknowledgable in the shooting sports when we first began. Really, we are still learning a lot and have much more to learn. We did realize, however, that one of the first things that we needed to do was make sure that John Allen was coached well. At first, John Allen was coached by Meghan, the head coach of the team. Megan was on a collegiate shooting team and was very accomplished. She had the philosophy that you shouldn't push a child too quickly. She wanted every young shooter to learn to love the shooting sports and not to hate it because they were pushed too hard at first. I remember sitting behind she and John Allen when they were on the firing line and mumbling things under my breath when I though John Allen was doing something wrong. She would often turn to me and say something like "Calm down dad, he's doing fine!".

I credit Megan for instilling a love for shooting in both John Allen and our middle child, Joshua, who we'll talk about tomorrow. I only wish she were still around for when Jacob, our youngest, begins to shoot in a year or so. Unfortunately her husband was transferred out of state and they had to move.

Even before her move, however, I was watching the other dads/coaches. Shooting is a very family oriented sport. At least in our shooting club, fathers and mothers are put into service almost right away. There are 8-10 bb shooters on the line shooting at a time so one person can't coach them all at once . While one group is shooting there is often another group that is studying for the test (I'll talk more about the test later). Fathers (and often mothers) are on the line coaching their child and, at the same time, mothers (or often fathers) are helping to prepare students for the test, give the test or score the test.

As I watched the fathers coaching their own and other children, it was easy to pick out the dads with experience and the dads, like me, who had little to no experience. One father in particular seemed to have the right balance of patience and pushing the shooters to do their best, so, after Megan went on to coach other newbies, I approached him about taking on John Allen and he agreed to help him out. It was an excellent fit. John Allen and Jeff worked fantastically well together. Jeff was just the right person to teach John Allen the intricacies of the four positions - prone, standing, sitting and kneeling - and the techniques of proper site picture, proper site alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze and follow through. John Allen began to advance in the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program and advance in rank among the shooters.

John Allen's second year of shooting we went to pre-states and states to gain valuable experience but didn't place. Finally, however, in his third year of shooting, his hard work began to pay off. At the pre-state match he actually made the shoot off. The shoot off is where the top eight scorers in a particular match go head to head shooting 10 standing shots one at a time. After each shot the scores are checked and announced to the crowd. John Allen shot so well at the shoot off that he moved from seventh to sixth place. Afterwards Megan announced that his chances of being chosen to be an alternate on the team that went to the national match had greatly improved. That year, after the state match, John Allen was, indeed, selected as an alternate for the Daisy National BB Gun Championship Match in Bowling Green, KY. He didn't expect to win any medals, but he set a goal, practiced hard and off we went to Bowling Green that summer.

Boy was the national match a totally different "ball game" than what we had ever experienced before. You walk in to that large room with dozens of firing points set up ready for hundreds of competitors to shoot on and you are awestruck. John Allen, however, rose to the occasion, kept his cool, and shot his best ever - far exceeding the goal he had set.

We began to wonder if he could actually go home and win the state match someday. Could he? Tomorrow you'll find out, but you'll also find out about some bumps in our path including a bout with nerves, a shooting slump and, yes, dealing with a pushy father who some said (and at times still say) wanted it more than his son. So, get ready for the next segment of my week long series - Our Shooting Journey - Part Three - A Family Affair.

Click here to get to part one of this series - Our Shooting Journey - Part One - How it All Began!

Shooting at a national match isn't all work. There is some time

for fun and games. The sponsors always treat the athletes well, like

providing free passes to a local mini-golf course.



Our Shooting Journey - Part One - How it All Began!

John Allen at a the Daisy National Air Rifle Championship



I'm going to be quite honest. I almost didn't go. Really, I didn't want to go. Before I explain what I'm talking about, however, let me go back to the beginning.

Most of you know that John Allen shoots air rifle competitively. His shooting "career" began when he was in third grade. We had been looking for a sport that John Allen would excel in for a few years. When he was 15 months old, John Allen was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer. By God's grace, the doctors were able to remove the tumor, but had to also remove his left eye.

Being blind in one eye is difficult for a child who wants to play sports. They have no depth perception so hitting a ball with a bat or trying to kick a ball with a foot can be challenging. Try closing one eye and trying to touch the tips of your two pointer fingers together in front of your face and you'll see what I mean. We signed him up for t-ball and he did ok because the ball was stationary. When we tried coaches pitch (where a machine pitches the ball to the batter) things were a little different. He couldn't hit the ball if his life depended on it. Finally, during the last game of the season, he got a hit. The whole crowd cheered - they knew what was going on. There were tears of joy streaming down our faces until we realized that John Allen was just standing there. He didn't know what to do! He'd never hit the ball before. We had to yell for him to run. I can't remember if he made it to first base or not, but it didn't matter. He had accomplished something that was important to him. We knew, however, that in the competitive sports world of our town, he wouldn't last for long in baseball.

Soccer was another story. He actually wasn't too bad. He was able to kick the ball and had players around him who were encouraging. A couple of times his team actually was the number one team in his league. Still, we knew that when he was older he would never make it on one of those traveling teams.

One day I heard that the daughter of one of the teacher's aids at John Allen's school (this was before homeschooling), had a college scholarship in shooting. Hmmm...shooting...I had never thought of that. After all, you only need one eye for shooting don't you? When I asked the aid how her daughter got started in the shooting sports she explained that youngsters many times begin with competitive BB gun shooting through the Daisy BB Gun Shooting program. She gave me the number of one of the local team coaches, I called to find when the shooting season started, and our shooting journey began.

Our shooting club, Bend of the River, begins practicing in January with the main state matches in March and April. The first Saturday is usually an all day thing with a lot of safety training. The main folks at Bend of the River, Charlie Pardue, his wife Nancy, and his sister Mary Jane, are fantastic.  We were total newbies when it came to shooting and had no idea what was going on but they welcomed us and John Allen with open arms. The head coach of the team, Meghan, began working with John Allen right away and was very complimentary of him. It seemed that he had finally found a sport in which he could do well. We didn't attend the pre-state and state match that year because we thought that he wasn't quite ready (remember we were total, ignorant newbies) but we did next year and it was the beginning of his shooting success.

So, where was the place that I almost didn't go? What was the thing that I didn't want to do? Find out tomorrow in my next installment of this week long shooting series - Our Shooting Journey - Part Two - Success!

PS. Do you want to see some early pictures of John Allen at the 2008 National BB Gun Championships in Bowling Green, KY check out this link - http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/album.sfly?startIndex=64&sid=8QYt2bJozZMOQ&fid=12fec66ee21c8d8e . He's in pictures 74, 75, 520. Enjoy the view of John Allen at his first national competition. Boy how far he's come!