There will be days when things do not go according to plan. When, despite all your training and best efforts, you cannot get it right and are left clinging by your fingernails onto some kind of hope that you can manufacture a good finish. Today was one of those days.
I had drawn three details in the middle of the day; 11:45 at 600 yards, 14:45 at 500 yards and 16:30 at 900 yards. At 600 I had a good group and a pretty mediocre score, with three points lost to ill-judged wind calls. At 500 yards I shot very well and read a tricky fishtail* wind well to lose only a point; for the shot I lost, I had 3/4 right on the rifle when I shot but there was left wind when the trigger broke. I'm not going to discuss the 900 yards shoot as there's no mileage in it. I took a kicking and lost a lost of points; although it was certainly not as hard as some of the mid-afternoon details. Even my afternoon snooze didn't help.
When this kind of day happens, as it inevitably does occasionally, I take comfort in the words of one of my coaches "you don't forget how to shoot overnight." The positives to take away from today are that I held excellent groups at two of the three ranges and the shots I lost were mostly close to the line. Roll on tomorrow and pray for some carnage in the infamous 1000 yards Corporation shoot.
*Note for non-shooters; A fishtail wind is one which either faces directly towards or away from the shooter and flicks alternately left and right, either side of zero. Fishtail winds require fast shooting, as having the wrong direction set on the wind arm of the rifle's sights doubles the error and results in a dropped point (or worse.)
I think my morning comment on the bus was lost. My coach (Bob Pitcairn aka Captain Canada) always tells me before a big shoot that "you're going to have one bad day, and a couple of average days in a Grand Agg. It's the how you deal with them that determines how you finish overall.")
ReplyDeleteHe's won four Bisley Grand Aggs I believe so I listen to him.. :)