Jonathan Schaefer once again came close to perfection, but in the world of elite archery, he learned four points make a huge difference.
Schaefer, competed in the World Archery Festival in Las Vegas, Feb. 12 and shot rounds of 299, 299 and 298 out of 300.
“Those four points dropped me from first to 24th,” he said. The result was not what Schaefer had expected of himself, given that he had shot 1,199 out of a possible 1,200 at a previous competition.
But it was Schaefer’s first appearance at the World Archery Festival and as is often the case, there were a few unexpected twists that jarred his concentration.
First, unlike most other competitions where 30 arrows are fired at a single target, at the WAF, archers shot 15 arrows at one target and the next 15 at a target above or below, depending on which target they started on.
“I have never done that before and was a bit worried how it would affect me, which could have played a part in my performance,” Schaefer conceded.
Second, the sheer number of archers shooting at the same time also proved to be somewhat of a distraction.
“There were 75 target butts on the line and four shooters per butt, I have never been to a shoot that big before,” Schaefer said.
That represents 300 archers shooting at the same time. Prior to the competition, Schaefer said a key element to his success would be a clear and focused mind, something he said he had difficulty with at the WAF.
“Keeping my mind clear was tough,” Schaefer admitted. Another distraction was the fact that the event was held in a casino where smoking was permitted.
“Everyone was smoking, it bothered my lungs a lot and made it hard to breath almost at some times,” Schaefer said.
Despite the various distractions and the novelty of the event, Schaefer was satisfied with his performance and was already thinking about next year.
“I am mostly happy with it,” he said.
“But I know I can do better once I am more prepared.”