Members of the rifle team will be providing entries to a blog during the 2007-08 season. Check back periodically for the latest entries. New entries appear at the top.
Jen Pason
Jan. 22 ? Penn. State and N.C. State
The first match of the New Year led us to Palmyra, Penn., where we competed against Penn State and NC State. The drive took just over nine hours but we knew the long ride would eventually stop at Mr. & Mrs. Angeli?s [parents of UK sophomore Leslie Angeli] for a home cooked meal! After achieving optimal satiation from the delicious pasta, ham, veggies, taco salad, and the infamous chocolate fountain, we went back to the hotel for some R&R before the competition. We all knew how much work we put in on the range and were ready to produce scores that would reflect what we had learned.
Arriving at the range we were greeted by Photographer Pason (that?s my dad!). This competition affords the East coasters the chance to see their family once again. This regional fan club consisted of my Dad, Jake?s and Leslie?s family as well as Leslie?s junior coaches since this is her home club.
Overall the competition was a good learning experience and showed us what we need to continue to work on. The competition was shot on 10-bull paper targets which require continually checking position and ?natural point of aim?. These techniques typically take a backseat when shooting single-bull electronic targets because good position is found that produces shots on-call we sometimes forget our position can shift as the match progresses. Paper targets are in a way more engaging and require a thoughtful approach to the target as well as each individual shot. Problem solving is more apparent because we are constantly adjusting natural point of aim and our body to compensate for varying target height. This being a highly disciplined sport, we practice these things so they come automatically during a competition. Many of us had a good performance at some point in the day which is only the beginning to the fresh start we are trying to make for the second half of the season.
After the match we could not help but be lured to Hershey?s Chocolate World ? the guys went to Bass Pro ? Leslie made a great choice to eat at Houlihan?s where we enjoyed fine dinning our last night in Hershey.
This match afforded us the opportunity to make a list of our strengths and weaknesses. We have been working on those things this week as we prepare to shoot against Memphis and Army this weekend.
GO CATS!!
Jen Pason
Jan. 8 ? TCU
Miles away are turkey dinners, Christmas trees and the celebration of a New Year but before the holidays arrived we competed against TCU which resulted in our first defeat of the season. The spirit of the holidays could only temporarily dampened the emotions of a defeat and let it fall from our minds as we enjoyed time with family and friends.
It is commonly believed that time heals all wounds. Time may have in fact placed our defeat further from us in the spectrum of time but we feel no less the emotion of that day. However, our spirit has strengthened as a result. After all that is what this sport is all about ? picking you and your teammates up after falling down and learning from what went wrong.
And as for what went wrong? It was the unfortunate circumstance of all of us having our ?bad day? on the same day. Having a talented team allows some to have a so-so day and others will compensate with a great day. This was not how things turned out for our team. I knew everyone was working as hard as they could. You could almost see the points slipping through our fingers like sand but we did everything in our power to take control again. We each stayed positive constantly thinking the day will improve but in the end the scoreboard ruled in TCU?s favor.
Now it is all about learning from our experiences that day and look forward to upcoming competitions. In the final days before classes begin we convene to redefine goals and regain our grasp on our strategy. Long hours are put in on the range to get us back to the level of training we were used to before break. I am going to use a metaphor Andrew Roland said last semester and say that these days of training are like shots of espresso instead of a regular cup of Joe. Kicking up the intensity and resetting our sights on individual and team goals is what we are doing to prepare ourselves for the second half of the season.
In our minds we will only grow stronger from this experience. Returning rejuvenated from winter break we are ready to work extra hard to achieve our goals.
Go CATS!
Jen Pason
Nov. 10 ? West Virginia
Last weekend we competed against Ole Miss, NC State, and Morehead State. The competition against Ole Miss presented a new and unique environment for most of us: spectators. During the air rifle portion of the match, the women?s basketball team was there to support us as well as Coach Hutsko (strength trainer), the entire accounting and business office, employees of CATS (Center for Academic and Tutorial Services), and Kyle Hatton (computer department), as well as people who came in and out throughout the competition. Thank you all for coming and showing you support and interest in our sport!
Three home matches in a weekend showed our team how much we enjoy traveling and competing on the road. Shooting at home has the benefits of a familiar range at the expense of still dealing with the things going on at school or where we live. When we travel we prepare for the competition by tackling assignments before the weekend so we do not have those deadlines to think about before, during or after the competition.
At 1 p.m. Friday, we piled into the 50-passenger bus to begin our five-hour drive to West Virginia. Two and a half movies later we arrived at our destination with Applebee?s on our immediate agenda. After dinner we met with coach for a pep talk which pumped everyone up for our competition the next day.
The rainy morning failed to dampen our spirits as the first relay headed off to the range. Once again a crowd of familiar faces gathered to watch us compete: family, friends, and old teammates. Mr. and Mrs. Angeli supported us in the way they know best ? Hershey?s chocolate and home baked goods! You can see why we love traveling to competitions where our fans follow!
The competition began as always with everyone?s intensity level and focus at the max. I could tell each one of us were pouring everything we had into each shot. I know I personally had to mentally revisit what I learned in training sessions the week prior just to get the analytical aspect of ?what?s going on? under control. Heads undoubtedly shook for lack of understanding what their sway was was trying to tell them or why the shot was not what they thought it would be. Let?s just say smallbore was tough. None of us denied the fact our team smallbore score was lower than our potential but we used this to prepare for the air rifle phase. We all have been working very hard in air rifle and I think the understanding we gained of this position surfaced during the competition.
Some of us knew we were tied with WVU after smallbore ? I did not. I steered clear of the scoreboard simply asking how things were looking. Not receiving a convincing answer I knew we all had to work hard in air rifle.
Gaining the lead in air rifle by 31 points, it was exciting to see the team rise to the occasion and push hard in air rifle to take the win. It exemplified our abilities as athletes to deal with a tied situation mentally and translate our increased expectations into respectable scores.
The second relay also performed at a high level with Logan Fox reaching a personal record of 586 in air rifle and Ashley Jackson with a 577 in smallbore.
Our match against WVU brought out the best in our team proving we can cope in a situation when individual goals and expectations are forced to increase in order to accomplish a win. Every match is a learning experience. We each have a better idea of what we can work on in training to attain the goals we set for ourselves.
GO CATS!
Ashley Jackson
Oct. 27 ? Alaska-Fairbanks
On October 27, 2007 your very own Kentucky Wildcats Rifle Team defeated the defending national champions, Alaska-Fairbanks. The two teams were neck and neck the whole match. We shot our entire starting team at 7 a.m., while Alaska split their team and shot half at 7 a.m. and half at Noon. Because of this, the pressure was intense as the starting team stood by eagerly anticipating the results.
Going into the Noon relay, we were ahead by an estimated 12 points. After Alaska shot air rifle, the pressure was on. Unless they dropped 32 or more points in smallbore, we were going to lose the match. Standing back we watched as prone [smallbore] commenced, our second team working hard and overwhelming the second half of the Alaska first team with a sea of five blue shooters standing right next to their three. With the words ?commence firing,? the countdown began. First, we needed 32 points and then 24, then only 5 points and we would win the match! Because of such a tight schedule between when our team would finish shooting and when our flight was due to take off, half the team headed straight to the airport while the other half finished shooting and held the job of informing us of what we were missing.
Then the news we had been waiting for came through a simple text; ?we won?. It was the best feeling we could have possibly wished for. After hours of exhausting flights, late dinners and early morning calls to the line, we had won! Now, all that?s on our mind is preparing for future matches and Ole Miss, Morehead, and N.C. State this weekend.
Ashley Jackson UK Rifle
Jennifer Pason
Oct. 26, 27 – Nebraska
Reflecting upon the competition against Nebraska 3,100 feet above the ground allows me to revisit a truly rewarding experience that confirms our potential and brings us closer to our team goal of an undefeated season.
Our journey to the Midwest was exciting for many reasons. For some, it was their first time in Nebraska. For others, Nebraska was where they grew up and started shooting. Sarah and Clint brought an entourage of friends and family that were thrilled by the sport of rifle and excited to support our team with their presence and homemade cookies! A 4am bus ride to the airport, layovers, and airport food were all made up for by two days of comfortable beds, awesome food and Wildcat fans!
After a morning of air travel, we had lunch at Bison Witches where we were wished well at our competition by the servers. With all of us dressed up in Kentucky blue uniforms in a city laden by Big Red fans naturally attracts attention! After lunch some of us went on a tour of Nebraska?s campus. The others?we took a nap or worked on school work! After a few hours of free time, we all met up for dinner which was at Lazlo?s. Lazlo?s was recommended to us by the Nebraska team who raved about their food. It goes without saying that our experience exceeded their words of praise! We all knew the day?s itinerary was coming to a close with a meeting with coach and then some well deserved sleep.
Finally, we went to sleep after a long day of traveling and eating at the finest places in Lincoln. We knew tomorrow would present challenges to each of us but it would be nothing our team couldn?t overcome.
The hard work and serious training the team has put in since the season started at the end of August definitely showed during this competition. When we train on the range, it is as intense and productive as the individual makes it. Feeding off each other?s energy and drive, we unconsciously push each other. We learn to deal with this self-created pressure in training, so during a competition when we mentally calculate our approach to a personal record or a high team score, we don?t fail and sacrifice points.
During our match against Nebraska we tapped into our reserves of competition technique and tools. The intensity of each Wildcat could be sensed on the firing line. Taking it one shot at a time, concentration and fearlessness prevailed with many of us shooting consistently high in both smallbore and air rifle. A few Wildcats also shot personal records: Andrew, Sarah, and Logan.
Whether we shot well or felt we could have done better, we all came out knowing what else we have to work on in training. We also learned what our strong points are whether it was coming back after shooting a bad string or keeping a score together as we finished up strong. We all reached a new sense of ourselves and the potential as a team. The freshman got to experience the intensity of shooting against big competition and succeeding. For those of us who have been here before enjoyed the familiarity of putting in a hard day?s work and coming out on top. As we left the range and got into the vans it seemed as though Nebraska?s autumn showed more vividly against clear blue skies as a strong performance was fresh on our minds.
Though excited about our win, we knew Saturday?s match against Alaska would also be very challenging. I would venture to guess many of us were thinking about the nine points Alaska beat us by last year and how hungry we are to change that. As we learned today, we can post the numbers. We will just need to conjure up the energy and intensity to do it again tomorrow.
