The Shot of a Life Time

Ally Forbes

10/5/15

Autobiography

The Shot of a Life Time

         As I take a breath before pulling the trigger for the first time in competition, even though I have been shooting for a while now, I think back to the first shot I took. I held the BB gun in my shoulder, as my dad demonstrated how to hold it properly. It was a warm, breezy, July evening, right before sunset. My dad had set up two cans, a bottle, and a steel target up on a deer stand bench. My first shot was a miss, but the excitement was building up.
         "Try to aim a little lower and make sure the green dot is in the middle of the black bridge," my dad said, trying to figure out how to explain sighting in to me.
         I lined up the green dot and pulled the trigger. The BB shot out of the barrel, and I heard a dink. The excitement grew even more, and I immediately turned to my dad with a huge smile. He returned the expression with an even bigger smile. I didn't know it then, but that shot would open so many doors in the near future.
         I focus back on the black bull ahead of me. I take a deep, slow breath and fire the pellet into the metal sheet behind the target. The "dink" of the pellet relieves the tension I have, making me more confident. I look through the scope to find that I hit the outside of the nine ring on the bullseye.          
         "Not bad," I mumble under my breath.
Still feeling a bit nervous, I look around me. I am in the position farthest left, on the end, and shoulder to shoulder with one of my favorite team members, Avery.
         "I am so happy he is next to me. I would rather it be him, than a stranger," I think to myself. He turns over to look at his scope and catches my eye. He expresses a look of concern, to make sure I'm doing all right. I respond with a smile, and he continues on to the next bull.
         I return to my own "little bubble," as my instructor Lowell, one of the co-instructors of this team, calls it. I try to block out the staggered dinks of the pellets, but the muffled sound begins to take me back to first practice three months ago. I entered cautiously into the Legion with my dad following. The nerves and excitement were building up. As I entered what I've always known as a dance floor for weddings, I saw six people standing against the red stage; they were all male. They were looking down at a lit up piece of plywood with metal rectangles nailed to it. Examining the rest of the room, I saw that there was a piece of blue painter's tape on the floor, and there were three green mats directly behind it. On the top left hand corner of the green mats were small scopes with metal frames. On the top right hand side was a yellow box with holes to hold one hundred pellets.
         "This is how it's going to go every practice; you are going to get your mat placed behind the blue line, set up the scope, fill your pellet cases, label the targets given to you, and bring your gun to the line, making sure it is safe,'' said Lowell.
         I set up my lane exactly like the others. I went to go get targets and labeled them with my name and the position being shot at the time. I looked over at the gun cases, wondering which one was going to be mine. The other four shooters took their guns, leaving one remaining. There was a sticker on the buttstock of the gun that read the number eighty-one. This would be my gun. As the instructors, Lowell and Terry, demonstrated the different positions for the newcomers, the older kids were getting into position.
         "The first position you will learn is called the prone position. In this position, you are laying on your stomach, with your elbows holding you and the gun up. The second position is called standing. You'll be shooting standing up. This is the hardest of the positions. The third and final position is called kneeling. In this position, you'll be crouching down with your left knee perpendicular to the ground and your right leg tucked under your butt. After this position, your legs will feel like pins and needles. Don't worry, this is normal."
         I finagled into the prone position. Lowell moved me around to ensure that I was in the prime position to shoot the best shot. He then said, "Remember, every bull is a new opportunity for a ten. Strive for the ten. Now, is the line ready? The line is ready. Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line. You may load, and commence firing." The legion was suddenly filled with staggered dinks. It was the most relaxing sound that I have ever heard. It would become my time to relax and focus on only what's in front of me, the target.
         I prepare to take the next shot. I load the chamber with a single pellet and file it through. I take a deep breath in and focus on the target in front of me. I fire the shot. When I have fired the required twenty shots, I head to meet my instructors, my other team members, and my parents.
         "How'd you do? Did you feel comfortable?" asked my parents.
         "I think I did ok, I got a lot of nines and a few eights."
         "I'm proud of you! Now keep your focus up and keep shooting well," said Lowell.
         I prepare for the standing position, my worst position. I start to feel anxious and scared that I am not going to do well. As soon as the line officer says, "Is the line ready? The line is ready. Ready on the right, ready on the left, ready on the firing line. You may load, and commence firing," all of my fear and anxiety fades away. I am in my own little stress free bubble. I think back to when I first found my bubble.
         After about a month of practicing, I had heard a lot about finding my "bubble." It had been a not so pleasant day, and I didn't feel like going to air gun. After my parents dropped me off, I threw open the back door and stomped in. I threw my shooting bag on the stage, and I slumped down next to it. The guys stayed back with caution. When it was time, I got all of my gear set on the line early and was the first to be in preparation for the prone position. When Lowell said the command to start firing, something happened. The room fell silent, all except the dinks against the targets. When I began to focus on the sighter target, my head began to feel free of the negative thoughts. As I squeezed the trigger, all the bad from the day had been relieved. I was in the peak of relaxation. I had found my bubble. I realized that I don't shoot to win. I don't shoot for practice. I realized that I shoot for the relaxation, the escape from reality.
         As I shoot my first competition, I think about how relaxing it is. When I feel the calmest, and most relaxed, I tend to shoot better scores. I have to block out the rest of competitors, and get settled in my bubble. Knowing that I have two positions left, I have to keep calm, stay focused, and refrain from getting too worked up about a bad shot. So, I take a deep breath in, and focus on the next shot. I begin to squeeze the trigger, and dink.