Slowing down...
Do you remember I had a shooting burnout after the 2023 Worlds, and I decided to slow down?
Yes, indeed I slowed down, but with any type of passion, slowing down only show you the beauty and kindness of life. That great gift given to each of us during this walk on the round planet.
Shooting passion is still on me, but now I see things differently. It's the same as ageing. We start looking at life in a different, unfortunately not always better, way. Me? Oh my, life has been so good to me, including shooting, so let's continue enjoying until I can.
Of course I now dedicate more time to family, still waiting for the 1st grandson/daughter..., to my fishing and flying my F5J gliders. But, my trusty rifles always have a special call... and I always return to them.
Yeas, I slowed down, mainly in practice time (more on that later), but still attending all the matches I can.
So 2025 had on my calendar the 6 National Matches (2x each category), the 2 Portuguese Cup matches, the Triple Crown and the European Champs and World Cup in Finland. That's for shooting, then 6 glider competitions, and still going to the beach to my surfcasting fishing love.
As you can see not a really short agenda. But not went as planned...
Every time life gives with one hand it takes with the other... no different this year, as I lost another dear family member, the fourth year in a row happening. Man, that's not easy, but it's life.
Also a sad shooting event happened...
I, we, as we were three shooting mates, had with our plane tickets heading to the US, to take part in the so anticipated Triple Crown. Finally, I thought, can I meet in person some of my US friends, in particular my mentor, Tony Harper. Paperwork done, hotel and car booked, firearms flying paid, and all the needed logistics in place. So, all was ready for that epic trip, when our airplane company sent a very disturbing message... "we regret, but can't no longer transport firearms to the US". What? "But we have all needed permits, including yours"... "can you do an exception, because you approved our trip?" ... No need to go longer, you know the ending, we stayed in Lisbon, with a huge disappointment, to say the least.
Once I warned Tony, he immediately prompted to find a solution, sharing guns with us from him, and other friends.
We were flattered with such an offer, but, you have to understand, we can't go for such a long journey, with such an anticipated match without our rifles.
Resilience is key in life, don't ask in shooting...
Ok, there's only one thing in life without solution!
So, we are already preparing our 2026 Triple Crown, and we have (on an US company) an agreement to carry firearms to your Country.
Again, we, and I in particular apologize for all the mess this might have cause.
Passing along...
At the beginning of this writing I said I cut practice time. I did, but every time I was/am practicing I do it with even more focus. Remember, it's not quantity it's all about quality. And shooting is no different. One thing I noticed was my comfort zone didn't decrease, meaning I continue to shoot perfect scores without too much difficulty. This meant my subconscious was/is still linked to high scores. That perception is important, because, then, you just have to keep it alive, and your brain will do the rest. C'mon... it doesn't mean you can shoot blinded and still hitting the X, no, of course not, but keeping your confidence levels high, returns a very strong positive feedback, that in turn, allows you to continue to excel.
Mental preparation, mental work. Key, key, key... and always accept what the targets gave you. Never give excuses. Always be humble, no matter what.
And the Nationals started... (to be continued)
Do you remember I had a shooting burnout after the 2023 Worlds, and I decided to slow down?
Yes, indeed I slowed down, but with any type of passion, slowing down only show you the beauty and kindness of life. That great gift given to each of us during this walk on the round planet.
Shooting passion is still on me, but now I see things differently. It's the same as ageing. We start looking at life in a different, unfortunately not always better, way. Me? Oh my, life has been so good to me, including shooting, so let's continue enjoying until I can.
Of course I now dedicate more time to family, still waiting for the 1st grandson/daughter..., to my fishing and flying my F5J gliders. But, my trusty rifles always have a special call... and I always return to them.
Yeas, I slowed down, mainly in practice time (more on that later), but still attending all the matches I can.
So 2025 had on my calendar the 6 National Matches (2x each category), the 2 Portuguese Cup matches, the Triple Crown and the European Champs and World Cup in Finland. That's for shooting, then 6 glider competitions, and still going to the beach to my surfcasting fishing love.
As you can see not a really short agenda. But not went as planned...
Every time life gives with one hand it takes with the other... no different this year, as I lost another dear family member, the fourth year in a row happening. Man, that's not easy, but it's life.
Also a sad shooting event happened...
I, we, as we were three shooting mates, had with our plane tickets heading to the US, to take part in the so anticipated Triple Crown. Finally, I thought, can I meet in person some of my US friends, in particular my mentor, Tony Harper. Paperwork done, hotel and car booked, firearms flying paid, and all the needed logistics in place. So, all was ready for that epic trip, when our airplane company sent a very disturbing message... "we regret, but can't no longer transport firearms to the US". What? "But we have all needed permits, including yours"... "can you do an exception, because you approved our trip?" ... No need to go longer, you know the ending, we stayed in Lisbon, with a huge disappointment, to say the least.
Once I warned Tony, he immediately prompted to find a solution, sharing guns with us from him, and other friends.
We were flattered with such an offer, but, you have to understand, we can't go for such a long journey, with such an anticipated match without our rifles.
Resilience is key in life, don't ask in shooting...
Ok, there's only one thing in life without solution!
So, we are already preparing our 2026 Triple Crown, and we have (on an US company) an agreement to carry firearms to your Country.
Again, we, and I in particular apologize for all the mess this might have cause.
Passing along...
At the beginning of this writing I said I cut practice time. I did, but every time I was/am practicing I do it with even more focus. Remember, it's not quantity it's all about quality. And shooting is no different. One thing I noticed was my comfort zone didn't decrease, meaning I continue to shoot perfect scores without too much difficulty. This meant my subconscious was/is still linked to high scores. That perception is important, because, then, you just have to keep it alive, and your brain will do the rest. C'mon... it doesn't mean you can shoot blinded and still hitting the X, no, of course not, but keeping your confidence levels high, returns a very strong positive feedback, that in turn, allows you to continue to excel.
Mental preparation, mental work. Key, key, key... and always accept what the targets gave you. Never give excuses. Always be humble, no matter what.
And the Nationals started... (to be continued)
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