A New Year for Tucker Simpson

Tucker Simpson is a KICK-EEZ Featured Shooter and was a standout for our local Woodland High School Trap Team before graduating and continuing to move forward as a competitive shooter. Throughout each season, Tucker shares his thoughts hoping he might create awareness around the sport he loves so much while helping others raise their shooting game as well. He's back with a new update looking ahead to another year of competitive shooting in 2018 including an upcoming USA Team Selection match:

A New Year

As I prepare for another USA Team Selection match next week, I reflect on my improvements since the last match. When I look at where I was in my daily routine back then, and compare it to now, I must say it is drastically different. The last selection match I competed in was in October, 2017 down in Tillar, Arkansas. While training for that event, I was working full-time at a busy 50 hrs per week. I've never refrained from hard work, but a busy and stressful daily life made it hard to focus on what I truly was working for. I said farewell to my stress and reconfigured my entire daily life to benefit my shooting career. Late October, 2017 I moved to Oregon and started a new position as full-time range manager at Mid-Valley Clays and Shooting School. Living on site, I have shot more targets in the past few months than I ever have in my entire life. Allowing shooting to be my daily life has increased my understanding for the sport dramatically. I now know many strategies to approach different targets, and have a much better visual of the game since working here - not to mention several new friendships I have made along the way. As I look back on prior articles I wrote, I remember mentioning my mental game and looking for ways to improve it. One of the techniques I am exercising is not over-emphasizing the result. To put this in simple terms, I haven't looked up any of the rewards for making the podium at this next event. I haven't looked at anyone's current rankings or even researched who is attending Spring Selection 2018. My main focus is the first target on day one. My strategy for next week will be to take each target one at a time and simply enjoy being in the moment as much as possible. I fly into Tucson on March 20th and leave March 26th. Thank you all again for your support and I promise to represent KICK-EEZ with integrity!!! Tucker Simpson