Latest / The Dead Pair Podcast / 269 Joe Fanizzi: High-Level Shooting With a Full-Time Job

Transcript

269 Joe Fanizzi: High-Level Shooting With a Full-Time Job · The Dead Pair Podcast

• 0:37
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome back, everyone, and welcome back, Mr.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_05: Largen in Charles himself.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_05: What's up there, Mr.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_05: Sean Alley?
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, I had to blow the dust off the board here.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_04: It's been a while since I've used this thing.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's been, well, what, late July uh when I was out there.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_04: High estate, right?
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, right before the high state shooting.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_05: So how you been, bud?
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_05: Doing all right?
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we're just uh, you know, just busy as all get out at work and uh it's just been like trying to drink to a fire hose.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_04: Just you know, just the normal stuff like any other day.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_04: How about yourself, man?
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_04: What else has been going on with you?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_05: Um, a little bit of the same.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_05: Uh just I don't I don't know what it's been, man.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_05: It this started about four months ago, and I it starts about nine, somewhere nine, ten o'clock in the morning.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_05: I'm you know, busy doing things and all of a sudden the phone starts going and I can't get out from either behind the computer screen or off the phone, it seems like, and that runs till seven, eight o'clock at night.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_05: Um, if I could just figure out how to make money at all this stuff, I'd be great.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_04: You know?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, everybody tells me it's a good problem to have be busy, but I I think it's still a problem.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_05: Well, as long as busy is actually making you money, right?
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_05: So I mean, at least you got that going for you.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_05: Me, I think I'm just a conversation piece.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_05: So but no, it's it's it's all good.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_05: No, I've got some things working with the business side of things, um, you know, away from the podcast.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_05: And uh so that's that's going good.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_05: The shooting's kind of man, I it's been two weeks since I've touched the gun and I feel like guilty.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_05: Like I walk past the safe and I feel like don't look over that way.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_05: It's gonna, you know, it's gonna beam light at you and rip your skin apart.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I'm I'm right there with you.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_04: The the weather's been not nice here.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_04: Um we had like a one good week there at the end of August.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and before that it was just flaming hot, and now it's back to stupid hot and humid.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_05: Really?
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_04: It's uh yeah, it's miserable.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_04: Like this week we got up into the the mid-90s a couple days, and the humidity is just awful.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_04: It's like 70, 75 percent.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_04: So it's like uh it's like jungle heat.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_04: It's terrible.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_05: You know what?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you remember you we've got this recorded now.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_05: You remember you said that because in about four months you'll take that all day long.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_05: I guarantee it.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_04: So just oh I uh yeah, yeah, yeah, but that's how it is up here, yeah.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_05: Right?
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_04: Complain about the stuff when it's there and when it's not.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_04: I was gonna ask you a question.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_04: What's what all uh since I've been out of the loop, man, what what all is going on with the Brandon Powell thing?
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, what's I'm not touching that with a hundred-yard pull.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_05: I'm kind of glad you brought that up because I've had a lot of requests and emails and direct messages, hey man, why don't you talk about this?
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm not gonna talk about it at all.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_05: First of all, Sean, as you know, our mission statement with this podcast is to introduce new shooters to the game and you know show them how great this is.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_05: And I I don't think highlighting controversy or highlighting a problem of whatever it is, whoever's fault it is, it doesn't matter.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_05: I I think that just is complete backwards from what we always said we would do, right?
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, and I've been getting it on my end too.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_04: And I as you know, I'm not as highly involved as I once was into the whole sporting clays thing and not talking to as many people as I used to, and uh I figured I if I was gonna ask anybody, it'd be you.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, I mean uh you know uh of course I've heard from both sides in multiple directions and avenues, and I I I really don't want to hear about it, really.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_05: It's none of my business.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_05: It's it doesn't involve me.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_05: Uh I understand that it involves the organization and everything, but you know what?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_05: That's I I had one guy say to me, Well, what about being transparent and everything?
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_05: What that's that's up to the organization to do that, you know, that's not up to us.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_05: Uh yes, we're media, obviously, but we're we're we're trying to be the good media, right?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_05: Like we're trying to be the the fun stuff and educate people and and introduce people to the sport, and I just don't think that covering that kind of stuff is the way to go.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_04: Um, I I don't disagree at all.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_04: Like I said, I don't disagree at all.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_04: I don't have the full story myself, so maybe we can talk out of out of turn or something after the podcast.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_05: But yeah, you know.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_04: I I completely get it.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_04: Trust me, we've been there many times as as you and I both know, so it's all good.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, as far as the transparency thing goes, they've got their own podcast.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_05: They should do that, right?
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_05: There you go.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_05: But uh no, I just uh I I know uh a large mammal friend of mine always told me to take the high road, so that's what we're doing.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_05: We're taking the high road.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_04: That's probably good advice.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_05: But no, um, what I was getting at, we do have attorney talk to get to, Sean.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_05: You think you uh think you can manage to muster that up, your your old expertise there?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_04: I'll take a crack at it here.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's attorney talk.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Brought to you by Scorechaser.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_04: All right, everybody.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_04: The Black Jack Open at Black Jack Sporting Clays in Sumterville, Florida, January 22nd to the 24th, 2027 is now open.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_04: And just as a reminder, both the Dead Pear Pro Am December 10th and the Dead Pear Blast, December 11th and 12th at Rocky Creek Sporting Clays in Richburg, South Carolina is also up.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_04: So get signed up now before all the uh best slots get taken.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, and a couple of reminders while we're on that topic.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_05: Um, the Dead Pear Color gun, the winning ticket will be drawn at the Dead Pear Blast.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_05: Now you do not need to be present to win, but the gun will be there.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_05: So if you win and you're there, you can take it home with you right then and there.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_05: It's coming up quick, so get your tickets.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_05: And uh, Sean, I think you were a little drool-ish when you saw that gun this year, too.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, it's a beauty.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's a beauty.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, I I don't think I've ever seen an ugly Kohler.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_05: So uh that's this is true.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_05: This this is very, very true.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_05: Also, another reminder, folks, the Neil Chadwick contest for the$500 junior and the$500 sub-junior registration credit to the national championship ends the first week of October.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_05: So get those entries in for contest details.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_05: Just go back and listen to episode 259.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_05: Get me those emails, and I'm gonna get them over to Neil.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_05: We've got probably a a dozen of them right now.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I've put them all in one email and comp and compiled all of them to Neil.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_05: But uh the first week of October, I'm sending those to Neil.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_05: So get me those entries.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_05: Uh really cool.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_05: Uh really cool opportunity for a junior shooter or sub junior shooter.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_05: You know, Neil is just he's always paying it forward, man.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_05: I you know, you got to learn that.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_04: I was just getting ready to say, man.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_04: I love Neil.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_04: He's such a nice guy, and what a great thing he's doing.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, this is this is awesome.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, absolutely.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_05: Which by the way, uh, it sounds like already, uh, Sean, I don't know if you were able to catch last week's episode or not, but Jake and I covered the the Dead Pair Pro Am and the Dead Pear Blast along with Jonah Finley on that last week's episode.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_05: But we talked about uh the Dead Pair Pro-Am.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_05: And if you couldn't attend, you could purchase a spot and we'll give that to a junior shooter.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_05: We've already got a few of those coming in.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_05: So it sounds like yeah, it sounds like I'm gonna have some opportunities for some junior shooters to come to the Dead Pear Pro-Am and shoot with a pro.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_05: So we'll we'll discuss that, how we're gonna draw those names and and uh or have that little contest or whatever, it'll be fun.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_04: So cool.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_05: Sean, I was able to speak to Mr.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_05: Joe Fanisi over the weekend, had a great conversation on the phone, and I said, you know, Joe, let's I mean, let's do a podcast and get caught up.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_05: And I recorded this late last night.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_05: I know you weren't available, Sean, but uh let's go ahead.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna go ahead and play that interview we did with Joe, and then Sean and I'll be right back to wrap this up because we got a couple other little nuggets for y'all.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_05: So sit tight.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_06: The day.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_05: All right, it has been a hot minute, as I like to say.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome back to the show, Mr.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_05: Joe Fanisi.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_05: How are you, bud?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_03: I'm doing great, Jason.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for reaching out and having me on tonight.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_03: Really looking forward to it.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, congrats on everything you've been doing.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's been it's been quite a while now.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_03: You've had the podcast going, you've stayed committed to it and uh been doing a lot of great things with this platform.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: So congrats.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_05: Well, thank you, bud.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_05: I appreciate that.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's kind of hard to believe we're starting year seven in November.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_03: Wow, time flies.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, it does.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_05: That is for sure.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_05: Joe, tell us, I mean, dude, you're you're at work now.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_05: Tell us about the new job, man.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_05: What what tell everybody what you're doing?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you know, it's uh it's really cool.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_03: I'm uh living down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida now, and it's uh it's been a really cool full circle for me that I didn't anticipate or really see coming.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I grew up here in Florida, lived in Florida uh for 18 years, then I went to college in Texas, uh, went to college at Texas AM University and got a degree in construction management or construction science, as we call it.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, got an opportunity to work for an amazing company, working for a company called LPL Solar down here in Fort Lauderdale.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, the company was founded by the Little family.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure a lot of the listeners are probably familiar with Ashley Little.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_03: She's a world champion shooter who um, you know, has had an amazing career, and she's the president of this company that her family started.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, they gave me a great opportunity to work for them.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, it's understood on my end that working hard to make the company as successful as possible is the focus.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but if things are handled and you know, I've taken care of what needs to be taken care of, I can still pursue clay target shooting, which I'm obviously very passionate about.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, you know, that can be a priority as well.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_03: So it's been great.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh the cool thing about Fort Lauderdale is, you know, my grandparents, my dad's mom and dad moved down to Fort Lauderdale from New York in the 1950s.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, to some capacity, you know, the Fenize family has been here ever since.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: So uh it's quite a change of scenery uh from where I grew up in the cow pastures and hunting woods of of Okeechobee.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_03: But yeah, you know, it's been a really cool experience and uh you know something that I'm really glad I I am you know getting to do.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_03: So it's been it's been a lot of fun and and I'm really loving work and I'm loving what I'm doing.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_05: That's man, that is really cool.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you know, we we still see you show up on the big stage and and compete with the best.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, talk about that transition from like this junior champion phenom to winning the national championship, then college, now a full-blown career, and Joe, you're still getting it done on the field, man.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, I mean, talk about how that all that transition, you know.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_05: Um if if I may, real quick, just to give some listeners that don't know this, like you and your folks grew up, uh you grew up rather at Quail Creek.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_05: You know, your folks were managing Quail Creek, and you were just hammering targets of sun and rain every day.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_05: And then college kind of slowed that down a little bit, and now I'm sure the career has slowed down the training and the practice, but man, you still had the skill set to get it done.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_05: But talk a little bit about that whole transition there.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, Jason, you know, I I came to a time in my life where the road took a Y, and I could have gone left or right, and you know, left was you know, being only a clay pro clay shooter, um, and right was only being an industry professional.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: And to be completely honest with you, I couldn't make a decision.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: So I decided to go right down the middle instead and give my max effort to do both to the absolute best of my abilities, and it's gone well for me so far.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, most people who are listening to the podcast probably know me exclusively as a clay shooter and know that I love it through the roof.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_03: And while that's definitely true, I've always, you know, always been equally committed to work and business and in school when I was in school, and just know that, you know, whatever I'm doing and whatever's in front of me, I'm gonna be enthusiastic about it and give it everything I have with full energy and always be hungry to, you know, and never leave any meat on the bone.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: So sometimes it's not easy.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh when I ask myself, you know, how much I want it, and I know the answer is really bad.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_03: Being successful at, you know, work and shooting, it makes the sacrifices worth it because a lot of times it looks like, you know, using weekends and and dedicating them strictly to clay shooting.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, I also have the opportunity to practice in the evenings after a long 10 or 12 day hour, you know, work day.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: And I'll do that too, you know, knowing that it's it's you know what it takes to be where I want to be to do both of them, that's what it's looked like.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_03: So it's been it's been a great opportunity to to just experience that transition.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's offered offered me the chance to grow and learn more about myself.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: And it's been a good, a good challenge.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_03: It's been a great, great, great thing.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_05: That's that's awesome, man.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_05: I I look back at your we'll just call it your SCTP graduating class.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_05: Okay.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, like if you look at some of the talent that came out of there, there's yourself, uh, you had Todd Hitch and Ryan Harper and Pynchon, you know, and I just named I'm probably leaving somebody out of this, but I just named a handful of people out of 3,000 plus kids that graduated that year, I named a handful that are still in the game.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, I think right off the bat, I mean, man, that the 2000, you're gonna have to help me out here, Joe.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_05: The 2019 Northeast Regional was a Cardinal.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_05: I think I think Todd Hitch won it and you ran, you were runner-up.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_05: Is that correct?
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_05: Am I right there close in the results?
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, Jason, I can't exactly remember.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's uh 2019 feels like not that long ago.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, truth be told, seven years ago, yeah.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_03: It's about seven years ago.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_03: So sometimes they run together for me.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_03: But that that that could have been pretty accurate.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_03: That that sounds, you know, maybe like it it could have been right.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_03: It's like what you're saying, though, it's amazing.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_03: There's there's a there's a group of of you know amazing talented shooters that over time you look back at the history of of this sport, there's a lot of really good shots who have come in and out and in and out, and they might come onto the scene and make a big splash for five years, ten years, and then life happens, or you know, they get married and have kids and they kind of drift away, or you know, some people stay committed to it.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I just have a lot of respect for people who have longevity in the game, uh, regardless of where they're living or what circumstances are presented to them.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, obviously they're passionate about shooting and they love it and they're willing to to make choices, you know, in life.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta make some sacrifices and choices about the things you care about.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I grew up, you know, I'll just say in an age class and a group of kids who are now adults, and um a lot of them are my closest friends, they're very talented and uh they're just good people, first and foremost, and you know, they stay committed to it.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_03: And I can name you know ten ki ten people, ten, ten or fifteen, twenty people who are just awesome shooters who have pushed me to make me better.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: And hopefully what we're doing is we're setting a good example for other people that are that are young and on to come up to to look up to us and and and want to push themselves to become better as well, give them something to look up to.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and I I think the thing that's really cool is it's been talked about a bazillion times, even on this program, about you know, we lose every all these all these phenomenal young shooters.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_05: They go off to college and some of them will compete in collegiate, some of them won't.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_05: We might lose them there, and then we lose the rest of them once they get into their career.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_05: And it's understandable, right?
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_05: But then they come back to us in their 30s, you know, like once they're established, family and uh got a house and a career going, and they get some time off work, they can they come back to us in the sport.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_05: That handful of people I just mentioned are still in the sport and still competing, and you're one of them, and you've been able to kind of find your path through life in the career and still shoot.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, look, we're not PGA, we're not NFL.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, name your favorite major sports team or organization where the money is good enough that you can stay in this sport and make a career out of it, right?
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, there's very few that do.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, there's what, Joe?
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_05: Probably if we had to name names, you could name 20 that are doing it uh by by both coaching and shooting.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_05: But uh, you know, it's that transition and that being said, you're right.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_03: I I see what you're saying.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_03: That being said, the sport continues to get more extreme across the board and evolve at a rapid rate.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: And and truly play target shooting is going up and to the right.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, there's there's more opportunities now than there was even five years ago, ten years ago, um, whether it be winning more money uh big tournaments or you know what people are charging for lessons or the different platforms and subscriptions that have come about.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, the sport is is heading in the right direction, and I'd love to see that growth uh continue.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, it's it's really exciting to see because even though I'm 23, I can remember back to when I was 14, 15, 16.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_03: There's a lot of things that are available to us and accessible at our fingertips that didn't exist.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean, you can go out on the course.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I remember it was a big deal to be able to go out there on a gas golf cart, two-seater gas golf cart, you know, on the course.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_03: But now you go out there and you see 40,000,$50,000 six-seat can-s with enclosed AC, and I've seen Jeeps, Mini Coopers, smart cars.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, it's wild to see how things just keep expanding and and blowing up.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: And I think it's a testament to the the caliber of people who are very passionate about this game and involved with clay shooting across the country.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's also correlated into the the shooting and the performance.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: It it's harder and harder to to win.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there's bigger and better scores that are being shot, but it's like anything in life.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_03: You were talking about baseball.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you look at the MLB, there's people hitting home runs farther than ever before.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, in basketball, there's people making three-pointers from deeper and footballers, quarterbacks throwing the ball farther and faster than ever before.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_03: It's the same thing with with shooters, you know, our the technology's better, the the guns, the shells, the eyewear, everything is continuing to just scale.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: So it's been it's been cool to see that first, and I hope to be a part of it forever.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and yeah, I'm excited to see where it goes.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_05: I'm I'm hoping we can we can be as big as maybe PGA one day or something, you know, who knows.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_05: You you know, you mentioned different platforms and and s and so forth.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_05: Are you still involved with Gavin and Karen in the Sporting Clays Academy?
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_05: Is that still going on?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_05: Are you still helping them out a little bit?
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_03: I was um a guest of theirs for a series that we did uh last year.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, they're still super, super close friends of mine.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's their platform, and they gave me an opportunity to be a guest, and it was super fun.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_03: I loved it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_03: That was back in it's crazy how fast time goes by.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_03: That was December of 2024 that we filmed, and a lot of those episodes carried throughout the the 2025 season.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, I think it was a huge success.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_03: I think people learned a lot.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and it was just a really, really cool thing that they had put together there, and it's still really grown and they're doing a lot of good things with it.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_03: So big advocate for Sporting Clays Academy.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_03: If you know about it, if you're subscribed to it, then you know that there's a lot of good content on there.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, if you're not, I definitely recommend it.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_03: But it's it's a great platform, and it was just a really cool thing that you know, in just a handful of days of filming, we were able to create content for for months, you know, that dragged out for a while.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_03: So that was really cool.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, if anybody wants to know what Joe's talking about, go back to uh January of 25 last year, episode 196.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_05: We did a whole episode with uh Joe and Karen and Gavin on the Sporting Clays Academy, and we kind of dove deep into like what you guys were doing and and how you were doing it in the in the series that you put together.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_05: And I, you know, I guess I hadn't asked Joe if you were still involved with that, so I just you know was super curious.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_05: But did you you say you really enjoyed that and you say you would do it again in a heartbeat?
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_05: Do you have like ideas like, hey, let's try this again next year and do this or that?
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, is that stuff that you guys are?
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_03: We're always thinking.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_03: I think I think everyone in the sport is thinking.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: If you look at it, I mean there's there's so many shooters who have done a great job of of coming out with more info that's that's available to people in the country and even around the world.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I think all the shooters and the whole shooting community is constantly thinking around the clock.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, a lot of times we collaborate together and and and clash a lot of really cool thoughts and and input.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: And sometimes people uh do their own thing individually.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_03: I think any of it is good, all of it is good.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_03: I'm a I'm a huge cheerleader for anything that gets good information that can help people get better, you know, be accessible.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: So to answer your question, absolutely, all of us are always thinking about it.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I want to go back to your shooting a little bit, Joe.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I know we kind of bounced around here in the beginning.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, there's just so many, so many things I'm excited to talk to you about, but going back to your shooting, you know, you burned tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of rounds growing up at Quail.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_05: Now, obviously, you know, with college and now with career, you're probably not burning as much powder as you want to.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_05: Do you still get to go out and train?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_05: Like if there's an event coming up that's important to you.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_05: I know we're just past the U.S.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_05: Open.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_05: Did you get to put some some trigger time in before that to train a little bit?
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_03: Quite a bit, quite a bit.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, more than you may be surprised.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_03: I actually uh track all my practice rounds.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: Than the amount of days that I go out and shoot.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I do get uh an awesome opportunity.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_03: You know, living here in Florida, Florida's one of the best states in the country.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_03: There's so much variety, there's so many amazing clubs, great target setters.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, living here in Fort Lauderdale, I'm only about an hour and a half drive away to all the action.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_03: And then there's also a county range down here called Markham Park that's only about 25 minutes from where I live.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_03: And they have shooting uh on weekdays and the nights.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_03: So I actually, after work a lot of times, uh will go out and shoot in the evenings uh when they turn the lights on.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_03: And that's been a great thing for me.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, I would say the main change, Jason, is for me working now, I have to put a big emphasis on on planning accordingly and scheduling my practices and my training and mapping out what it'll look like for upcoming tournaments.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I can't just ding it uh, you know, when I feel like it and be nonchalant.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_03: You know, when I was was really blessed to live with the sporting claves course within flocking distance, basically in my backyard.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_03: You know, there'd be some days that I'd come home from school and be like, I feel like going.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, should I go?
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, sure.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, let's go out there, we'll go shoot five or six boxes, you know.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe we'll shoot a case.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: Or, you know, then the next day it'd be like, oh, do I feel like going out?
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe I stayed out a little too late with my friends that night.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, you know, I don't I don't feel like going tonight, but I know I can go tomorrow.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_03: I don't have uh that luxury anymore, but then again, not really many people in the world do unless you have a full-blown sporting place course in your backyard.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_03: You know, how it how it looks is, you know, I just look at my calendar, I know what tournaments that I'm going to, and I always train for the next tournament.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_03: And this might surprise some people, but even you know, with my work schedule, uh I shoot three to four days a week.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I I'm very fortunate to have the weekends off and almost every Saturday and Sunday for me looks like you know training and practice and giving lessons.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm around, you know, play shooting quite a bit.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_03: And then uh on the weekdays, I break it up to where I don't you know get too rusty and I'll shoot on on you know Tuesday, shoot on Thursday, and just kind of break it up accordingly.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_03: So I've actually shot more this year in 2026 than I did at any point that I was in college, believe it or not.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: So there's ways to do it, and I'm just really fortunate uh that I have some good friends and I have some good support staff that keeps me in check because sometimes it's it's easy to to make excuses about anything in life and I can say, oh, you know, I'm working or this and that.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_03: And I've got some good friends that are like, you know, that's true, but then again, if you want to, you can I mean you can do it.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: Now you might be a little more tired than normal, but you can do it.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_03: Anything you want, and you should be willing to make the sacrifices.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, I think a lot of it is sure, going out there and getting reps is is important.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_03: Shooting the gun is is very important, it helps, you know, working on your technique, methods, etc.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, a lot of it is just just having the right mindset, you know, being in the right headspace to go out and compete.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_03: And if if you have you know that box checked, especially if you've already caught your teeth and got a lot of the rounds in it, you know, for most of your life, you're not gonna forget how to shoot the gun.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I I did a lot of that on the front end and was very lucky.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_03: And now I'm just really focusing on on the competition aspect.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I I think it goes back, you know, and I've said it a million times, is how bad do you want it?
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_05: Talk about that though, Joe.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, I I know you're getting to shoot a little bit more, but I'm sure you've learned or you're you maybe you can explain this to us as you've gotten better, how to focus more on certain aspects of your shooting and training, right?
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, like, you know, you're you're not just going out and and blowing a flag of shells to, you know, knock the rest off.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_05: You're actually like very focused on maybe it's a certain aspect of your mechanics, or maybe it's a certain aspect of your shooting.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_05: Talk about that.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_05: Like, how do you break it down?
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_05: How do you stay focused in your training now compared to what you used to do?
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_03: Good question.
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, it's a good question because it seems cliche, and a lot of people think they've heard the right answer to this, and even though they might know what the right answer should be, it gets overlooked.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_03: And we get baited into ignoring this very important question you just asked.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, the answer is you always have to go out with the purpose and know what you're trying to accomplish.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_03: There is no y equals mx plus b formula, but at the same time, you have to be very, very, very, very cognizant and aware of where your shootings at and you know what what you're wanting to accomplish when you go out to the range.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, I always tell people a lot of times their their mind gets so scattered because they're thinking about this and they're thinking about that, and they're thinking about this, and this previous tournament, this happened.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_03: There's so much noise, there's so much chatter in their brain that they might go out, they might shoot 250 rounds and have shot all these different targets, all these different things, but they didn't really make much progress with their shooting.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_03: And I always say you have to be very, very, very aware, very aware of what's going on in your shooting and analyze and study and dissect reoccurring issues.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_03: If you have uh a thing that arises time and time again, it's a very similar occurrence that happens tournament after tournament, and you know it's a weakness, you know, you need to accept that weakness for what it is, address it accordingly, and you know, once it's diagnosed, work on a plan that you know will help you with that.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_03: So that may look different for some people, but I think it's really important to focus on getting really good at one thing that causes you targets on your card every time.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_03: And once you've focused on that, master that will correlate over to your scorecard.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, the whole goal of practicing, taking lessons, listening to a podcast like this is to get better and to break more targets, right?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_03: Just keep it real.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_03: It's about taking your score from an 81 to an 85 or a 93 to a 95.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_03: And um that's what we're trying to do.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, it could be something as simple as okay, you get to a tournament and you have six stations out of 14 stations on the course where you miss the last bird.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_03: You went dead pair, dead pair, dead pair, dead loss.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_03: And you miss the last bird.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_03: Or, you know, so if that's the case, you know, you focus on what's going on.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_03: Are you are you second guessing yourself on the last pair?
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_03: Are you number one overthinking and and getting careful at the end, or are you getting complacent?
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_03: I really say, Jason, there's there's two types of misses in clay target shooting.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_03: And there's really only two types of misses.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: All right.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: So the first miss is you walk up to the station, you analyze the birds, you read the birds, you make a plan.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_03: You think, okay, this bird's gonna take this much, I'm gonna shoot it there.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_03: This is what the side picture is gonna look like.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_03: And you step up there and you don't execute the way you wanted to.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: Let's say you thought it took this much, but hey, maybe your whole point was too far out, or it was too far back, or you waited a half second too late to pull the trigger, or your gun speed was off.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_03: And that's what I just call, you know, poor execution.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: You didn't execute your plan accordingly, and that was the reason you missed the bird.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_03: So that's the first type of miss.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_03: The second type of miss is you step up there, you look at the targets, you read the bird, you analyze the bird, you make that same plan, and you go up there and you actually execute your plan perfectly.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_03: You do exactly what you wanted to do.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_03: You had you match the speed correctly, you had the right setup, your eyes were in the right place, your timing was just right, you pulled the trigger well, you got connected, and you still missed.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_03: And that's just you misread the bird.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_03: So, to some extent, it's it's gonna be one or the other, and sometimes it's both.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_03: And uh you need to break that down.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, that may seem simple, but you need to go back and look at okay, are a lot of my misses, I miss reading the bird.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of times people actually can move the gun really well, they can swing the gun well, they have nice technique, but they don't know what they need to do.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_03: They don't know how to maneuver the gun, they don't know how to pilot the gun, they don't know what a certain bird may take because they don't they don't know how to really break the game down and analyze the speed, distance, angle, target size uh of the bird, you know, what's the target setter thinking?
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_03: You know, what might bait me into a miss here?
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: So if you're just working on technique and methodology and mechanics all the time, that's only going to get you so far to a certain point.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_03: So I think I always try to put an emphasis on on learning how the targets fly and reading them and being able to make a strong plan.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_03: And then for other people, you know, they might struggle with executing, they might have a really good idea.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, that thing takes this much lead, and I need to shoot it right here.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_03: But for whatever reason, they just can't get themselves to consistently make that right move and break that target the right way.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_03: So that's uh what I think you know people should really put an emphasis on is you've got two types of misses.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_03: Which one do you have a lot of tendencies to do and address that accordingly?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_05: So look, okay, Joe, if you don't mind, I'm I'm gonna ask a personal question.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna throw a scenario at you, and I'd like to know how you would train this.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_05: So myself personally, I've got into this really bad habit of missing on the last pair, okay, whether it was a lost dead or dead loss, but how we go, dead pair, dead pair, even on a four-bird or a four-pair station, dead pair, dead pair, dead pair, dead loss, or lost dead at the end.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_05: Do you feel that that's just complacency?
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_05: In other words, you think, okay, I've the the magic three bad words, I got this.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_05: Or was it something that got lazy in my technique?
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_05: But what I really want to hear from you is how if you're having that problem, how you train that off the course the following week?
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_05: Like how do you remedy that?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_05: What what what what does Joe do to fix that?
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I mean to answer the first part of the question, it depends on who you are.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_03: For me, I never in my life, and the the three-word guy, you're just saying I got this, of getting lazy or nonchalant or complacent.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I I never you know hit the first two pairs or three pairs and then just lose focus because it's like, oh, you know, I'm there's no way I'm gonna miss this.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_03: I always feel like I have heightened attention and and hyper focus.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_03: You know, if I miss, sometimes it's because I'm I'm trying a little too hard and I really want to run the station, I'm giving it 110% and I just overcook it a little bit.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_03: I might hang on to the bird for a second longer to try and make it perfect.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, it's kind of like that shift or that transition of trying not to miss instead of just shooting to kill.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: And it just depends on who you are as a shooter.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_03: So you have to analyze that, be aware of that.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_03: I always say you need to be aware of your own shooting because what might happen for you might be completely polar opposite, different for me, 180 degrees.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_03: So you got to know what you're where you're at.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_03: Now, for each of them, let's say it is that nonchalant uh complacency.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I got this, this is a piece of cake.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_03: I hit it the first three pairs, there's no way I miss it.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_03: Then, you know, when you get to that last pair, you need to have a little reset or a little reminder for yourself uh where maybe you consciously say, okay, you know, focus Jason or focus Joe or whoever it is, take an extra second, think about it, don't count your chicks before they ash, and then you know, focus on making the right move that you need to make.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_03: And I think unfortunately, a lot of people think, specifically in sporting clays, because sporting clays is a repetitive game.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_03: It's pair after pair after pair.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_03: They'll break a bird the first time and then they're trying to replicate and they're trying to copy the same exact move.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you got to do it four times in a row, but not every bird is exactly the same.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_03: So people get frustrated because they're more focused on consciously copying what they saw or did the first time, and each pair is a fresh pair.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_03: So you need to approach it as a fresh pair and be present in that situation.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_03: In the other situation, um, if you tend to get a little careful and you just want to run the station so bad that you you try harder and harder, I think that it's it's really important to just kind of have the mindset of this is another pair, but it's not the last pair on the station.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you just almost have to pretend is that there's another five pairs, ten pairs, fifteen pairs to go, because at the end of the day, let's say that's station four, and you're shooting six birds on each of there, you're only 24 birds in.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, you're a quarter of the way through the course theoretically.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: Right?
• 34:43
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, nowadays we have a lot of 66 targets, so it could be more than that.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: But what I'm getting at is it's not the last bird of the station.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_03: Or the, you know, it's there's gonna be another station.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_03: There's gonna be more birds on the card.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_03: And the card, the the bird does not care when it's being launched out of the trap.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_03: If it's the 68th bird of the round or the first bird or the 12th bird, it's gonna fly however the target set it, and you're either gonna hit it or miss it, depending on your gun being in the right spot or not.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_03: And it's that simple.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_03: So you need to focus on doing what it takes to break the bird at each pair the same way, whether it's the 10th shot in the round, 40th, 30th, and that's a heck of a lot easier said than done, but that's just the reality.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_03: So in training, I would go out and I would simply go to a station, I'd pick a pair, and I'd shoot it 10 pairs in a row, 20 pairs in a row.
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, if you miss any point, you start over, and you just, you know, you be positive.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_03: A lot of, you know, you never want to talk yourself into a miss or out of breaking a bird.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_03: That happens a lot.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you want to keep your mind quiet, you just want to keep it simple, focus on looking at the target and trusting your ability.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, you know, my problem was the latter of the two that you explained, and that was being careful, trying not to miss.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_05: And I'll never forget, it was on this program that Wendell Cherry said the third pair is the most dangerous pair.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_05: Uh the first pair is fresh, the second pair is kind of repetitive, and the third pair, we tend to get whether lazy in the eyes or whatever, but it there's a million reasons.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_05: But the third pair is the most dangerous pair, and he is right.
• 36:21
  SPEAKER_05: And that's what I found is I was trying to get as the pairs would creep towards the end, I was trying to get careful.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_05: And it's funny because when I started training, just like you said, go out and run 10 pairs or 15 pairs on the station or whatever it is.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_05: It got to the point when I was successful of getting away from that problem that the trapper was going, oh, uh, Mr.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_05: Ramble, you're done.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_05: I like I had in my mind, I was still going.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_02: It's always a good sign.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_02: I love when that happens to my squad mates.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_02: That's good.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's not a bad thing.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_05: But so yeah, I mean, you're you're very you're very um certain on what you're doing in your training nowadays as compared to probably, I'm just guessing, Joe, I don't know.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_05: We've never talked about your training when you were younger.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_05: It was probably just go out and shoot and work on some mechanics and stuff.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_05: Now it's probably very detailed.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_05: Am I correct?
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_05: It is.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, something that that's interesting, uh, I guess in a way it kind of ties into this, is you know, when it when it comes to this game, this is a complicated game with a lot of moving parts.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_03: But once you get to a certain level, at the end of the day, winning a tournament comes down to a pretty simple formula.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_03: For me, you know, it's feeling good enough to make the necessary moves you can to trust yourself that you can break the targets, right?
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_03: So, I mean, that that looks like just knowing that you have the tools and having the trust in yourself through practice or sheer belief in your ability or both, that you just know when you get to the tournament that you got faith in yourself.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_03: You have faith in yourself, right?
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_03: The next thing is being comfortable with doing well and not being surprised when you start knocking it out of the park.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_03: Because sometimes, you know, people get out there and they're shooting so well that they're like, holy smokes, nine stations in.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_03: I'm only down one bird.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my gosh.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_03: Like, and it almost makes them uncomfortable or even scared.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, they they missed a couple targets and at that point, and then it almost feel like the pressure's off because they're they have a comfort zone or expectation level for them.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, they they just they they kind of safety up.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: You know, the other thing is you got to be present, you know, you got to be present for a three or four day period of time.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because a lot of these big tournaments now are are long shoots.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_03: So, you know, you can shoot well on day one, you know, pick up where you left off, but you have to rinse and repeat and and be be very steady the whole time.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah um, you know, by being in that head space and and uh being cool, calm, and collected.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, the last thing is you can't give away easy shots.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_03: Your competitors won't miss.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_03: You gotta capitalize on opportunities when you're in position.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_03: And, you know, in feed tasks, that could be not missing an easy single, you know, in sporting clays, it could be missing the last bird after you've already ate three or four pairs.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I know that kind of seems long, but to simplify it, I would just say the simple formula is be confident in your ability, be comfortable with doing well, be present in a headspace for three to four days, manage your emotions accordingly, capitalize on opportunities and finish.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_03: And for me, if you just focus on doing those things in the tournament, you're probably gonna win.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_03: You know, and all it takes is you can do most of those things correctly, but miss out on on just one of them at any point, and that's a difference maker, and you missing a couple birds and being just a few shots back from winning the title of your dreams.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's the the nature of the beast.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_05: Well, and uh, you know, I think another reason why I wanted to bring this up with you is I I guess our sport is kind of a double-edged sword, right?
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_05: Because it's so much fun.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_05: And I know you know what I'm talking about.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_05: You've seen it, I think you've seen it a bunch, especially all your time you spent down here at Quill.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_05: People just go out and shoot.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_05: And they're really not out there with a purpose on the Tuesday nights when they're out practicing or training.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_05: And because our game is fun, right?
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_05: And you you seem to steer away from what you originally went out there for, or maybe you end up shooting with your buddies, and it's like, let's shoot this pair backwards and all this other fun stuff.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_05: And then next thing you know, you've completely gotten away from actually working on something or accomplishing something.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_05: That's why I wanted to bring this up to you because I know you've seen it.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_05: I know you've seen it firsthand, you know what I'm talking about.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, I mean, that's definitely the case for shooting, but I mean, it's really anything in life.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, becoming elite of something isn't a mistake.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, of course, if you happen to have some natural, God-given talent and ability, it certainly helps, but it doesn't drag you all the way across the finish line.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: You know, having natural ability is an advantage.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but that's why you see so many successful people become really good in a certain field, and then they pick up an entirely new sport or hobby or career, and they also become really elite at that.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I know a lot of people like that.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_03: I have a lot of great friends that have done that, and it's because they know how to apply themselves and become obsessed with the game, yeah, and addicted to getting better and improving, and always on the hunt for another golden nugget, you know, that can make them better.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_03: And they have systems that they commit to and embrace and and follow through on, and that's what it takes, Jason.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_03: So you have to know how to apply yourself and just immerse yourself in what you love, and it should never really feel like too much work, it should feel like you know you're doing it for a greater good because you, you know, you're you're always just constantly on the chase of improvement and getting better.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_03: And look, there's a lot of times that things aren't gonna go your way.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_03: You're gonna put in a lot of work and think you deserve a better outcome, and it's just not gonna happen, but you gotta you gotta keep swinging, you know, you gotta get up and dust yourself off and keep swinging, just like uh just like Rocky, you know, in the movie.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_03: You just gotta keep going.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_03: And and it's uh it's tough.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's sometimes where things get really frustrating and you feel like you're putting in the work and things just aren't clicking.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_03: But as easy as it is to get down on yourself and to get negative, you just have to overwhelm yourself with with positive imprints because you know, the more the more negative you are, and the more times you play victim, you're just gonna create more uh shortcomings for yourself.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_03: You always have to be positive, you always have to keep pressing on and pressing on and just put your head down and keep grinding and and and have faith.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you gotta have faith and commit to working hard, trusting the plan, trusting the process, and you know, being eager.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you don't want to get too patient.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_03: Patience is good, but the problem with too much patience is oh, you know, when people tell me, oh, I mean, you're only 23, I mean, it's okay, you got a long road, you know, ahead of you and all that stuff.
• 43:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, I don't want to rely on that.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_03: Like I like people that are go-getters and and they're hungry to go right now.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you don't want to jump the gun, but you always want to keep keep working hard to to accomplish and achieve achieve something, you know, nasty.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I I think you said the key word there is hunger, right?
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_05: Like if you're too patient, you're gonna lose some of that hunger, some of that drive.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_05: Let me ask you this, Joe.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_05: Uh have your goals changed and and if they have, how have they changed now that you've kind of thrown a career into the mix of your shooting?
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I mean, to just shoot it straight.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I want to win big tournaments.
• 43:55
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, that that's what I want.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's I can give you different answers, you know, of course.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_03: My goals from a bigger picture is I'm always trying to to represent the amazing people who support me, you know, family, sponsors, um, coaches who've helped me along the way, just the amazing sports staff I have.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, with all that that they've given me and all the the tools and the resources and everything that's been you know invested into a career, for me, you know, I I want to win big tournaments because I just think that's exciting and it's tough.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_03: And accomplishing things that aren't easy, you know, that's what gets me out of the bed every morning.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 44:34
  SPEAKER_03: And um you you can't mistake that with allowing, you know, your identity and yourself just being exclusively in results.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_03: And you can't allow your fulfillment in something just to be based off of the results.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm always knowing that I'm working hard to win tournaments and and and train hard and study the game and you know, work on my mental game and and do what it takes to finish and position it at the big shoots and and win.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_03: But you know, you you can't allow that to be your exclusive fulfillment because there's a lot of times there you'll accomplish it, it just never ends.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_03: You'll accomplish something you always wanted to accomplish.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_03: I've experienced this, and you dream of accomplishing something and you accomplish it, you're super excited for five minutes, and then your crosshairs are set on the very next thing.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 45:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know what I mean?
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_03: And it's you never just sit back and and like loathe in that excitement forever because you're always wanting to continually, continuously get to that next mountaintop.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's like you climb to the highest hill in sight, and as soon as you get to the peak, you look and there's another mountain that's taller.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_03: So you always have to have goals of of pursuing, you know, the endless journey.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_03: But for me, it's it's being strategic, it's being tactical, it's what do I need to do right now?
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_03: What what do I have in front of me?
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_03: What am I doing well?
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_03: What am I not doing well, and how can I address those weaknesses?
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_03: So I I got a great friend, he's a really, really good, accomplished shooter, taught me before that the way you get better is by addressing weaknesses.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I tend to agree with him.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_03: He's exactly right.
• 46:07
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm trying to be always paying attention to what's going on in my shooting, documenting, annotating, taking mental notes.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_03: This happened here, that happened there.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_03: How can I address this for the next tournament?
• 46:20
  SPEAKER_03: And I train, I train, I train, I I focus on getting better at that.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_03: And then it's exciting when you go to a tournament and you you do a good job at that.
• 46:28
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, you're just it's a big puzzle, Jason.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there's a lot of pieces that are all over the place.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_03: If we're trying to put that piece in the puzzle together, but you know, always trying to help people.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_03: If you do good things, I believe uh, you know, good things will will come back.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_03: And um I'm I'm always just trying to get better each and every day, and and it looks different.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_03: It's so many different capacities that you can approach that from.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_03: But winning big tournaments, big major championships, chasing world world championship titles, uh, national championships, US opens, you know, any type of tour stop.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, all those tournaments excite me.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_03: And my favorite tournaments are the international tournaments where there's you know competition uh and people from around the world.
• 47:09
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we have the deepest country in the world by far with talent, but I think a lot of people that live here don't get the chance to travel internationally, are not as familiar with, and it's just not on their radar.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_03: How many great shooters there really are in the world?
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_03: Amazing shooters from France and Great Britain and Italy and Spain and Australia and Portugal.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, there's just people from everywhere that are good.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_03: And uh I love going to big tournaments and competing against them because it's our it's a chance to represent the United States and show people why we're the greatest country on the face of the planet.
• 47:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, no, absolutely, absolutely.
• 47:46
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, um is your um your mom and dad still running the Gator Cup?
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_05: Is that still happening?
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_05: Or are they are they gonna hand over the rings?
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, okay, sure.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_05: And if anybody that hasn't met Fred and Rhea, you will never meet two finer people on the planet.
• 48:01
  SPEAKER_05: If you see them in a tournament with Joe, you gotta go up and shake Fred's.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_03: True statement.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_03: True statement.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_05: Wonderful, absolutely wonderful people.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_05: Joe, I I still see you globetrot a little bit with mom and dad.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_05: That's gotta be cool that you still get to go on these cool trips with mom and dad.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_05: I think you just went on a big hunt with dad not too long ago, didn't you?
• 48:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's just uh it's the highlight of all of it.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's uh it's really cool that I get to spend time with my parents.
• 48:26
  SPEAKER_03: It's something I really look forward to.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, my dad's been getting a lot more in involved in in competing and being a clay shooter himself, and he's getting a lot better.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_03: And it's just really fun because he and my mom worked for many years really, really hard, you know, at running big events.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_03: And now, you know, with working, they live in Montana, I live in Florida.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_03: The the chance that I get to see him the most is when we go to these big events.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_03: So whether we're going to a clay shoot or you know, we're we're going on a hunting trip or whatever it is, you know, being able to spend time with my mom and dad is is a huge blessing.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_03: You know, they've given me everything.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_03: They're the reason, you know, I am who I am and have been able to accomplish the things I've been able to accomplish.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm just uh really, really grateful, you know, for them and everything they've done for me.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_03: And it's uh it's a family affair, you know, our roots run deep in play towards shooting.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_03: You know, it's it's generations of them working really hard and and in a way being pioneers for the sport in Florida and helping Florida sporting plays grow in a in a massive way when you know before they got started, there really wasn't a whole lot going on down here.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_03: And um, you know, me being able to grow up at the amazing club they built with that whole team of people at Quail Creek and turned it into definitely one of the premier places in the country, and it definitely still is to this day, has been definitely one of the highlights.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_03: So it's cool to still do it.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I love shooting.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_03: Like I said, it's it's uh it runs deep in my in my blood, and being able to do it with my mom and dad makes it all the better.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_03: You know, and it's a family event.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_05: That is that is awesome.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_05: That is so cool.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_05: I love hearing that.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Joe, we're lucky that you're still with us in this sport because, like I said at the beginning of the show, you know, so many young shooters, life just happens, right?
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_05: And sporting clades ends up taking a back seat for years.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_05: You stayed with us through all of it.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, we're lucky to have you still involved in it.
• 50:18
  SPEAKER_05: Really appreciate you spending some time with me tonight, man.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_05: I know it's late and you're after work, so we won't keep you much longer.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_05: But uh, man, thanks, Joe.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_05: I really appreciate it.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_05: And you're welcome to come back anytime and join us, man.
• 50:29
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, thanks, Jason.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_03: It really means a lot.
• 50:31
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, the the goal here is hopefully all the listeners, if you've gotten to this point, that you have, you know, a couple takeaways that can make you better.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, you know, that makes me excited, is you know, knowing that people are able to listen and learn and and uh take some of this knowledge and and go apply it to their lives and their shooting and and get better.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_03: That's what it's all about.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, one last question, Joe.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_05: That just that just made me think of something.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_05: I know you're not gonna do it full time because you have a career, but have you thought about giving some lessons here and there and maybe doing a little bit of a few more?
• 50:59
  SPEAKER_05: I give lessons all the time.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_05: Do you?
• 51:01
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, all right.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_05: I'm sorry, I didn't know this.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_03: I love giving lessons.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I do it quite a bit.
• 51:05
  SPEAKER_03: I uh coach a lot at South Florida Shooting Club in Palm City, uh, and also Vero Beach uh shooting sports uh up in uh Vero.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_03: Love giving lessons, gave my first lesson, you know, paid lesson when I was 14 years old and have been doing it ever since.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_03: So uh I do advertise it, you know, people can reach out to me and and also, you know, uh back to you know, Sporting Clays Academy and some of the other platforms that are out there, you know, it's it's really cool because you know there's nothing like an in-person lesson.
• 51:36
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, truthfully, there's there's nothing better than that, but you know, not everybody can maybe fly across the country to get down and see me in Florida or fly to you know somewhere else, wherever their you know, instructor of choice may be.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_03: So if they can't make it, you know, some of these digital platforms and the technology that's come along uh I think is is a huge blessing.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm an advocate for all the YouTube videos, uh, you know, subscriptions on video, CDs, books.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_03: I think all of it is great.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_03: And the goal is you're just always trying to gain more knowledge that you didn't previously have that you can buy into, believe, commit to, and incorporate into your shooting to make it hit more targets.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, I I do love giving lessons and you know I'm gonna keep trying to keep up with that and do more and more because I mean I genuinely enjoy it.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_03: It's fun.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_03: I I'm a people person, I like meeting people, learning more about NEM, learning about their shooting and figuring out how to help them.
• 52:31
  SPEAKER_05: Well, if somebody's down in Florida, Joe, and they want to come see you, how they get a hold of you.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_03: I can't, I'll I'll get my cell phone number out.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, if you listen on the podcast.
• 52:41
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, well, do you have an email or something they can get a hold of you at?
• 52:44
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I I do.
• 52:45
  SPEAKER_03: Uh my email is uh phonizy shooting instruction at gmail.com.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_03: So if anybody ever wanted to reach out to me, it's f a n i z IC shooting instruction at gmail.com.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_03: All one word.
• 53:01
  SPEAKER_03: So uh or you can reach out to me on social media, um, you know, Instagram, Facebook, send me a message, uh and I'll definitely get back to you.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_05: Well, for anybody driving down the road right now, don't crash your car trying to write that down.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_05: I'll put a link to Joe's email right down in the show description so you can you can get a hold of him at your leisure.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Joe, thank you so much, buddy.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_05: I really appreciate you coming on tonight.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it's been awesome seeing you grow into the person you are.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_05: And uh your your mom and dad have to be very proud of you.
• 53:29
  SPEAKER_05: What a what an awesome young man they've they've made out of you.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_03: I appreciate it.
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_03: It uh it means a lot.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_03: And also best of luck to you with your big tournament coming up in December.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, thank you.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_03: Uh really cool.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_03: I hope I can make it.
• 53:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but you know, that's gonna be really cool and a great chance for you and everybody involved to give back to to the greater good, you know, the sport and people who need it.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_03: So that's awesome.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, well, we we're more than we'd love to have you, Joe.
• 53:54
  SPEAKER_05: Uh we'll hope to see you up there, but if not, we understand why.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, but uh awesome.
• 53:59
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you very much, Joe.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_05: I appreciate it, buddy.
• 54:01
  SPEAKER_03: Sounds great.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_03: Talk soon, Jason.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_03: Good luck at your next turn.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, thanks, buddy.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_05: The dead pay.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_04: Well, Jason, I gotta admit, it's been quite a while since I've seen Joe in person.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_04: I'm trying to think of actually the last time I bumped into him.
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_04: And I know it's been a couple years.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but you know what?
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, what's cool about this whole interview is that you know, we've talked many, many times about the whole uh travesty of the youth shooters, what they go through to compete, the um all the accolades and stuff they achieve.
• 54:37
  SPEAKER_04: And then it seems like right after they graduate high school, they're gone, you know, or at least 95% of them are gone.
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, I thought it was really interesting to hear Joe tell us about his story and what he's been doing, and that he's uh you know, become a working stiff and learning the uh the rest of what the rest of us have to go through on a day-to-day basis.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, I thought that was very cool, man.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_04: Very cool.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, but he still has that that desire.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, he still wants to compete, still wants to win.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_05: And both conversation that was on the podcast and off, uh what I got from him on the phone is that that kid still has fire in his eyes, man.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, like he still wants to go for it, and good for him.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_05: I'm glad to see him sticking with it.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_05: He's figured out how to manage his time, still being able to practice, uh, even though he did start a career and he's still very much involved in the shooting world.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_05: So good for him.
• 55:25
  SPEAKER_04: Well, yeah, and I I think that that kind of lends itself to even in my situation.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, people go through different phases of your life, and while we all love this sport and hobby, I mean, sometimes it I guess ebbs and wanes, you know, depending on what you've got going on the rest of your life.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_04: So obviously, you know, maybe maybe down the road he's gonna get married, maybe have kids or something that might take him away from the sport, yeah, and then he might come back into it.
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you you and I kind of did that same thing, you know.
• 55:49
  SPEAKER_04: We when we were young and single, we could do a lot of things that we couldn't do once we got married and all that stuff, but I should say no, because right now Jules puts up with you being on the road.
• 55:58
  SPEAKER_05: I know, I know.
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I mean, you know what I mean.
• 56:00
  SPEAKER_04: It's just it's interesting as you go through life, the different chapters and stuff.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_04: And um, like David said on a few podcasts ago about me, he's like, you know, hey, when Sean comes back into the sport full time, everybody'll be there to welcome him.
• 56:10
  SPEAKER_05: And absolutely, there we go.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I think that's what's so cool about our sport, about our community.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, no, uh, you you are a hundred percent correct.
• 56:17
  SPEAKER_05: That's this this sport lends itself to lifelong friendships.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it really does.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_05: Uh and Joe's no different.
• 56:25
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you know, look, anybody that doesn't know Joe or his parents, Fred Maria, I mean, you're missing out because what an outstanding young man and great parents.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_05: Uh they're really good people.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_05: That whole family is just good people.
• 56:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yep, very good people.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, um, Sean, you know, I I haven't been able to talk lately a lot about the sponsors.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_05: We've had some some episodes that went long, and we've got a lot of good things coming from these sponsors that have done wonderful things for both the pro am and the dead pair blast.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_05: And, you know, I we we've we've had podcasts, what they're gonna do, what they're giving away, but I really just can't thank them enough.
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, Kohler, you Sean Alley, have you had what do you had now?
• 57:08
  SPEAKER_05: Three years on your Kohler or four?
• 57:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, uh, third year.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_05: Third year.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_05: Have you had one lick of problem out of it at all?
• 57:15
  SPEAKER_05: Anything, anything you don't like, anything that you had a problem with at all.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_04: I'm trying to think.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_04: Well, you can't think of anything other than just having just just having to clean it all the time.
• 57:26
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, you know, if you made an automatic cleaning shotgun, it would be even better.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_05: Only you would come up with that.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_05: But no, I mean, you know, the the folks at Color, thank you so much.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_05: We love Color, and they've they've been workhorse for both Sean and I.
• 57:43
  SPEAKER_05: I mean myself a lot longer than Sean, and uh can't thank the mainlands enough, especially everything they're doing for the Dead Pearl Blast and the Pro Am.
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_05: Fioki ammunition is another one.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_05: You know, they've stepped up big time for both the blast and the pro-am.
• 57:55
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Sean, you still are competing with the white rhino lights, is that correct?
• 58:00
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I'm doing the 1200 feet per second.
• 58:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_05: Yep.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_05: And uh myself, I'm full-blown white rhinos now and absolutely love them.
• 58:07
  SPEAKER_05: Uh I've I've so one thing I have figured out when the gun completely fits you right, it doesn't matter what you throw in there.
• 58:14
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, just shot of a one-pound blunderbuss ball.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_05: I think you could handle about anything.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_04: Uh oh, yeah.
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_04: They're great shells, and I mean anybody that wants to give them a shot, I think you'll be impressed with the results.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_05: Yep, and by the time y'all are hearing this, uh, the little short I did with uh the Ranger hyper shots will be out by then.
• 58:31
  SPEAKER_05: So get over to YouTube, check it out.
• 58:34
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, thank you to the folks at Ranger.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, Sean, I know you're loving those new hyper shots, they fit your big melon perfectly.
• 58:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, they do.
• 58:41
  SPEAKER_04: They're they're so much more comfortable.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I like listen, the Falcons were fine, but I as you know, I my only complaint was that the frames were a little tight for this big head, and uh they kind of pinched my temples and got uncomfortable after a while.
• 58:52
  SPEAKER_04: Lenses are great.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_04: We can't can't fault the lenses at all.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_04: But I said, man, they should be able to do something a little bit better with these frames.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm telling you what, they knocked it out of the park with these uh with these hyper shots, especially the way those lenses quick interchange like that and positive lock and all that.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_04: That is so much better than trying to clip them in.
• 59:07
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, again, I know everybody's got to go through you know certain design processes and stuff to figure out what their thing is, but dude, these are I mean, these are perfect.
• 59:14
  SPEAKER_04: I don't even know how you would improve upon them.
• 59:16
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, for sure.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Atlas Traps, uh, again, stepped up.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_05: They're giving away a trap at the Dead Pair blast.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_05: And again, folks, if you guys need a trap, whether it's for you know yourself at home or if you're a club that needs a hundred of them, I don't care.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_05: Give me a call.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I'm here to help, and uh we'll get you an American, all American made, not assembled in the United States, not imported parts, all American made Atlas trap.
• 59:42
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Rhino Chokes, uh man, I keep chasing Scott.
• 59:45
  SPEAKER_05: I want to get him on here, Scott Dixon, and get an update from him.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_05: I know they had the fire here a few months back, but they are they are so daggone busy.
• 59:54
  SPEAKER_05: Not only have they caught back up from that fire, but they're just buried in work.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_05: So hopefully hear something from him here soon.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, again, they've got several$500 gift certificates that we're giving away at the Dead Pearl Blast.
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_05: Uh gun and trophy insurance.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_05: Sean Alley, I know you dug through the policy right after um you got your policy from Cole Cushman, and you were very impressed, not only the coverage, but the premium price as well.
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, the whole package uh compared to what I was doing before, uh, is it was night and day.
• 1:00:27
  SPEAKER_04: And then not to mention the absolute top-tier level customer service.
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, they treat you uh better than you can be uh asked anywhere.
• 1:00:35
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, honestly, I felt so comfortable through the whole thing.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_04: And like I said, the coverage is great, uh, they were great to deal with.
• 1:00:40
  SPEAKER_04: I I can't say anything bad about it.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 1:00:42
  SPEAKER_05: Uh and of course, the fine folks at Midway USA, they're gonna do half a billion dollars to you shooting this year.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_05: The Deadpair ProM, all the proceeds from the Deadpair ProM are going right back to Midway USA Foundation.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_05: They are gonna match that dollar for dollar.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_05: So if you are there, you are participating, you're getting a good day's lesson with a pro, your money, your entry from being there is going straight to Midway.
• 1:01:05
  SPEAKER_05: So um, thank you to the folks at Midway USA.
• 1:01:08
  SPEAKER_05: And uh, I really look forward to this program and hope we can give back to them.
• 1:01:13
  SPEAKER_05: You know what I mean?
• 1:01:14
  SPEAKER_05: Because they're doing, they're they're protecting our future of shooting sports.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_05: Uh long range again, Neil Chadwick always helping people out, paying it forward, and he is also giving away a receiver and a remote control for that Atlas trap at the Dead Pair Blast.
• 1:01:30
  SPEAKER_05: Score Chaser, thank you to the girls over there at Score Chaser.
• 1:01:33
  SPEAKER_05: Cannot thank you enough for all that you do.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, we love being partnered with you here at the Deadpair.
• 1:01:39
  SPEAKER_05: We are working with JTEC, who just built our new website, which is awesome.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_05: If you haven't checked it out, get over there and take a look at it.
• 1:01:47
  SPEAKER_05: We are gonna build a page for tournaments.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_05: So you find folks that send me um, you know, stuff for the tourney talk that Casey has not.
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_05: If you have a digital flyer for your shoot, I'm gonna be able to put it up on our website and it'll be in order of the dates.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_05: So when you go to our website and you look at the tournaments page, all the upcoming shoots in order for the dates will be up there.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_05: Now, once the shoot has happened, that'll fall off.
• 1:02:15
  SPEAKER_05: But this is another another avenue for you to advertise your shoot.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you to JTech and Scorechaser.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Odo Pro, Dr.
• 1:02:23
  SPEAKER_05: Grace.
• 1:02:23
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, we just did an episode with her.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_05: I think it's very self-explanatory if you listen to that episode, how great they are at customer service.
• 1:02:31
  SPEAKER_05: So thank you to them.
• 1:02:32
  SPEAKER_05: L Hefe, they have finally made their way to the East Coast.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_05: I just spoke with the owner, Ryan Marsh.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, they signed 21 distribution centers in Florida.
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_05: So they are here.
• 1:02:45
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, if you go to your local convenience store and you do not see one, if you're anywhere on the East Coast, I don't care if it's Ohio, all the way down through Florida, Maine, I don't care where you're at, ask for it.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_05: And if they say we don't have it, tell them that Ann Hodger Bush and Pepsi are both carrying, they are both distributors now for El Hefe.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_05: So just we get you a can.
• 1:03:04
  SPEAKER_05: I'm telling you, stuff's awesome.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_05: Bear pot vest.
• 1:03:08
  SPEAKER_05: Love me, my bear pot vest, Sean Alley.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, I think we're we're due.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_05: I think we need to get new dead pair vests made.
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_05: Just just straight up, dead pair podcasts.
• 1:03:18
  SPEAKER_05: I need you to be creative again.
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_05: Let's get a hold of Heather.
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_05: Let's do something cool.
• 1:03:22
  SPEAKER_05: Let's do something fun before the year's out and try to have something, I don't know, buy by the Dead Pear Blast.
• 1:03:27
  SPEAKER_05: We'll we'll try and have something cool rigged up.
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_05: What do you think?
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_04: Good deal.
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_04: All right, I'll try to work on something.
• 1:03:32
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 1:03:33
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, make a break.
• 1:03:34
  SPEAKER_05: Oh my gosh.
• 1:03:35
  SPEAKER_05: Ed Pritchell is is there a better voice?
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_05: I was just talking with David Rudolvich about this the other day.
• 1:03:43
  SPEAKER_05: He was listening to uh the last week's episode where we had the make a break update from Ed, and he sent me a text.
• 1:03:49
  SPEAKER_05: He's like, his voice is killing me.
• 1:03:50
  SPEAKER_05: I'm like, what do you mean, man?
• 1:03:51
  SPEAKER_05: He's got an awesome voice there.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_05: I know I can listen to him all day long.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_05: I wish I had his voice for podcasting.
• 1:03:57
  SPEAKER_05: The only thing I don't like hearing is when I call for a seven and you hear that one point.
• 1:04:05
  SPEAKER_05: But nah, it's been a lot of fun doing this with Ed, and uh, we're working on some fun stuff, so stay tuned for that.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_05: One last thing I'll mention.
• 1:04:13
  SPEAKER_05: Um, not a sponsor of the show, but friend of the show, Big Frig Coolers.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_05: As you know, we're carrying them over at our uh Dead Pear Swag Link.
• 1:04:22
  SPEAKER_05: Go get you a hat, t-shirt, and get you a Dead Pearl Big Frig Cooler or Tumblr.
• 1:04:27
  SPEAKER_05: They are working on the colors right now.
• 1:04:29
  SPEAKER_05: The only thing they have is white, they're back up at the factory.
• 1:04:33
  SPEAKER_05: The the colors are coming.
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_05: So if you want a red or desert tan or the desert camo one, they are coming.
• 1:04:39
  SPEAKER_05: Just bear with us.
• 1:04:41
  SPEAKER_05: They're they're in the process of making them.
• 1:04:43
  SPEAKER_05: Sean Alley, each and every week, I've tried to carry the tried to carry the torch while you're not here and tell everybody, but why don't you please do me a favor, remind everybody of our message each and every week.
• 1:04:56
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, well, I haven't forgotten.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_04: Guys, this is a grassroots effort.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_04: If we're gonna make this sport grow, uh, guys and gals, we all have to do our part.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_04: And you do that by inviting somebody out to the range that's never been there before, maybe take them to a charity shoot.
• 1:05:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, bottom line, just put a gun in their hand, get them out there, let them let them move around, let them shoot at a few things, and then watch the magic happen when they break their first clay, and boom, it's sold itself.
• 1:05:20
  SPEAKER_04: You don't have you don't even have to try after that.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_04: They'll be hook line and sinker, wanting to buy a gun, wanting to buy glasses, shades, vests, the whole nine yards, just like we all did.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_04: And uh, and that's how we keep building this sport and making it better.
• 1:05:31
  SPEAKER_05: That's right.
• 1:05:31
  SPEAKER_05: And whether they're entry level or clear up at the top of the game, like just Mr.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_05: Joe Finizi, you are gonna make new friends.
• 1:05:38
  SPEAKER_05: I guarantee it.
• 1:05:40
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 1:05:41
  SPEAKER_05: That's what this sport is all about.
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_05: So, Sean Alley, thank you, buddy.
• 1:05:45
  SPEAKER_05: I I know uh you have your hands full every time I talk to you.
• 1:05:48
  SPEAKER_05: You're running around like a chicken with its head cut off.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_05: And uh, I appreciate you spending some time with us, man.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_05: It's great to have you back on here.
• 1:05:54
  SPEAKER_05: You're always welcome here, you know that.
• 1:05:56
  SPEAKER_04: And uh Yeah, no, it was great to be back.
• 1:05:57
  SPEAKER_04: And like I said, I had to blow the dust off the board here and move some buttons around and pick some cables back up and stuff.
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_04: It's been a minute, but I remember.
• 1:06:04
  SPEAKER_04: I just like ride a bike, get back on it, and go.
• 1:06:06
  SPEAKER_04: And I'm sure as soon as I say that, I'll screw something up the next next thing I say.
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, don't jinx us here.
• 1:06:12
  SPEAKER_05: We haven't got this downloaded yet.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_05: Uh but uh when you get uh when you get life reorganized and get caught back up, man, you're always welcome to come back.
• 1:06:20
  SPEAKER_05: We'd love to have you.
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely, man.
• 1:06:22
  SPEAKER_04: I look forward to it, and uh definitely it's been fun.
• 1:06:25
  SPEAKER_04: It's been a while and then uh it just I don't know.
• 1:06:27
  SPEAKER_04: It's it like I said, I it's it's like putting on an old shirt or something.
• 1:06:30
  SPEAKER_04: It's like, yep, this is comfortable.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_04: I know what I'm doing here.
• 1:06:32
  SPEAKER_04: So it's good.
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_05: Awesome, awesome.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_05: Oh, hey, speaking of new shirt, what do you think of that Hawaiian?
• 1:06:38
  SPEAKER_05: You finally got your Hawaiian shirt.
• 1:06:39
  SPEAKER_05: What do you think about that?
• 1:06:40
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah, man.
• 1:06:41
  SPEAKER_04: I'll tell you what, that's sexy.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_04: The old lady liked it.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_04: The old lady, I was strutting around the house the other the other day and she was uh smiling at me.
• 1:06:46
  SPEAKER_04: So it's comfy, isn't it?
• 1:06:48
  SPEAKER_04: So it is, it's very comfy, very light, and it's very cool looking.
• 1:06:51
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, I think you could go to a party, you could go out to eat with it, you could definitely go roll craps at the table at the at the casino.
• 1:06:57
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's stylish.
• 1:06:58
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's very stylish.
• 1:07:00
  SPEAKER_05: Well, get over to the swag link, everybody.
• 1:07:02
  SPEAKER_05: Um, in fact, it's right down in the show description.
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_05: Go over and get you a Hawaiian shirt.
• 1:07:06
  SPEAKER_05: You look like Mr.
• 1:07:07
  SPEAKER_05: Alley over here, or a flat bill, or a flex fit hat, hoodies.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, hoodies, man.
• 1:07:12
  SPEAKER_05: Winter's coming.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_05: And Sean Alley, thank you, buddy.
• 1:07:15
  SPEAKER_05: And everyone, until next week, Sean Alley.
• 1:07:18
  SPEAKER_05: Can't wait to see y'all back here on the Dead Pear Podcast.
• 1:07:22
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see you next time on the Dead Pear Podcast.
• 1:07:25
  SPEAKER_00: The Dead Pear Podcast is brought to you by Kohler Arms, America's competition shotgun, and is fueled by Fiyoki USA.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_00: The Dead Pear theme song was written, arranged, and produced by Toby Tomblet.
• 1:07:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks to the following sponsors: RE Ranger, see it further, see it faster, with ranger performance underwear, Atlas Traps, America's finest play target equipment, gun and trophy insurance, protect your private possessions with the best insurance, I know chokes, the best jokes and fair reporting in the world, tectonic distilleries.
• 1:07:53
  SPEAKER_00: After the tournament, it's time for one more choke with tectonic distillers, long range, the industry standards for trap release and target management sources simplified.
• 1:08:03
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• 1:08:11
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