Sonoma County rifleman bags national championship in rimfire shooting competition
Competitive shooting does not equate to highlight dunks on a hardwood floor. Or to the brilliant sound of a baseball cracking against a bat in front of fans blinded by the screaming sun. But the “athletes” of the American Rimfire Association have mastered their craft, developing into some of the most accurate shooters in the country. They follow a strong work ethic, intense preparation and mastery of control over their physical and mental beings; the same steps it takes for hyper athletes to create SportsCenter top 10 highlights.
Don Archer, a retired teacher from Cook Middle School, finished first in the 2017 National Aggregate Championship for rimfire shooting; scoring a sensational 2247.22 out of 2500. According to the president of the ARA, Dan Killough, he beat out 684 other competitors.
“It is an extremely difficult challenge,” said Killough. “He had the highest average score per target for the season (and) we have 82 clubs in 36 states that completed 22,000 targets in 2017.”
Shooting was a major part of Archer’s entire life and with the ARA, he finally capitalized on his lifelong potential. Unique from most athletic achievements, accuracy shooting is not defined by age. While a physical plateau occurs in most sports, competitive shooting requires patience, wisdom and complete control.
“I’ve always enjoyed competing and as I’m aging, this seemed like a way to stay in the competition,” said Archer. “I started in the ARA when I was 62 about 10 years ago. Out of the 685 shooters, about 40 to 50 are youth shooters and they generally do not shoot the best scores. ?Experience of age translates to success in the game.”
Archer’s journey toward rifle champion spanned his entire life ever since he took his first step. Growing up on a dairy farm in Sonoma, shooting and hunting was an essential part of what defined him.
“My mom would make blackbird pies and they came out of the depression and the depression mentality is you took what the land gave you and waste nothing,” said Archer. “I was 3 or 4 years old and my dad and I would walk out on the field and the blackbirds were on the alfalfa grass and my dad would point the gun and say, ‘now pull the trigger.’ And BAM! The recoil went into his shoulder.”
Archer received his first gun as a gift when he was 9 years old and took it everywhere. Mending fences, setting sprinkler pipes, bringing cows in and hunting jackrabbits; no task was completed without his rifle attached to his hip.
“Then over the years what I did was put rifle shooting on the back burner and I did the usual things” said Archer. “I got married, went off to college, earned my degree in political science and received my teaching credential at Sonoma State.”
His successful teaching career spanned three decades but in retirement rifle shooting continued to call out to him as a chance to douse his competitive flame with gasoline. And while his ambitious passion lied with shooting targets; he needed to channel his favorite quote from his favorite movie, The ?Untouchables, in order to become the best in the ARA.
‘What are you prepared to do’ yelled Malone in the film just before his death and it continued to ring in Archer’s ear.
“What are you going to do and how far are you willing to take it. If you’re not willing to take it all the way, why be in it?” said Archer. “That always stuck with me.”
In order to follow Sean Connery’s wisdom, Archer found it important to master all aspects of rifle shooting.
Using similar training methods and patterns of golfers, competitive shooting is focused more mentally than physically. Controlling adrenaline, heart rate, breathing patterns and emotions is fruitful for success.
“Adrenaline is not your friend in this game” said Archer.
A strict ritual is set in place for optimal performance before the match commences. Light meals the day before with no sugar, caffeine or alcohol. Plenty of sleep and plenty of patience for traveling long distances to reach the competition.
“As I’m going to bed that night, I see the targets punch out. I see the bullet holes go directly through the bullseye and I’ll repeat that when I’m going to sleep the night before” said Archer.
And when it’s Archer’s turn to shoot, with the pressure mounding after preparing for the last few days and with every single shot a crucial moment for success; he delivered with the best accuracy average of 2017 by channeling his zone and trusting in his subconscious to guide himself to victory.
“You have to get your conscious mind out of the way” said Archer. “Guys talk about getting in the zone in basketball and commentators say ‘oh that guy’s unconscious’ when he’s hitting shots. When Klay and Steph are hitting their shots; they’re in that zone.”
This was not a hobby picked up overnight, but a true talent that continued to interweave within his life, developing into something special. The bond between him and his rifle is one that will last forever and it payed off with a championship in competitive shooting.
“After all these years rifle shooting still called out to me” said Archer.