Theo Ribbs is enjoying an outstanding year in sporting clays and FITASC. He sheds light on the challenges and advantages of being a left-handed shooter in a predominantly right-handed sport. Exploring his rigorous practice regimen, we find out how he perfects things he needs to work on. Inquiring about his divergence from his father's path, we gain insights into his motivations and aspirations. Additionally, Theo shares his goals and talks about the tournaments he plans to compete in this year.
Speaker 1: Welcome to Shotgun Sports USA.
00:00:02
Powered by Winchester Ammunition, the American Legend.
00:00:05
Listen to the best shotgun shooters from all over the world
00:00:09
in every discipline Championship winning coaches,
00:00:13
gun clubs, target setters, vendors, as well as companies
00:00:16
that make it all happen, brought to you by Briley Rick
00:00:20
Hemingway's Promatic Trap Sales, cole Gunsmithing, clay, target
00:00:24
Vision, castellani USA and Falcon Strike.
00:00:27
Thanks for listening and remember to visit us online at
00:00:32
ShotgunSportsUSAcom, like us on Facebook and follow us on
00:00:35
Instagram.
00:00:49
Speaker 2: Today I have on a heavy hitter.
00:00:50
So far this year he's placed in the top at multiple shoots and
00:00:52
even secured a few wins as well.
00:00:53
His dedication to being one of the best has helped his practice
00:00:57
routine and it is showing.
00:00:58
Here he is once again Theo Ribbs.
00:01:01
Theo, welcome to the show again .
00:01:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, thank you for having me on again, man.
00:01:30
Yeah, I'm looking forward to getting into a few things with
00:01:34
you.
00:01:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been a while since we talked.
00:01:36
What's been going on?
00:01:38
Speaker 3: Not too much, man, just been shooting quite a bit
00:01:41
the last two or three years.
00:01:43
Yeah, like since we last talked , I definitely picked up the
00:01:46
amount of shooting in terms of competing and practicing and uh,
00:01:51
yeah, it's all been good man, all been super positive.
00:01:54
Speaker 2: So you know, I think I've seen you, I've seen your
00:01:57
name, uh, a lot more, it seems like, in the past couple years.
00:02:01
I'm not just imagining that you are shooting more yeah, no,
00:02:05
definitely not imagining it like .
00:02:07
Speaker 3: Since 2022, I've been , uh, definitely shooting a lot
00:02:11
more major tournaments and uh, yeah, it's all been all been
00:02:16
good, especially, I'd say, the last year and a half has
00:02:19
definitely been really, really good, yeah, and you've been
00:02:22
shooting.
00:02:23
Speaker 2: How long you've been?
00:02:23
I know you've been shooting since you we've talked about
00:02:25
this before, but what?
00:02:27
Since you was early how?
00:02:30
Speaker 3: yeah, young like 14, 15 years old, started competing
00:02:34
at 14 um, so shit.
00:02:37
I'm 32 now, so like 18 years yeah so what's
00:02:41
Speaker 2: made you?
00:02:41
What's made this?
00:02:43
Uh, this fire kick in all of a sudden, like in the past few
00:02:48
years, with you.
00:02:49
What's, what's the goal?
00:02:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, my goal has always been to, you know,
00:02:54
win national championship, world championship, us open.
00:02:57
So I've always had, you know, high goals, um, but obviously
00:03:03
you get to those goals.
00:03:04
You cannot, you can't, just like, do four or five major
00:03:09
events a year, because everyone else you're competing against is
00:03:13
shooting way more than that.
00:03:15
So you can't shoot less than your competition and beat them
00:03:20
on a regular basis.
00:03:20
I mean, maybe you could, but it's really hard.
00:03:24
Um, right, you got guys like brandon and and zach and gabin
00:03:29
and anthony, and you know, all these guys are shooting a lot
00:03:32
and they're already really good, so you don't want to put
00:03:34
yourself on, uh, on a like a, not a level playing field, right
00:03:41
?
00:03:41
So, yeah, that's just been my goal.
00:03:43
I'm like, okay, let me compete as much as these guys.
00:03:46
And and then also, uh, I started working with anthony as
00:03:51
well.
00:03:51
That that's definitely helped a lot of my shootings become
00:03:54
super consistent.
00:03:56
Uh, I've been, you know, right at the top uh, nearly every
00:04:01
tournament I've shot this year.
00:04:02
Um, so, yeah, man, just, and then just grinding man, I've,
00:04:07
you know, really started to practice a lot more.
00:04:10
I always, you know, was pretty good about practicing, but this
00:04:13
year, um, I've been really hitting it hard, trying to go
00:04:16
four or five days a week and, uh , I think obviously that helps
00:04:20
your consistency as well and you're and I'm just like, a lot
00:04:24
more comfortable, like you know, when you're shooting a lot and
00:04:29
you're shooting pretty well, you're super confident, you're
00:04:33
comfortable with what you're doing and it just, you know, it
00:04:36
starts to snowball and then, and then the belief comes and
00:04:39
everything else you know comes with that.
00:04:41
So, yeah, it's been good and I think you know, brandon, you
00:04:45
know success the last couple years, I think, is pushing
00:04:49
everybody.
00:04:49
You know I'm talking to a lot more guys and everyone's, you
00:04:52
know, trying to step up.
00:04:54
You know not just their practice regimen, but you know
00:04:58
every, everything right.
00:05:00
You know I talk to the guys.
00:05:01
Everyone's like oh yeah, we don't need sugar when we shoot,
00:05:04
we don't do this, we don't do that.
00:05:04
Like everyone's like, oh yeah, we don't need sugar when we
00:05:05
shoot, we don't do this, we don't do that.
00:05:05
Everyone's taking it to a really serious level, which is,
00:05:11
I mean, the scores that are being shot now are just crazy,
00:05:15
which is good.
00:05:16
Man, I enjoy competing against a guy like Brandon Some people
00:05:21
he's got kind of that either you love him or you hate him type
00:05:26
of thing.
00:05:26
But you know I like him, I think he's good for our sport, I
00:05:29
think he just raises the bar because he's so talented and you
00:05:33
know you don't want to be left behind.
00:05:34
If you're a competitor, you know you don't want to be left
00:05:38
behind, and so it's just helped me become a better competitor.
00:05:43
Speaker 2: Yeah me become a better competitor.
00:05:44
So yeah, you talked about your.
00:05:44
Let's talk about two things.
00:05:45
You talked about going to see you, you go to see Anthony still
00:05:48
.
00:05:50
Speaker 3: Uh, I didn't this this winter, but the past two.
00:05:53
Um, I went up there and, um, yeah, it's definitely helped,
00:05:58
man, and I just told him I'm like you know, this winter I'm
00:06:01
like, bro, it's a little bit too cold for me, dog.
00:06:03
Like 30 degrees, 20 degrees, it's like 20 miles an hour wind
00:06:12
and we're out there like four or five hours.
00:06:13
So I'm going to try and do something, and you know when he
00:06:19
gets a spot open, but I just like going up working with him.
00:06:22
He's obviously has crazy knowledge about the game and you
00:06:26
know, even this year I did a shoot off with him and after the
00:06:30
shoot off he's like hey, just work on x, y and z.
00:06:33
Next tournament I go shoot 99 and win the fee test.
00:06:37
Speaker 2: So you know?
00:06:38
What did he tell you to work on ?
00:06:39
What I want to know?
00:06:40
What he told you um.
00:06:41
Speaker 3: So you know for me like I tend to get my weight a
00:06:47
little bit on the front foot sometimes, and so me and him
00:06:51
have been working on just keeping my weight balanced and
00:06:54
keeping my, my, my weight between my feet.
00:06:57
And uh, so just like, hey, man, just move your feet up, move
00:07:02
your feet a little closer together.
00:07:03
They're a little bit too wide, he thought.
00:07:05
So he's like moving together it'll get your back a little
00:07:09
straighter to keep you more upright and not so much weight
00:07:16
on your front foot.
00:07:17
And so I did that Boom Next tournament.
00:07:20
I shot, yeah, and then I made some changes as as well.
00:07:25
I changed a little bit um things on my gun, shaved the
00:07:29
stock down a little bit.
00:07:30
But yeah, man, I mean, you're just always trying to find just
00:07:34
little things here and there and always trying to listen to
00:07:36
people that you know have a lot of experience and a lot of
00:07:39
success in the sport.
00:07:40
And uh, yeah, he's definitely been somebody like the last two,
00:07:44
three years that has, I'd say he's helped me the most, um, out
00:07:48
of anybody.
00:07:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, um including my game.
00:07:51
Now, your practice you're talking about.
00:07:53
You're practicing a lot.
00:07:54
What, what?
00:07:55
What are you doing to practice, uh, and to get better while
00:08:00
you're practicing?
00:08:03
Speaker 3: um, so there's a couple things, um, you know,
00:08:06
just understanding, like, say, from tournament to tournament,
00:08:10
like assess it, assessing your, your game, like, okay, is there
00:08:13
any shots that I'm weak on?
00:08:15
And really kind of just like, like going through in your mind
00:08:19
each station or parkour or whatever that you shot from the
00:08:24
previous tournament and understand, okay, was there any
00:08:28
particular bird did I struggle on?
00:08:29
If not, okay, well, let's just go out and practice.
00:08:32
If there is, then let's really, you know, try and set that bird
00:08:36
as the best as we can and then work on that.
00:08:39
And then also, you know, a lot of people like I used to shoot
00:08:45
really open chokes.
00:08:46
I've kind of started to go away from that.
00:08:49
I shoot a little tighter now and , especially in practice, I'm
00:08:52
shooting I-mods and I just for me, I feel like it really helps
00:08:56
me understand exactly where that gun's shooting.
00:08:58
Just, you know, because, as you know, man, like when you're
00:09:03
shooting that tight, there's no margin for error, right.
00:09:06
So I think that's helped me.
00:09:08
You know, just be a little more precise.
00:09:10
And you know, because everything's got to be perfect,
00:09:14
the whole point's got to be good to move, got to be real smooth
00:09:17
on the trigger that doesn't affect the end of the barrel.
00:09:20
You know it just helps you become, I think for me, has
00:09:25
helped me, you know, fine tune some things and so those, those
00:09:29
have been the main things that I've worked, I work on in
00:09:32
practice and you know, since I changed that to start the start
00:09:38
of the year, you know it's definitely not been a negative.
00:09:41
Speaker 2: So so are you still?
00:09:42
Are you shooting that tight when you go to shoot a
00:09:44
tournament or not?
00:09:45
Speaker 3: I'm not quite.
00:09:46
Um, I typically shoot light mods.
00:09:48
Um, there's been a few times, though, that I've shot imod in
00:09:52
competition.
00:09:53
Uh, this year, a couple stands in arizona that uh, that I shot
00:09:59
imod on and yeah, so I was comfortable because I that's all
00:10:03
I've been practicing with and I ran, ran the stand.
00:10:05
So I was like, okay, you know, but you know I I'm not a big,
00:10:09
but you don't need to crazy tight 24 7.
00:10:12
You know, I know some guys like it and that, and that's fine.
00:10:16
But you know, for me, you know those beretta barrels, man, they
00:10:20
are they pattern really well, and so I think you can get away
00:10:24
with a little bit more open choke with that barrel than you
00:10:29
can most others.
00:10:30
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you're probably tired of Zach and
00:10:32
everybody else saying you shoot too open of a choke, because I
00:10:35
know he's got to be one of them.
00:10:37
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no, he definitely does.
00:10:39
He blows his mind.
00:10:40
I'm like hey man, we need to mic those chokes.
00:10:42
You need to bring the hey man like.
00:10:43
He's like we need to mic those chokes.
00:10:44
You need to bring the chokes to my house and we need a mic of
00:10:47
them man.
00:10:50
Speaker 2: I have never met a guy who is so into it as he is
00:10:53
I'm talking about?
00:10:55
Start to finish everything he talks about has to do with
00:10:58
shooting everything 100, 100, so it's so.
00:11:03
So tell me about your year.
00:11:05
I mean, I've seen your name up at the top just like you said
00:11:07
earlier.
00:11:08
What have you won and what have you finished?
00:11:11
Top five in.
00:11:14
Speaker 3: So let's start in.
00:11:16
Arizona was our first regional.
00:11:18
I finished third in the main event there and I think me and
00:11:24
Zach shot off for M1 in FITAS.
00:11:28
He got me in the shoot off.
00:11:30
And then what was that?
00:11:33
The Southeast Regional I shot well there Won the FITAS HOA.
00:11:41
So I was a little bit in the main.
00:11:42
I think I was top 10 in the main or something, maybe 8th or
00:11:46
something.
00:11:46
Yeah, it wasn't terrible.
00:11:49
And then Texas State was 3rd in state and then 5th overall.
00:11:56
Me and Joe Fennese shot off for 3rd and 5th.
00:12:00
And then just this last weekend at the Grand Prix I was third
00:12:07
and in the grand prix.
00:12:08
So yeah, man, it's just been really consistent, shooting
00:12:12
pretty much every tournament I've gone to, which is nice, man
00:12:15
, you know.
00:12:16
Obviously as competitors we want to win every tournament.
00:12:19
But if you don't win, you at least want to be consistently on
00:12:23
the podium and I feel like I've been doing that, which is good.
00:12:26
It gives you a lot of confidence and you're not riding
00:12:29
this roller coaster of emotions from oh, I had a bad
00:12:34
performance, I had a good performance.
00:12:35
You just want to kind of stay towards that top end.
00:12:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just thought about something.
00:12:42
Are you the only left-handed shooter?
00:12:46
That's normally at the top of the game?
00:12:48
I think you are.
00:12:49
In our country yeah, my son shoots left-handed and you don't
00:12:55
see a whole lot of that.
00:12:58
Speaker 3: No, I'm trying to think of anyone outside of
00:13:02
myself, man, I don't know of any that are up there.
00:13:06
Speaker 2: I mean there's plenty that shoot, but I'm talking
00:13:08
about that can win.
00:13:09
You know what I mean.
00:13:11
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think you're right.
00:13:14
Speaker 2: Is it difficult coaching?
00:13:16
I know you're a coach, so is it difficult?
00:13:18
Difficult coaching a shooter that's a right-handed shooter no
00:13:21
, not really.
00:13:23
Speaker 3: I mean, obviously there's certain pairs, um, that
00:13:26
are a little bit uh tougher for a left-hander or for
00:13:30
right-hander.
00:13:31
Yeah right, but I mean, you don't really coach it all that
00:13:34
differently.
00:13:35
You know you, because you shoot on the other side of the gun,
00:13:38
you also understand the negative and positives.
00:13:42
So you automatically walk into the stand knowing, okay, this is
00:13:46
a good stand for a right-hander or this is not a good stand for
00:13:50
a right-hander, just because you have that different
00:13:54
perspective being on the other side of the gun.
00:13:56
But no, I don't coach any different from left to right.
00:14:00
Speaker 2: You're still coaching , though, right?
00:14:02
Speaker 3: yeah, not not as as much as I was at one point.
00:14:05
Yeah, just because I'm trying to to um crane quite a bit.
00:14:11
But when I have time, like when I have off week, yeah, I'll try
00:14:15
and teach quite a bit.
00:14:16
Uh, or teach a little bit.
00:14:19
But yeah, yeah, I'm still still teaching.
00:14:21
But yeah, like I said, I'm, I'm practicing quite a bit.
00:14:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, hey, that's what it takes.
00:14:26
It looks like you know.
00:14:28
Speaker 3: Well, yeah, man, it definitely does.
00:14:29
I know Brandon shooting a lot.
00:14:31
I know there's a few guys that are really putting in the time
00:14:34
with the gun and, um, you know, that's what you, if you don't
00:14:38
get left behind, which I obviously don't you know you got
00:14:41
to step it up.
00:14:42
Speaker 2: Yeah, do you not ever get bored?
00:14:46
I'm talking about practice, okay, when?
00:14:47
You're out there shooting the same stuff, or you're out there
00:14:51
by yourself.
00:14:51
Does it not ever get boring to you Like, oh, I'm done, I'm done
00:14:55
, I'm done with this.
00:14:56
Today?
00:14:56
Speaker 3: I mean this yeah, I mean with us today, I mean this
00:15:02
yeah, I mean, I think we, we all get to kind of a point where it
00:15:04
definitely starts to get boring , you know, and then you'll
00:15:05
start, you know, oh yeah, let me shoot this pair from the hip or
00:15:07
let me do this right, but you try, I try and stay pretty
00:15:14
focused up to like the 250 to 300 bird mark, yeah, for each of
00:15:20
my practices.
00:15:21
After that then I'm like if I could shoot, you know, a good
00:15:24
250, 300 birds, and I'm cool.
00:15:26
Then then if, uh, if I want to mess around and I feel like,
00:15:30
yeah, it's okay, but yeah, you know, you definitely especially,
00:15:33
you're like three days in a row , three, three, four days in a
00:15:36
row practicing.
00:15:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, you're done.
00:15:38
Yeah, can I please stop now?
00:15:40
Yeah, I don't care if I even hit any, hit any of these yeah,
00:15:45
it's.
00:15:45
Speaker 3: But exactly, and especially if you're like not
00:15:48
really missing or struggling with anything, yeah, then you're
00:15:51
like kind of like man, I don't really even need to be out here.
00:15:54
But you know, I I always look at it as like good karma.
00:15:58
You know what I mean?
00:15:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, last time we talked about your family's
00:16:03
history with Winchester and your dad's history in racing, which
00:16:08
is pretty cool.
00:16:08
Yeah, yeah it is.
00:16:10
You took a.
00:16:12
You know most kids follow in their dad's footsteps.
00:16:15
Okay, you didn't do that.
00:16:16
Why didn't you kind of go down the same path he did in racing?
00:16:20
Or why are you in shooting now?
00:16:24
Speaker 3: Um, well, like for my dad, it's kind of funny.
00:16:27
So my grandpa was racing and my dad ended up taking his hobby,
00:16:33
right, so that was.
00:16:34
And then I did the same kind of thing when my dad shooting was
00:16:38
his hobby, so I picked up shooting.
00:16:40
Um, the same kind of thing when my dad shooting was his hobby,
00:16:44
so I picked up shooting.
00:16:44
Um, why I didn't race?
00:16:45
I don't know.
00:16:45
He didn't really push me into it too hard.
00:16:46
You know, I don't think you, number one, want to spend quite
00:16:48
that much amount of money yeah you know, because it's funny,
00:16:51
like you go to these shoots and people complain about how
00:16:54
expensive shooting is and I'm like, yeah, well, it's nothing
00:16:57
compared to racing.
00:16:58
You know what I mean.
00:16:59
So that may be that, but then also, you know, my dad
00:17:06
definitely had his set of challenges in racing, right,
00:17:21
being the first.
00:17:22
I think when you're a groundbreaking figure in any
00:17:23
sport or doing anything, you're always going to be met with more
00:17:25
challenges than than most, and so he didn't want me to deal
00:17:26
with those things.
00:17:27
And so he's like hey, you have a lot more control with how
00:17:30
things go in shooting than you do a race car.
00:17:33
You're not the not the one building the car, you're not the
00:17:36
one working on the car, you're just getting in there and
00:17:38
driving it.
00:17:38
So there's a lot of things that are out of your control, where,
00:17:41
with a shotgun, we control nearly everything, right, right.
00:17:46
So he's like hey, man, when you win, you know, or if you lose,
00:17:51
it's on you been racing.
00:17:53
If you lose, sometimes you have like a thought you know, did
00:17:57
something go wrong?
00:17:58
Did I get screwed?
00:17:59
Whatever the case is, right, yeah and uh.
00:18:03
So he didn't want me to deal with that.
00:18:04
He's like hey, man, you know, you do that, you know and and I
00:18:08
love shooting and I'm sure I would.
00:18:10
I I enjoy racing now as a spectator and things like that,
00:18:14
and I'm sure I'd enjoy doing it, but I'm glad I chose shooting
00:18:18
to be honest yeah, Did you.
00:18:20
Speaker 2: Do you and your dad ever go to any races?
00:18:22
Speaker 3: Yeah, I used to do a lot of the formula one races
00:18:24
with him, Indy car races, 500.
00:18:27
Um, not as much anymore, just because I'm so busy now um
00:18:32
shooting, Um.
00:18:34
But yeah, I mean he's still going to a lot of races.
00:18:38
He's actually going to Indy today because they're having the
00:18:43
Indy Grand Prix up there this weekend and so he's got a black
00:18:47
kid that is coming up in the Indy Light Series that he's
00:18:50
going to go see.
00:18:51
That has a lot of potential.
00:18:52
So he's trying to kind of mentor him.
00:18:55
Speaker 2: Yeah, you don't see a lot of that either, and that's
00:18:57
good that that's happening and it's like that.
00:19:00
You know that that's happening, you know, and it's like that in
00:19:01
shooting as well.
00:19:02
You know what I mean.
00:19:03
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:19:04
Speaker 2: And and you're seeing different races and shooting
00:19:07
and you don't.
00:19:08
You haven't normally seen that and that's.
00:19:10
You know.
00:19:11
That's pretty cool to see that.
00:19:12
Speaker 3: No, it is.
00:19:13
It's crazy, like like the Jamaican shooting, right I mean,
00:19:21
and right I mean, and you go down to florida, man them,
00:19:22
florida shoots.
00:19:23
There's a lot of jamaican shooters now, man.
00:19:24
So, yeah, I mean, there's a lot like, like you said, there's a
00:19:25
lot more different races getting involved, uh, in the sport,
00:19:28
which is good.
00:19:29
It only, you know, helps the sport yeah, yeah.
00:19:32
Speaker 2: As long as we don't have to foot, race will be good.
00:19:34
Speaker 3: Everybody, everybody yeah, we ain't gonna be
00:19:39
successful in that.
00:19:42
Speaker 2: So, uh, team usa.
00:19:43
You were on team usa a long time ago yep, yep and uh, and
00:19:49
that's the only time you've really been on it, right?
00:19:52
Speaker 3: yeah, so as a junior I was on it a bunch and then
00:19:54
back in 2015 I was on the team but I I didn't accept the
00:19:58
opening on sporting.
00:19:59
But yeah, it's been a while for me.
00:20:02
You know, this year I'm having a good year, so kind of knock on
00:20:07
wood that I keep it rolling and yeah, we'll see what happens in
00:20:12
the future man, why did you not accept it?
00:20:17
Kind of some politics happened when I was a kid.
00:20:20
I don't really want to get too much into it, I don't want to uh
00:20:23
, yeah, I don't want to like say any negative things about
00:20:26
anybody, um, but yeah, just some politics, okay.
00:20:29
I didn't know if it was some other reason or you just no, no,
00:20:32
okay, well, at least you made it, yeah, yeah, at least I had
00:20:36
the capability so now.
00:20:39
Speaker 2: So now you're a national championship.
00:20:42
Team USA US Open win.
00:20:45
All that's in your sights now.
00:20:48
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I think I can do that for sure.
00:20:53
And you know I want to definitely win a world, national
00:20:58
US Open.
00:20:59
I've been close at the World FITAS the last few years, so you
00:21:04
know we'll see.
00:21:05
Man, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, working
00:21:07
hard and hanging and talking with the right guys and you know
00:21:14
I have enough skill to do it so we can do it.
00:21:17
Speaker 2: It's a big, you know, it's a big deal to hang around
00:21:21
the right people.
00:21:21
Oh, 100 man you know, when it comes to sponsorships, when it
00:21:27
comes to shooting, when it comes to success in anything really
00:21:31
in life, you are who you hang around you know, yeah, 100 and I
00:21:37
and I'm pretty particular about that I don't hang out with a
00:21:42
ton, ton of people.
00:21:43
Speaker 3: You know I'll do dinners and stuff with Zach and
00:21:47
those guys here and there, but for the most part I keep a
00:21:51
pretty small circle and, like you said, you've got to hang out
00:21:54
with the right guys Anthony, Zach, Brandon, You've got to be
00:21:57
around guys that are towards the top because they understand
00:22:00
what goes along with that.
00:22:02
Obviously they're there for a reason.
00:22:03
All those guys have a lot of longevity in the game at being
00:22:10
at the top of it, so clearly they're doing something right
00:22:14
and you're hoping that it'll rub off on you.
00:22:17
Just listening and learning.
00:22:19
You know what I mean?
00:22:20
Do you just listening?
00:22:20
Speaker 2: and learning, and you know what I mean.
00:22:21
So that's yeah.
00:22:22
Do you find yourself shooting better if you shoot with them
00:22:25
also?
00:22:26
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think so.
00:22:27
For me, I definitely feel like my, I raised my game when I
00:22:31
shoot with a good shooters because you know they're pushing
00:22:36
you Obviously.
00:22:37
You know you don't want to get left behind or you don't want to
00:22:40
.
00:22:40
You know, let some guy whoop you like that you're shooting
00:22:43
against.
00:22:44
You know we're all competitive people, so you don't, you know,
00:22:47
you just want to.
00:22:48
You know if you're like, you can hang with them, you know,
00:22:51
for a week and you can, you know , stay right with them in every
00:22:55
event.
00:22:56
Then you know that you're, you know you're doing good, you know
00:23:00
.
00:23:00
So I think it helps 100% to shoot with good shooters.
00:23:04
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:23:10
Speaker 3: You know, we all know that, man.
00:23:11
If you don't, there's a reason why guys have squads that they
00:23:12
tend to shoot with most of the time.
00:23:14
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, the only time you get out of that.
00:23:16
I was thinking about the what they now call the pro squad yeah
00:23:21
.
00:23:27
Speaker 3: And you still shoot with good guys guys, but you're
00:23:28
not shooting with the same guys.
00:23:29
So same guys, yeah, and that that's definitely a little bit
00:23:30
different.
00:23:30
Some people look at it differently, like, oh, we're
00:23:32
shooting a shoot off every stand type of thing, but I'm like,
00:23:35
yeah, but I mean, what's the difference if you're shooting
00:23:37
with good guys?
00:23:38
You know, period, you know anyway, it's the same type of
00:23:42
dynamic, so it's no, no different really yeah, the world
00:23:47
championships are coming up.
00:23:49
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I know you're ready for that.
00:23:51
What?
00:23:51
What are you?
00:23:53
Have you done anything different to prepare, have you?
00:23:55
I mean what have I know you're looking forward to going, but
00:23:59
what?
00:23:59
Is anything.
00:24:00
Have you done anything any different?
00:24:02
Speaker 3: No, not really.
00:24:03
I'm.
00:24:03
Actually when we got the phone, I'm gonna go do some practicing
00:24:06
Um, and then, uh, friday I'm going to go down to Houston and
00:24:12
shoot with Dominic Grossi for uh for two days and just train
00:24:16
train with him and Megan.
00:24:17
Um, yeah, I did.
00:24:19
I just try and train with good shooters before big shoots.
00:24:22
Um, you know you can help push each other and you know, see, if
00:24:27
I'm struggling on something, maybe Dominic can see something
00:24:31
if he's.
00:24:31
You know, vice versa, I can help him.
00:24:35
But no, I'm not really changing anything.
00:24:37
I think when you're on a, you know a good run.
00:24:40
You know, I don't think you need to change anything too much
00:24:43
.
00:24:43
You're obviously doing something well.
00:24:45
So I just keep it pretty much the same, just train, maybe
00:24:51
shoot a little bit more.
00:24:52
But also, you don't want to wear yourself out either.
00:24:57
I think there's a fine line with too much shooting and not
00:25:01
enough.
00:25:02
I think you've got to find that kind of right groove so you're
00:25:06
not worn out by the time you get to when you're supposed to do
00:25:10
your best shooting right?
00:25:11
Yeah?
00:25:11
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, Are you still shooting the 1250s?
00:25:18
Are you shooting?
00:25:19
Speaker 3: 1250s still.
00:25:20
And then obviously 1290s and FITAS.
00:25:22
But yeah, I still love ounce and eighths man.
00:25:22
Are you shooting 1250s, okay still.
00:25:23
And then obviously 1290s and feet tasks.
00:25:23
But yeah, I still still love ounce and eighth man I.
00:25:26
I really have a hard time getting away from it, especially
00:25:29
when I heard george and anthony's uh conversation and
00:25:34
you know anthony asked him.
00:25:35
He's like obviously, you guys can only shoot 28 gram over in
00:25:39
england.
00:25:39
And he's like do you take advantage of being able to shoot
00:25:43
32 gram here in the states?
00:25:45
And george is like, yep, I'm gonna shoot.
00:25:47
When I have the opportunity to announce an eighth, I'm gonna
00:25:49
shoot it.
00:25:50
So I'm like, all right, well, this guy does it.
00:25:52
Speaker 2: So you can't argue with him.
00:25:54
I promise, yeah, exactly, you can't argue with him.
00:25:57
Yeah, you can't tell him he's doing something wrong.
00:25:59
No, exactly, yeah, I noticed that.
00:26:03
The southeast.
00:26:03
I even said something to you.
00:26:05
I said, theo, you got new glasses on.
00:26:07
Like I have never seen you change the style shooting
00:26:12
glasses.
00:26:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, no, it was the first time that I have shot in a
00:26:17
different frame of glasses.
00:26:19
Man, I can't even remember.
00:26:21
Like it's got to be at least like 12 years.
00:26:24
It's been forever, forever.
00:26:26
Yeah, no, well, they started discontinuing the panther frame
00:26:30
and and the lenses for it.
00:26:32
So I'm like, well, I gotta go to uh the outlaw and I saw these
00:26:37
frames that zach had and I liked them, you know.
00:26:39
For, you know, zach, ta man, he's got some, he's got some
00:26:42
swag, I'll give him that and uh.
00:26:44
So I was like, yeah, I'll get, I'll get some of those.
00:26:47
And yeah, I actually like him, man, I uh caught him for the
00:26:50
first time in, uh, arizona, yeah , and uh, and look back, man,
00:26:55
great, great, uh, good frame lenses.
00:26:58
Speaker 2: So I know that's a big deal to to change something
00:27:01
like that.
00:27:01
So, and I'm sure the lenses you had, they I mean they're so far
00:27:07
beyond in technology now yeah, you know.
00:27:10
Speaker 3: No, they, they, uh it's good and I, they actually
00:27:14
fit my, my, my head better than the other ones actually, so it's
00:27:17
uh actually worked out really good.
00:27:18
What's the plans for the year?
00:27:19
I mean, where are?
00:27:19
Speaker 2: you going what?
00:27:20
I know you're going to the world.
00:27:21
You know you go to all the big ones.
00:27:21
I'm sure it actually worked out really good.
00:27:22
What's the plans for the year?
00:27:23
I mean, where are you going?
00:27:24
I know you're going to the world.
00:27:25
You go to all the big ones.
00:27:25
I'm sure you got anything going on.
00:27:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, getting married or anything?
00:27:28
No, no marriage plans, man, I'm not in a relationship with
00:27:34
anybody at the moment, which, for me, is good.
00:27:38
I'm able to really focus on my game, which is nice, is good,
00:27:46
like I'm able to really focus on my game, which is nice.
00:27:47
Um, for me, man, like it seems like when I'm single, I shoot
00:27:49
better.
00:27:49
I think I just like able to like hyper focus on the things I
00:27:52
need to, which is important.
00:27:54
And yeah, like you said, I'm gonna do a lot of, a lot of
00:27:57
shooting, all every big shoot that they have.
00:27:59
Uh, I'll be at.
00:28:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, when you have someone else to think about
00:28:04
, especially when you're married it's hard to, unless they like
00:28:08
to shoot with you.
00:28:09
Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, See, Zach is in a prime position right.
00:28:12
Him and Des are both in the shooting, and so it works really
00:28:18
good, theo.
00:28:20
Speaker 2: sponsors are always a big part of a successful
00:28:24
shooter, and you may be the only person that shoots with some
00:28:29
crazy sponsors yes or at least I'm not saying they're crazy.
00:28:33
Speaker 3: I'm talking about the names like the names go over
00:28:37
some of these because it makes me laugh um, so in the last like
00:28:41
two years I've been, there's two sponsors I get asked about
00:28:44
the most jim weed, obviously because it has weed in the name,
00:28:48
and then chief keith air and a bunch people know chief keith
00:28:53
the rapper, and so everyone's, like you know, trying to put two
00:28:57
and two together.
00:28:58
Is that the rapper?
00:28:59
And I'm like no.
00:29:00
So jim weed is actually a cbd energy drink, um, and my dad
00:29:07
knows, through racing, knows uh, one of the part owners of the
00:29:12
company, um, and so he's uh decided to get involved with me
00:29:17
and and help, and help my career , which has been unbelievable.
00:29:22
So yeah, it's actually a really good energy drink.
00:29:26
The other owner actually used to own muscle milk protein drink
00:29:31
.
00:29:31
So, yeah, man, I need to get a case and bring them to the
00:29:37
shoots and see what you guys think.
00:29:38
And no, there's no, like hot, you're not going to get stoned
00:29:43
or anything, it's just energy drink.
00:29:46
Speaker 2: So do you have them?
00:29:48
Do you have their names together on your vest?
00:29:51
Speaker 3: yeah, yeah, yeah, they're really close together.
00:29:53
Yeah, actually, yeah, it's funny.
00:29:56
And then chief kefier he was, uh, his last name is kefie and
00:30:01
he just, uh, what he was like a, he's like an uncle of mine.
00:30:06
He's not actually blood related but, um, my grandparents
00:30:11
adopted him and he's like pretty much, was raised with my family
00:30:14
in a way.
00:30:15
So, uh, well, yeah, he, he wanted to get involved with me
00:30:20
and pay for all my airfare.
00:30:23
Speaker 1: Nice.
00:30:23
So that's what he does.
00:30:24
That's a big help.
00:30:26
Speaker 3: Yeah, I made a play on his name and so, yeah, it's
00:30:30
been good man.
00:30:31
It's nice to have, like you said, good sponsors.
00:30:35
It's super important.
00:30:36
A lot of my sponsors are not in the industry, which I think is
00:30:41
important because you know we there's so many sponsors that
00:30:47
everyone has right of the same same sponsors, and so you gotta
00:30:52
try and look outside the box and and find sponsors in a
00:30:56
different way.
00:30:57
You know, because there's in in our industry, these current
00:31:02
sponsors can only help so many people.
00:31:04
If you want to keep going in the sport, you've got to figure
00:31:09
out ways to do that.
00:31:12
Speaker 2: What in the sport sponsors do you have?
00:31:16
Speaker 3: I've got Winchester Ammunition Promatic USA Cole
00:31:20
Gunsmithing.
00:31:22
Speaker 2: They've been with you for a while, all three of those
00:31:24
.
00:31:25
Speaker 3: Yes, yep, yep.
00:31:26
They've all been with me for a while, and all great people, so
00:31:31
I really obviously appreciate everyone's support.
00:31:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, man.
00:31:37
Well, that's all I got.
00:31:37
You got anything else?
00:31:39
Speaker 3: No man, all good bro.
00:31:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, wish you the best of luck.
00:31:42
I'm going to be at the U S open , so I'll see you there.
00:31:44
I won't be at the world, so some people got to work, you
00:31:48
know.
00:31:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, no doubt.
00:31:51
Speaker 2: But, uh, good luck to you and I'll be keeping up with
00:31:54
you.
00:31:54
And uh, see you at the U S open .
00:31:55
All right, man.
00:31:59
Speaker 3: Later bro.